IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

This month marks the beginning of a unique pilot program in Wisconsin where tethered drones will boost Internet connections for students living in rural areas within the Northland Pines School District.

Drones and broadband will intersect as part of a pilot program in rural Wisconsin that will bring high-speed Internet to students at home.

Faster internet will be coming to Eau Claire because of a new fiber optic network.

Tuesday night, the Eau Claire City Council unanimously voted 11 to 0 in favor of a memorandum of understanding with TDS Telecom, a Madison-based broadband company.

High-speed Internet access in Wisconsin varies widely, with fast connections missing even in some urban areas, according to a new broadband map produced by state regulators.

In some cases, broadband isn't much faster than dial-up Internet service, a slower connection through telephone wires.

"We have huge underserved areas, even in Milwaukee," said Thad Nation, executive director of Wired Wisconsin, an organization representing telecom firms.

Over one million feet of network lines have been installed throughout the city.

A citywide fiber network created to connect Kenosha residents with lightning-fast, reliable, affordable internet will soon reach its first Kenosha homes, according to SiFi Networks officials.

SiFi Networks is the driving force behind Kenosha FiberCity. It privately funds and operates citywide, open-access Smart City-enabled fiber networks across the United States.

Construction is underway on a $100 million project to add fiber-optic networks in Kenosha that will enable internet speeds up to 10 gigabits, according to a Thursday announcement.

New Jersey-based SiFi Networks will privately fund, own and operate the network, which the city approved in September 2020. Construction will take around three years to complete and will be conducted neighborhood by neighborhood, the announcement said. When fully implemented, the network will be available to all of the city's 40,000 households, as well as businesses and institutions in the city.

Local internet connectivity could be accessible for all Huntingtonians in the near future.

The City of Huntington has taken steps to establish a fiber-optic backbone across the city. After an engineering plan is finished, work to install 183 miles of lines will begin. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.

Earlier this year, the Huntington City Council approved $7 million of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand broadband in the city. The total estimated cost of the project is $14 million. The city is seeking other sources of funding, such as federal and state grants.

The FCC commission collectively voted to endorse a notice of proposed rulemaking, or NPRM. This program has been designed to endow inexpensive broadband connectivity to more than 2,000 rural hospitals and clinics all over the U.S. NPRM has been set up to find out if members of the public agree with the suggested changes.

Policy analysts, however, are unconvinced the program will fill a real economic need.

Connect Ohio, slated for completion at the end of June, was proposed by Gov. Ted Strickland (D) during his 2006 campaign. With $2.9 million a year in taxpayer funding, it is a public-private partnership to map out broadband access in the state and evaluate how technology is being used by the public. The stated goal is to use this information to spur private entities to invest in the areas lacking broadband service.

More than 1,100 cities and towns, and 194,000 individuals have responded to the Web search giant's offer to use at least one city to test a broadband network that's 100 times faster than what's typically available in America. The latest stats come from Google's blog on Friday, March 26, the day of the submission deadline in a post by James Kelly, product manager.

Rund 1.100 US-Kommunen haben sich für ein Google-Versuchsprojekt beworben, bei dem der US-Internet-Konzern Hochgeschwindigkeitsnetze testen will. Die Bewerbungsfrist endete am Freitag. Google werde die Bewerbungen nun prüfen. Welche Städte zum Zug kommen, werde das Unternehmen bis Ende des Jahres bekannt geben, teilte Google-Produktmanager James Kelly im Google-Blog mit.

About 350,000 Ohio households do not have access to broadband service.

Connect Ohio, which was initiated by Gov. Ted Strickland last December, released maps showing broadband coverage, as well as gaps in services, in the state.

The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Rural Utilities Service (RUS) will officially announce awards for 66 new broadband projects that will touch all 50 states, Obama administration officials said. The money, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by the U.S. Congress in early 2009, is expected to create or save about 5,000 jobs, officials said.

Libraries can play a crucial role in developing the national broadband plan that will result from recent stimulus legislation, says the American Library Association (ALA) in comments before the Federal Communications Commission.

“The national broadband plan has the potential to benefit millions of people by enabling high-capacity, ‘future-proof’ connections to the Internet in large multi-user locations such as libraries,” said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA’s Washington Office. As the premier public computing centers around the country, libraries can serve as “community anchor institutions” by providing broadband, Sheketoff said.

To ensure continued success, however, Alabama must lay the proper technological foundation.

If all areas of our state are to reap the benefits of robust economic growth, we must make broadband, also known as high-speed Internet access, available to every resident. Currently Alabama ranks 43rd in the nation in personal computer ownership and 44th in Internet access.

Dr. RoseMary Watkins, director of Alabama Southern University’s Southern Normal Campus, has been working with ASU staff to secure grants that would make broadband possible for many rural residents.

“We are joining the South Central Alabama Broadband Consortium in applying for three grants that have been announced by the Department of Commerce,” Watkins said. “ASU joined the consortium in hopes of helping to create broadband access to underserved communities in Alabama. There is a large number of residents in this area that fall into the underserved category.”

Around 250 residents who couldn't afford life on the island without a steady fishing income left, hitting the community hard, said Ron Philemonoff, chief executive of the area's Native village corporation, Tanadgusix.

Five years ago, seeking some sort of economic foundation for the 500 or so people remaining, the corporation joined several Outside tribes in a Department of Defense demonstration program several years ago. Their mission? Turning reams of paper manuals into electronic files complete with AutoCAD drawings. The project promised to train a handful of St. Paul workers in the new field, and offered jobs for as many as 25 people.

“We are living in an increasingly digital world, where being connected to the Internet is essential to enhancing our quality of life. This newly completed map paves the way for technology which will create new jobs, increase Alaska’s economic competitiveness, and deliver services that have been previously unavailable to rural areas of the state,” said Commissioner Bell. “No matter where you live in Alaska, high-speed Internet enables access to quality employment, information, and vital services ranging from interactive telemedicine to distance education opportunities. Broadband gives you the opportunity to work from home, take classes online, and market products to the world - all of which have a positive impact on the local economy and quality of life.”

A combination of grant and loan money equaling $88 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will allow 65 communities in Alaska to undergo a major expansion of broadband Internet.

United Utilities, Inc. (UUI), an Anchorage-based telecommunications company, will provide middle mile broadband service to the communities through the Terrestrial Broadband in Southwestern Alaska project.