fiber optic broadband

Chattanooga Gets to See What Broadband Competition Looks Like

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:00:58 -0500

Full article: Broadband Reports
Karl Bode
For many years we've tracked Chattanooga, Tennessee's attempt to wire the entire city with fiber to the home using the local public utility. Despite several failed attempts by Comcast to cripple the effort, the plan moved forward to offer some of the best speeds and prices anywhere. By late 2010 the company started offering connections. With Chattanooga residents also having the option of AT&T U-Verse and Comcast Xfinity services, they're getting to see what competition looks like.

1Gbps Fiber for $70 -- in America?

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:57:39 -0400

Full article: Ars Technica
Nate Anderson
American ISPs have convinced us that Internet access is expensive -- getting speeds of 100Mbps will set most people back by more than $100 a month, assuming the service is even available. Which is why it was so refreshing to see the scrappy California ISP Sonic.net this week roll out its new 1Gbps, fiber-to-the-home service for $69.99 a month.

City Bringing Fiber-Optic Broadband to Pioneer Square

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 24 May 2011 10:34:10 -0400

Full article: Seattle Times
David Krueger
The city of Seattle is bringing high-speed fiber-optic broadband service to Pioneer Square, laying down conduit so private companies can bid to provide Internet service, and ultimately lease space in the pipes from the city. If no companies submit proposals, the city will "take steps directly to make service available," according to a statement from the mayor's office.

The Flaw in Obama's Wireless Plan

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:56:27 -0500

Full article: BusinessWeek
Brendan Greeley
President Barack Obama hasproposes to pay for his nationwide wireless plan by asking broadcasters to relinquish spectrum for government auction. Wireless carriers have been pressing for this, but nothing in the Obama plan encourages them to provide rural America with anything more than the minimum speed proposed for the Universal Service Fund overhaul. To harness broadband Internet for job creation and economic growth, President Obama should stress fiber networks over wireless broadband.

Time Warner Cable Can't Call Its Network 'Fiber Optic'

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 09:58:05 -0500

Full article: Ars Technica
John Timmer
The back-and-forth between AT&T and Verizon over the quality of their wireless services ended up making its way into some high-profile primetime commercials. But it's not the only fight that Verizon has been waging with competitors. The company also took issue with advertising run by Time Warner Cable, which bragged about offering an "advanced fiber optic network." Not so, said Verizon, which has the distinction of being the only major fiber to the home provider. In a ruling, the National Advertising Review Board agreed with Verizon.

Make Way for Fiber -- Australia Splits Its Top Telco in Two

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:34:53 -0500

Full article: Ars Technica
Matthew Lasar
Fulfilling another promise of its ambitious national broadband program, Australia's Senate has passed a bill that will split the country's biggest telco into separate retail and wholesale operations. Telstra will also sunset a big chunk of its copper wire operation, making way for Australia's massive nation-wide fiber project.

Maine Begins Construction of Massive Fiber Networ

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:46:58 -0400

Full article: Broadband Reports
Karl Bode
Maine has begun construction of their "Three Ring Binder" fiber optic network. Using a combination of $25 million in federal stimulus funding and $7.5 million in private investment, the state is building a 1,100 mile fiber optic network to make it easier to connect rural portions of Maine to broadband.

County Faces a Fiber-Optic Opportunity

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:56:38 -0400

Full article: Sarasota Herald Tribune
Michael Pollick & Doug Sword
Forget Google Fiber. For the bargain-basement price of $1,000 per mile, Sarasota County, Fl., could build one of the fastest broadband systems in the nation.

New Fiber Optic Cables Promise to Bring Better, Cheaper Internet Access to West Africa

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:50:49 -0400

Full article: Engadget
Donald Melanson
Last summer, the lone undersea cable linking West Africa to the rest of the world was damaged, forcing Nigeria to fall back on slower and expensive satellite connections, and knocking several other countries completely offline until the cable was repaired. While that has been a relatively common occurrence to date, the chances of it happening again in the future are now considerably less likely.

Sorry Fiber Fans, I've Got Some Bad News

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:49:11 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Stacey Higginbotham
More than 70 percent of American broadband customers are happy with their overall service, according to a new study. And just 26 percent said they're "very interested" in receiving faster speeds at home. In other words, big, bold fiber efforts such as Verizon's FiOS aren't yet supported by consumer demand.