It was attempted here way back in 2003 but the technology was not there. The City of Coatesville owns fiber optic cable running under Lincoln Highway. When Jean Krack who was then Assistant City Manager for the City of Coatesville designed our smart traffic signal and surveillance system he allowed extra fiber optic cable under Lincoln Highway for future use. Jean sold the Borough of Downingtown and Caln Township on the smart traffic signal system. It runs from the west end of Coatesville to the east end of Downingtown. Our smart traffic signal and surveillance cameras use only about 2% of that fiber optic cable. I believe that fiber optic cable is the biggest expense in setting up super WiFi and we already have it under Lincoln Highway.
With strong input from telecommunication companies Pennsylvania laws were enacted prohibiting communities from forming their own WiFi networks. Pennsylvania laws have been modified. But now there is a whole new ballgame that could change because of new bandwidth becoming available.
There is now a proposal for Super WiFi being fiercely lobbied by Verizon, Comcast, ATT and other telecom monopolies. That proposal needs public support.
Coatesville, Caln and Downingtown could form a public utility for the operation of a broadband super WiFi network along Lincoln Highway. This is a tremendous opportunity for Coatesville, Caln and Downingtown.
Coatesville, Caln and Downingtown could form a public utility for the operation of a broadband super WiFi network along Lincoln Highway. This is a tremendous opportunity for Coatesville, Caln and Downingtown.
Imagine telling AT&T you're done with dropped calls, or telling T-Mobile you're done with slow data. Yes, elections matter, and the FCC is proposing something spectacular for Americans...assuming that shitting-their-pants mobile phone operators don't kill the mammoth proposal:
Designed by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, the plan would be a global first. When the U.S. government made a limited amount of unlicensed airwaves available in 1985, an unexpected explosion in innovation followed. Baby monitors, garage door openers and wireless stage microphones were created. Millions of homes now run their own wireless networks, connecting tablets, game consoles, kitchen appliances and security systems to the Internet.
“Freeing up unlicensed spectrum is a vibrantly free-market approach that offers low barriers to entry to innovators developing the technologies of the future and benefits consumers,” Genachowski said in a an e-mailed statement.
Some companies and cities are already moving in this direction. Google is providing free WiFi to the public in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and parts of Silicon Valley.Cities support the idea because the networks would lower costs for schools and businesses or help vacationers easily find tourist spots. Consumer advocates note the benefits to the poor, who often cannot afford high cellphone and Internet bills.
MORE AT:
FCC Proposes Groundbreaking Free Public Wi-Fi Throughout United States; Mobile Companies Protest
ALSO FROM FCC CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI:
"As we’ve recognized in law and policy for many years, public-private partnerships are also essential for driving broadband deployment. Public-private partnerships like the Connect America Fund, which drives universal broadband deployment, and municipal and public -private projects like those in Chattanooga, Tennessee and San Leandro, California are also vital components of our national broadband strategy. Our Gigabit City Challenge and the important work of Gig.U to drive ultra -fast broadband centers for innovation can also benefit from innovative local approaches to broadband infrastructure. That’s why the National Broadband Plan stated that, when private investment isn’t a feasible option for broadband deployment, local governments ‘have the right to move forward and build networks that serve their constituents as they deem appropriate.’
"If a community can’t gain access to broadband services that meet its needs, then it should be able to serve its own residents directly. Proposals that would tie the hands of innovative communities that want to build their own high-speed networks will slow progress to our nation’s broadband goals and will hurt economic development and job creation in those areas. I urge state and local leaders to focus instead on proposals that incentivize investment in broadband infrastructure, remove barriers to broadband build-out, and ensure widespread access to high-speed networks."
MORE AT:
Tue, February 19, 2013 | Posted by christopher Bill Moyers talks with Susan Crawford on Moyers & Company's "Who's Widening America's Digital Divide?"
The City of Lafayette Louisiana is mentioned in the video above. The City/Parish of Lafayette owns LUS Fiber. A provider of telephone, internet, and cable TV for Lafayette, LA:
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