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Portland broadband

Fiber/Infrastructure/Smart Cities

Spurning Google Fiber, Portland Suburb of Lake Oswego Pushes Toward Broadband Partnership

LAKE OSWEGO, Oregon, October 14, 2015 - This suburb of Portland, a potential candidate for Google Fiber's Gigabit-speed internet service, has said it isn't willing to wait around for the search engine giant. At a city council meeting here on Tuesday night, elected officials in this city of 37,000 listened, questioned and debated between two proposed public-private partnerships that would result in the construction of Gigabit-speed fiber-optic infrastructure. City Council Meeting in Lake Oswego, Oregon Instead of sitting and waiting for Google, the city council members appeared inclined to move forward on a public-private project with city involvement. "There was a great buzz and excitement when Google announced" the possibility that it would come to Portland, said Councilmember Jon Gustafson during the session -- but the city hasn't wasn't seen any action since that time. Last year, Google announced possible expansion to Portland and five suburbs, including Lake Oswego. The company has made commitment, however. "Google is still at the vapor stage," added Chip Larouche, chief technology officer for the city. Speaking at the Tuesday meeting, he said that Google is "talking about how 'we might make you a promise.'" Instead, City Manager Scott Lazenby said that in June Lake Oswego put out a Request for Proposals to build their own Gigabit Network. The city received two responses from private companies, and one from the City's own Public Works Department. [More... Keep Reading

Advanced Energy/Broadband and Democratization/Broadband Data/Broadband's Impact/Federal Agencies/Smart Grid

White House Launches ‘Smart City’ Initiative That Links Broadband Connectivity to Urban Solutions

WASHINGTON, September 16, 2015 - A movement to make cities "smart" by using the power of broadband and information technology processing power is reaching critical mass, with the White House on Monday announcing a comprehensive initiative to support municipal efforts. Coinciding with the Smart Cities Week conference here this week, the White House released a 4,000-word summary of more than $160 million in federal research investments, leveraging more than 25 technology collaborations with local communities. The goal of these efforts? Tackling such key challenges, in the words of the White House, as "reducing traffic congestion, fighting crime, fostering economic growth, managing the effects of a changing climate, and improving the delivery of city services." "Advances in science and technology have the potential to accelerate these efforts," read the White House statement. "An emerging community of civic leaders, data scientists, technologists, and companies are joining forces to build 'Smart Cities' – communities that are building an infrastructure to continuously improve the collection, aggregation, and use of data to improve the life of their residents – by harnessing the growing data revolution, low-cost sensors, and research collaborations, and doing so securely to protect safety and privacy." The launch of White House Smart Cities Initiative [More...] Keep Reading

Infrastructure/National Broadband Plan/Net Neutrality

Five Years After ‘Think Big With a Gig,’ Google Fiber No Longer The Only Major Gigabit Player

February 3, 2015 - In announcing last week that it was expanding Google Fiber to four new metropolitan areas in the Southeastern United States, the search engine giant-turned-internet service provider emphasized multiple initiatives toward Gigabit Networks. On January 27, Google announced that nearly five years after it announced its "Think Big With a Gig" campaign,… Keep Reading

Broadband Data/Broadband Roundup/FCC/Infrastructure

Broadband Roundup: Internet Tax Freedom Act, Report on Broadband Speeds, and AT&T on Gigabit Networks

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2014 - The House Judicary Committee on Wednesday approved the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act this week by a vote of 30-4, according to a press release from the committee. The act banned state-imposed taxation of internet access or discriminatory taxes on e-commerce. Originally enacted in 1998, the bill had previously been… Keep Reading

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