Operators: Smart Communities Need More than Fiber, They Need Government Engagement

A Nebraska fiber provider built a wireless network into every city router that school-issued Chromebooks connect to automatically, turning any home into a homework spot.

Operators: Smart Communities Need More than Fiber, They Need Government Engagement
Photo of, from left, Roger Timmerman, UTOPIA Fiber; Paul Fleming, WeCom Fiber; Todd Heyne, ALLO Communications; Derek Kelly, Lumos Fiber; Teresa McCaughey, Calix

ORLANDO, May 18, 2026 — Fiber broadband operators are deploying a school-only wireless network built into home routers to give public school students automatic internet access.

This is regardless of whether their families subscribe to broadband service, a step that operators said Monday can close the digital divide without waiting for household-level connectivity to catch up.

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