Comments on: Municipal broadband and wireless projects map

Government-sponsored projects to provide fiber-optic or wireless networks are taking off across the United States, as are efforts to legislate the issue in state capitols.

[martyhale]

Another New Texas Launch

Blue Moon recently launched a City-Wide WiFi Network in Rancho Viejo, Texas. A resort community along the Texas/Mexico border. The network is currently providing voice and data to the municipality as well as the residents and businesses.

Although Blue Moon has been in the process with many Valley Communities, Rancho Viejo was the first Texas border town to be deployed.

[martyhale]

Another New Texas Launch

Blue Moon recently launched a City-Wide WiFi Network in Rancho Viejo, Texas. A resort community along the Texas/Mexico border. The network is currently providing voice and data to the municipality as well as the residents and businesses.

Although Blue Moon has been in the process with many Valley Communities, Rancho Viejo was the first Texas border town to be deployed.

[bluntperspectives]

Vail, CO Wi-Fi Network by CenturyTel

Vail, CO launched their network November of last year:

https://www.vailwi-fi.com/

--
Scott Stevens
970.274.3070 Mobile
"wirelesscott" AIM/MSN/YAH
Website http://scottstevens.net

It's more than just opinion - http://bluntperspectives.com

[carogers57913]

Wi-Fi in Hummelstown PA

Was the project completed? I just moved to Hummelstown.

[carogers57913]

Wi-Fi in Hummelstown PA

Was the project completed? I just moved to Hummelstown.

[carogers57913]

Wi-Fi in Hummelstown PA

Was the project completed? I just moved to Hummelstown.

[carogers57913]

Wi-Fi in Hummelstown PA

Was the project completed? I just moved to Hummelstown.

[jkoertge]

This is wrong, Wifi is NOT in Panama City, FL

I originally saw this in Wired Magazine, and free municipal IS NOT in Panama City. Can anyone tell where this data was gathered?

Many more projects in Vermont

Vermont has many broadband initiatives, mostly driven by citizen committees in Vermont's smaller rural towns. Projects are supported by the Vermont Council on Rural Development's Vermont Rural Broadband Project. See "Community Broadband Projects" as www.VermontRuralBroadband.org.

Oops - wrong URL

The Vermont Rural Broadband Project web site is www.VTRuralBroadband.org

[KarenSaid]

Keep the tips coming in

Thanks for all of your responses, especially those letting us at CNET News.com know about other municipal wireless or fiber projects. We're working on updating the map with these as soon as we can.

Please keep sending us information about city initiatives to pipe broadband to the home via these Talkback postings. We appreciate your help in making this map as comprehensive as possible.

[wraptur]

Utah Update/Clarification

Under Municipal Wireless you should get rid of all of those cities they should actually be included in the municipal fiber projects (Utopia Project).

Utopia Project Includes 16 cities:
Lindon, Orem, Payson, Perry, Brigham City, Tremonton, Washington, Vineyard, Riverton, Cedar City, Murray, Midvale, West Valley City, Centerville, Cedar Hills, & Layton

(for reference see utopianet.org)


The Provo Project is called iProvo and it is fiber

Thanks

Tucson has municipal wireless, but only downtown

Note, downtown Tucson is not big (maybe 1-2 square miles).

Here's a link to the press release from the local paper: http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/metro/74562.php

Longmont Colorado Wireless Network Up and Running

Longmont, Colorado has a wireless network up and running. Under contract and anticipated 30-60 install: Gunnison, Montrose, Crested Butte, and Delta, Co. WISPER TECHNOLOGY MARKETING (303-726-8219) is marketing a wireless "last mile" solution that is cheaper, faster, more durable and dynamic than any other technology in its class.

The muni wireless rationale, etc.

You have a great site here, but a number of comments.

The holistic nature of a municipal wireless cloud enables a deployed network to serve many purposes. Those listed on this site actually reflect a broad set of uses, not all centered around community access (and many of these are not Wi-Fi-based networks, though they do use unlicensed bands). Specifically, many of your listed sites have been deployed by the local government solely for their internal use, as opposed to consumer or commercial use. This partially explains why your site lists deployments in those states with restrictive legislation.

Even excluding the community access (a.k.a economic development) angle, the case for municipal broadband is compelling. The uses for a citywide network are many, enabling a massive set of efficiencies just in terms of municipal operations. For example, our own customers have communicated a gain of no less 2-3 additional hours productivity per day PER OFFICER when police officers have mobile filed access to their LANs and the Internet. Layer in other departments, such as city inspectors, fire/EMS, traffic management, video monitoring, internal leased ine replacement, etc. and soon the rationale is so strong as to make it absurb not to deploy.

In other words, the community access angle is the least of the reasons and is simply "gravy."

Anyway, great site and fairly comprehensive list, even if these are not all community access networks (in fact, most listed are not that I can tell). In terms of missed sites, a quick glance shows me the following sites are missed: City of Carthage, MO; Chillicothe, MO; Caroline County, MD; Spotsylvannia County, VA; Laguna Beach, CA; Hunington Beach, CA; Pratt, KS; Price, UT; Helper, UT; Lenexa, KS; Washington County, GA

Keep up the good work.

Patrick Leary, Alvarion (formerly known as the wireless broadband "Chief Evangelist")

[sandyfain]

iTown's West Virginia First(sm) Advanced Broadband Project

Please update your broadband map and data base for West Virginia. There is a project uderway by iTown Communications called West Virginia First(sm) bringing advanced broadband infrastructure to communities across the state. The broadband infrastructure is based on community-wide FTTP deployment called a Local Community Public Use Network(sm) or LCPN(sm) using an Ethernet last mile solution and Internet Protocol. The network is designed with open network architecture for use by multiple providers of voice, video and Internet services. The project is a private sector solution with close community collaboration through a public private partnership. Currently three public private partnership agreements are in place and three networks are under development: Beckley area (including Raleigh and Fayette Counties); Parkersburg area (including Wood County) and the Bluefield area (including Mercer County). If you need any further information for your posting please contact me.

Sandy Fain
Vice President, Marketing
iTown Communications

[bgbwvy1]

WV Does Not Allow Municipal Broadband

You are correct in not adding iTown to this map. None of these projects are beyond financing at this point. Wood County has not been approved by the largest city in its jurisdiction, Parkersburg. Cities across the state is speculation -- the largest communities are not interested at this time. I do find it very interesting that iTown would want to listed on a city about municipal telecom, given they steadfastly tell the communities it is not municipal telecom. Verizon is involved mostly in helping our communities -- every one of them we serve is rural in WV -- understand the choice they are making, and the considerable challenges this concept will face, including the fact that WV State Code does not allow cities or counties to engage in telecom activities and the most important one, that no incumbents plan to provide services on their community network. In fact, there are no service providers. This is merely a network buildout.

[lkarisny]

The devil is always in the details.

There are a lot of holes in the SF RFP and a concerning lack of municipal involvement in important public safety applications. As an organization that has researched a variety of muni wireless technologies and business models, we would like to offer some important after thoughts to the Eartlink/Google RFP announcement:

1. There is the capability today to offer multi purpose radios that give migration paths to new commercial unlicensed wireless standards and new licensed public safety and transportation applications. It is important to prepare a network design that will not be lock out of these future municipal services and applications. How many radios are we going to put on a light post? Shouldn?t the public and private muni applications be merged to a single radio solution?


2. What about independent power sources offering operational networks in catastrophes and radio hopping that would allow location specific network mobility requiring no fix power or communication infrastructure? Is this going to be another fixed network design that goes out when the power grid and fixed communication wireline infrastructures are down?


3. Does the radio demarcation point now become the wireless WiFi monopoly or equal access point? Does the search engine now become the local advertising and content monopoly or local content partner?

Our organization doesn?t just complain about things, we actually have answers to these important questions. We would be more than happy to help tweak the SF model to become a more inter-muni friendly. By allowing the migration of future standards and rules, SF could follow a path preparing them for county and national integration. Hat?s off to you Earthlink, Google and SF. At least you got a start and are moving forward.

[dblum]

DSL Availability

I've lived in Westminster, MD for over 8 years and was never able to get DSL. Just last week, the Verizon website indicated I could get it, and I immediately ordered it. I received the self-install kit, etc. etc. Then I receive a recorded message saying that after further testing, I would not be able to get DSL. I called and after 1/2 hour of trying to get a live person, was told something like even though it was indicated that DSL was available, due to some issue, possible distance from a "central station", they could not activate it.

This is ridiculous! This is the county seat, not some rural cornfield! Surrounding towns in our county have it, I don't understand why Westminster can't and Verizon never gives me a satisfactory answer, or an answer as to when it will actually be available.

How do I find out what's really going on?

[bluntperspectives]

Vail, CO Wi-Fi Network by CenturyTel

Vail, CO launched their network November of last year:

https://www.vailwi-fi.com/

--
Scott Stevens
970.274.3070 Mobile
"wirelesscott" AIM/MSN/YAH
Website http://scottstevens.net

It's more than just opinion - http://bluntperspectives.com

[jkoertge]

This is wrong, Wifi is NOT in Panama City, FL

I originally saw this in Wired Magazine, and free municipal IS NOT in Panama City. Can anyone tell where this data was gathered?

[Roncorr]

very cool site