regional consortia

Pinnacles broadband upgrade recommended for CASF funding

29 September 2013 by Steve Blum
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Pinnacles’ wide and open vistas are beautiful to see, difficult to serve.

With only a couple hundred subscribers spread over an area of California larger than Alameda County, Pinnacles Telephone Company has to do a big job with tiny resources. Even so, it has consistently worked to modernise its plant in southern and eastern San Benito County over the years, replacing copper links with fiber and offering Internet service, via both DSL and fixed wireless connections.… More

Priority for new funding for California broadband consortia goes to counties without one

26 September 2013 by Steve Blum
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CPUC wants to fill in the blanks.

A new round of grant applications is under way for regional broadband consortia in California. First priority will go to proposals for the nine counties that are not currently covered by a consortium. Existing consortia, which cover the other forty-nine counties in California, can also apply for additional money, although they’ll be second in line.

The California Public Utilities Commission gave notice this afternoon that it’ll be accepting proposals to spend the remaining $950,000 in the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) that’s been earmarked for consortia.… More

Policy initiatives maximise benefit of broadband trends


Progressive broadband policy rates an A, nimbys fail.

I was one of the speakers at this week’s Eastern Sierra Connect Regional Broadband Consortium annual forum in Bishop, California. My presentation built on a talk I gave earlier this year at the Urban Land Institute’s spring meeting in San Diego.

Then, I spoke about five broadband trends that are shaping communities: the growing value of conduit, the growth of competition at the local level, the role of local government in building middle mile facilities, the coming explosion in wireless capacity and the way broadband access is changing life and work styles.… More

Savoring victory at eastern Sierra broadband meeting

20 September 2013 by Steve Blum
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Looking forward in Bishop.

What a difference a year makes. The Eastern Sierra Connect Regional Broadband Consortium held its annual meeting in Bishop, California on Thursday. Like last year’s forum, the conversation was dominated by Digital 395, a middle mile fiber optic network that runs the length of the region – Mono, Inyo and eastern Kern counties – and connects to major transcontinental routes in Reno and Barstow.

But it was a much different conversation.… More

Suddenlink makes aggressive move with Digital 395 bandwidth


Suddenlink takes the Digital 395 pole position.

No longer constrained by severely limited backhaul capacity, Suddenlink has cranked up Internet speeds for its customers in Mammoth Lakes and is planning to do the same in the other eastern California communities it serves. Customers with service plans that delivered 1.5 to 3 Mbps are now getting 15 Mbps at no extra cost, and can upgrade to a 30 Mbps tier if they want. That’s according to Jason Oelkers, Suddenlink’s California system manager, speaking today at the Eastern Sierra Connect Regional Broadband Consortium annual forum in Bishop, which sits astride the route.… More

Crowdsourced data included in new version of California broadband map

17 September 2013 by Steve Blum
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Before you can connect the dots, you have to find them.

Data submitted by the public is now integrated into the interactive California broadband availability map, which is published by the California Public Utilities Commission.

The map has been evolving for the past five years, starting out as a set of static graphic files. With the help of funding from the 2009 federal broadband stimulus program (which is nearly gone), it migrated to an interactive online platform developed by Chico State University.… More

Santa Cruz County considers sweeping new broadband deployment policies


Streamlining tech, Santa Cruz style.

What would be one of California’s most comprehensive broadband infrastructure development policies goes before the Santa Cruz County board of supervisors on Tuesday. A report prepared by county staff recommends taking several steps to clear the way for immediate construction of broadband facilities and lay a foundation for long term infrastructure planning and deployment…

  1. Finalize conduit specifications in collaboration with Public Works and broadband providers.
  2. Work with County Counsel and Public Works to establish master lease agreements that allow the installation of broadband infrastructure on utility poles, light standards and County assets.
… More

Second round of funding coming for California broadband consortia

28 August 2013 by Steve Blum
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Filling in the white spaces.

Most of the $225 million that’s being nicked off of California telephone bills and put into the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) goes toward building broadband infrastructure in areas that can’t get Internet service that meets the state’s minimum 6 Mbps download and 1.5 Mbps upload standard. But $10 million has been set aside to pay for regional broadband consortia, which are groups that are made up of public and private sector organisations, usually representing several counties.… More

Private capital is part of the investment plan for broadband on California’s central coast

27 August 2013 by Steve Blum
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Nice location for a meeting.

The California Public Utilities Commission paid a visit to Carmel this month. Periodically, the commissioners hold hearings and conduct meetings in different communities around the state. This time, they met with local leaders, conducted a regular voting meeting and held a two hour public participation meeting where anyone could speak for three minutes.

Several members of the Central Coast Broadband Consortium attended, to talk about what we’re doing and what we need here.… More

CPUC briefed on central coast broadband projects

26 August 2013 by Steve Blum
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Connected central coast.

The Central Coast Broadband Consortium was well represented when the California Public Utilities Commission met in Carmel this month. I was one of the speakers, with the assignment of highlighting the proposals made from our region for grants and loans from the California Advanced Services Fund…

Good afternoon commissioners. My name is Steve Blum, my company is Tellus Venture Associates, I’m on the executive team for the Central Coast Broadband Consortium, one of the fourteen regional consortia you’ve generously funded, thank you very much.

… More