Next Century Cities Monthly Newsletter
July 2019
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New Leadership.
We are very excited to welcome Francella Ochillo to her new role as Executive Director of Next Century Cities. She knows what a game changer broadband can be for communities, and is ready to work hard to ensure local leaders are given every opportunity to resolve their own connectivity issues. Francella joined the team on Monday, July 8th, and is already making plans to expand our organization’s reach. Read more in our blog
here
.
Conferences.
Policy Director Chris Mitchell and Senior Program Manager Cat Blake attended
MountainConnect
in Dillon, Colo., in June. Cat moderated a panel on our
Becoming Broadband Ready
toolkit, released earlier this year. Chris moderated a keynote discussion comparing wireless and fiber technologies. Read about their panels in our blog
here
. Interested in connecting with the Next Century Cities team at a future event?
Reach out to us
!
FCC Filings.
We signed onto two separate sets of comments advocating for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue a further notice of proposed rulemaking which would reconsider regulations on the operation of TV White Spaces. Find the full comments by Connect Americans Now
here
, and find the full comments by the Open Technology Institute
here
. We also joined with many of our allies to issue a statement opposing a general cap on the Universal Service Fund (USF). Read the statement
here
, and read more about the FCC’s proposal to cap the program from the Benton Foundation
here
.
Preemption.
Next Century Cities issued a statement opposing the FCC’s considered preemption of San Francisco’s ordinance that strives to ensure broadband competition in multi-dwelling units (MDUs). We believe that meaningful competition drives progress and that all communities must enjoy self-determination. While we would welcome FCC action to improve policy in pursuit of increased broadband competition, preempting San Francisco’s solution actively works against this goal. Read our statement in full
here
.
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NCC Connection Opportunities
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Will we see you in Las Vegas or Washington, DC? Click
here
if you would like to connect at these upcoming events.
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San Jose, Calif.; Culver City, Calif.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Baltimore, Md.; Santa Monica, Calif.; Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Montgomery County, Md.
joined dozens of other municipalities in filing an opening brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit making the case for overturning the
FCC’s 2018 small cell Order
. Read more in a blog from Steve Blum, one of the attorneys working on the case,
here
. Find the opening brief in full
here
.
Ammon, Idaho’s
open access fiber utility showcases the power of competition with very affordable internet access rates. Read more in
Techdirt
here
.
San Jose, Calif.
is on track to be on the largest 5G deployment in the country, thanks to creative partnerships with the private sector. The city is also working hard to close the digital divide, supported, in part, by the small cell deployment fees they’ve negotiated with wireless carriers. Read more in the
Federal News Network
here
.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mayor Bill Peduto and
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mayor Andy Berke held a virtual mayoral forum to discuss digital equity. Read more from the city of Pittsburgh
here
and through the event’s Twitter hashtag
here
. Additionally, Mayor Berke recently wrote about Chattanooga’s Smart City Collaborative, which uses sensor data to inform inclusive smart city decisions. Read his post
here
.
Breckenridge, Colo.
has chosen ALLO Communications as the sole ISP to offer services over the town’s fiber network. Read more in
Community Broadband Networks
here
.
Fort Collins, Colo.’s
has successfully implemented a “budgeting for outcomes” participatory process which includes citizen input on city strategic objectives. City Manager Darin Atteberry said it has helped inform the city’s broadband plan. Read more in
Route Fifty
here
.
Louisville, Ky.
is partnering with Microsoft, the Brookings Institution, and the University of Louisville to provide skills training for artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and data science. Read more from Microsoft
here
.
Portland, Ore.; Philadelphia, Penn.; Austin, Texas; Louisville, Ky.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; San Jose, Calif.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Boston, Mass.
are mentioned in a new National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) paper about the challenges of prioritizing digital equity in communities that are pursuing smart city initiatives. Read more from NDIA
here
.
Syracuse, N.Y.
will soon begin phasing out its 17,500 conventional streetlights for LED models. The new LED lights are network-enabled, which will allow for efficient control and feedback to operations and maintenance teams. Read more in
Government Technology
here
.
Gainesville, Fla.
worked with CCG Consulting to explore the option of municipal broadband. Read more from WUFT
here
.
Riverside, Calif.
approved a dark fiber leasing program that will make the city’s 120-mile dark fiber network available to ISPs, wireless operators, and mobile carriers to lease and provide service to industrial and commercial customers. Read more in
Community Broadband Networks
here
.
Lowell, Mass.
is considering a proposal from SiFi Networks to build an open access fiber network at no cost to the city. Read more in the
Lowell Sun
here
.
San Francisco, Calif.
is among the 10 finalists for the Engaged Cities Awards. Cities of Service recognizes cities that have addressed environmental, health, and other challenges in order to improve quality of life for their residents. Read more from
Smart Cities Dive
here
.
Ponca City, Okla.
is upgrading from fixed wireless to fiber. After some delays due to flooding, the city expects the first phase of their Fiber-to-the-Home project to be completed by mid-July. Read more from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance
here
.
Hanover, N.H.
is featured in an article on New Hampshire towns working to get connected to broadband. Read more in the
New Hampshire Business Review
here
.
Westminster, Md.’s
Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC) will host its Capture the Flag cybersecurity competition on November 9, 2019. Read more from MAGIC
here
. For details about the event, and to register as a host location, contact
Amy Rupp
.
Business owners in
Chattanooga, Tenn.
credit the city’s high quality broadband as key to their success. Read more in the
Times Free Press
here
. Chattanooga is also home to a publicly owned fiber optic network that has helped contribute to a lower unemployment rate, a recent study found. Read more in
Vice
here
.
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, and watch our videos on
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. And be sure to visit
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for news, blog posts, RFP alerts, toolkits, and information on new members!
Joining Next Century Cities is
simple and free
!
If you know a community that would benefit from membership, please contact
Cat Blake
for more information.
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Next Century Cities, 1342 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
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