I was asked last week to testify before the Energy and Technology Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly in support of Senate Bill 846 that clarifies Connecticut's long-standing Municipal Gain statute, adds language regarding municipal broadband deployments, and bolsters policies surrounding utility pole attachments. Sexy stuff! In Connecticut, where my family and I reside, our state has a unique statute allowing municipal government to use allotted space on utility po

Rob Hack, CEO of HealtheConnections and Staci Romeo, Executive Director, HealthlinkNY. HealtheConnections and HealthlinkNY announced today they will merge together into HealtheConnections to create the largest health improvement organization in New York State. The new entity will operate a Health Information Exchange that spans 26 counties in the Central New York, Southern Tier, and Hudson Valley regions, with 8,700 participating providers at 2,800 locations, and the medical

One of our favorite events of the year is Broadband Communities Magazine's annual Economic Development Conference, being held this week in Ontario, California. Several hundred local officials and industry experts convene to parse through how communities can successfully forge ahead with fiber projects. Bob Knight, Executive VP & COO of Harrison Edwards, will be speaking on three panels pertaining to building political will/project funding, telehealth, and real estate developm

Southern California, known for endless sunshine, laid-back lifestyle, and a dash of smog, is home to this year's Broadband Communities Magazine Economic Development Summit. Municipal officials, broadband-industry veterans, vendors, and consultants will convene this year in Ontario, California, October 23-25. Why Ontario? California's Inland Empire has enjoyed steady population growth. To help prepare for the future, Ontario leaders have taken action to deploy fiber for gigabi

In a joint announcement issued today, HealthlinkNY and HealtheConnections, two Qualified Entities (QEs) operating Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) that together cover 43% of New York State, said they have formed a strategic partnership to accelerate HIE use by providers.As a team, the two QEs will connect providers across much of New York State, from the northern border of New York City, through the Hudson Valley, and throughout the Southern Tier and Central New York to th

In response to yesterday’s press release by Hixny, a New York State Qualified Entity (QE) based in the Adirondacks, Staci Romeo, Executive Director of HealthlinkNY, came out strongly today against Hixny’s planned expansion into HealthlinkNY’s service area in the Hudson Valley, Catskills, and Southern Tier of New York State. “The truth is that an unnecessary expansion into this service area compromises the effectiveness of the Health Information Exchange [HIE],” said Romeo. “H

With Hurricane Florence making landfall, hospitals are evacuating patients to other facilities and bracing for an influx of people who will sustain injuries in the storm. Shelters have filled with storm victims, including some who escaped flood waters without their medications. It's a dangerous scenario health officials encounter time and time again, spending countless hours trying to piece together incomplete patient medical records to provide life-saving treatment and medic

Westchester, with its proximity to New York’s premier medical institutions, its highly educated workforce, and its growing biotechnology sector, is poised to become a global hub for curing some of the world’s rarest diseases, say scientists, researchers and medical experts who are leading an effort to make that dream a reality in the region. “There are genuine opportunities right here in Westchester to find cures for some of the world’s most vexing diseases,” said Dr. Molina-

Dozens of scientists, physicians, executives and entrepreneurs from around the world came together to share research, foster conversations and shine a light on Westchester County’s burgeoning biotech sector, at the Innovation in Research 2018 symposium, presented by the Westchester Biotech Project. The event, held this month at Purchase College, SUNY, featured global authorities who discussed potentially revolutionary medical developments, among which are: the benefits of me

In a packed ceremony yesterday, White Plains Hospital officials unveiled "The Edge," a stereotactic therapy tool that can blast and destroy cancer tumors with a precise beam in as little as one treatment, and with no incisions. It is the first "Edge" in both Westchester County and the region. "The Edge" is particularly effective for treating small tumors including brain tumors, but can also treat localized tumors almost anywhere in the body (pancreas, liver, spine, lungs). Th

After a dynamic five months as Interim Executive Director of HealthlinkNY, Staci Romeo, MBA has landed the job officially. The organization, which runs New York State's Health Information Exchange (HIE) in the 13 counties of the Catskill, Hudson Valley, and Souther Tier regions has seen rapid growth since Romeo took over on January 1, 2018. Since the beginning of the year, Romeo has presided over large increases--compared to the same period the previous year--in key metrics i