A coalition of State's Attorneys General may block the T-Mobile-Sprint merger that was recently approved by the Justice Department. Photo Credit: Getty Images There's been much talk this week about the T-Mobile-Sprint merger. It's been lauded a means to connect 99% of the country to 5G service by the wireless industry, a message that's been echoed by scores of lobbyists and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai (and ultimately two of his four other colleagues at the Commission). The Justice

Are we ready for autonomous vehicles (AVs)? That's the question being asked this week at the Northeast Connected & Automated Vehicle Summit in Hartford, Connecticut. Top brass from transportation departments across the nation are grappling with "massive social, industrial, and economic changes to the status quo of transportation and mobility," according to Joseph Giulietti, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Officials are working diligently to map g

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

With Amazon confirming today that it will build part of its HQ2 in Long Island City, Westchester wins through osmosis; the door now opens for other New Economy businesses to follow. We just need them to cross the city line and think Westchester. And they might, provided we give them what they need. New Economy companies, existing businesses, healthcare providers, and entertainment outlets need a large digital workforce and the right digital infrastructure, let alone space, a

This week, Harrison Edwards' Executive VP for Broadband, Bob Knight, appeared on the national Community Broadband Bits Podcast to discuss the ever-important topic of political will and fiber projects. Bob and Deb Socia, Executive Director of Next Century Cities, were interviewed by ILSR's Christopher Mitchell on the importance of community engagement and how having political will helps drive broadband projects forward. At September's Great Lakes Connect broadband conference,

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

Pittsburgh's stunning skyline After a morning of summer air travel (ugh!), Carolyn and I are back in the office, fully energized by what we absorbed at Next Century Cities' (NCC) Regional Broadband Summit in Pittsburgh. NCC masterfully crafted an agenda that covered everything from federal and state-level policy, to digital inclusion, 5G deployment, and the financing new broadband networks. We've returned with some interesting takeaways: Tom Coverick, Keybanc Capital Markets

The story of migrant children begin separated from their parents at the U.S. border has been the leading international story for nearly a month. In June, when it was made public that Rising Ground, one of New York's most respected human services organizations was caring for unaccompanied migrant children, a steady influx of queries from elected leaders. neighbors, activist groups, and the general public began rolling in. Organizations like Rising Ground, that have contracts w

After being out of work for over a year, Maribel Valencia-Barajas has a new job as a medical assistant/medical records specialist at Westchester Neurological Consultants in Yonkers, New York. Her position is all thanks to Jobs Waiting, a federally-funded regional job training partnership which trains long-term and short-term unemployed individuals for jobs in the region’s fastest growing sectors. Valencia-Barajas is the 300th individual to obtain employment through the progra

The broadband industry will convene this week in sunny Vail, Colorado for Mountain Connect, rapidly emerging as a leading conference for economic development, municipal, and other leaders across North America. Over 700 are expected to attend, and the Harrison Edwards team will be there to meet with telecom providers and local and regional officials. Also, our Executive VP and COO Bob Knight will be presenting on the panel "Getting to the GO: How to Move Community Broadband Pr

It's a startling statistic. Over 90% of proposed community broadband projects in the United States are not funded and get scrapped. Expensive plans drawn up by consultants are being shelved at an alarming rate. The problem is community leaders have had their focus on technical solutions and legal matters, without paying adequate attention to the community (voters) throughout the process. In his new article in the October 2017 issue of Broadband Communities Magazine, our execu

It's a startling fact: Fewer than 10% of all planned fiber/broadband projects get the green light. Communities have been spending millions on broadband feasibility and engineering studies that just sit on the shelf. Yet, we know that broadband is critical infrastructure to build our nation's economy and to create jobs that serve to bridge our nation's widening economic and digital divide. There's a lot riding on our nation's ability to deploy high-speed broadband, but communi