PocketiNet Communications selected Huawei for rolling out its fiber-to-the-home initiative to bring ultra-fast gigabit Internet -- the first gigabit rural network in the state -- to Walla Walla, Washington, Huawei said in a news release. PocketiNet is a locally owned and operated ISP that serves 17 markets in the Columbia Basin region in Washington. The gigabit initiative is being launched in the U.S. without state or federal funding, the release said. The network will bring Internet to more than 15,000 homes and businesses in the Walla Walla area in a multiyear build-out, it said. PocketiNet expects to complete initial deployments of the network in 12-15 months, with a combination of underground and overhead fiber, it said.
The California Broadband Council will discuss the state's first responder network, telehealth network and library system, and will get a tribal update at a meeting Tuesday, said the agenda. The council is made up of nine people and chaired by state Chief Information Officer Carlos Ramos. It was formed in 2010 to expand broadband deployment and eliminate the digital divide. The 9:30 a.m. meeting is at UC Riverside, 900 University Ave., Room 1113 INTS Building, Riverside, California.
The National Association of State 911 Administrators released a white paper on four possible approaches states could take to ensure sustainable funding for next-generation 911. The white paper addresses the problem of declining revenue and suggests using either the current funding model with moderate changes, sales tax, insurance or the state USF as a means to fix that. A companion white paper will be released in early 2016, it said.
NGN Connect's fiber network is providing 100 Mbps symmetrical connections to seven libraries within the Northeast Georgia Regional Library system, said a news release from NGN. NGN is a member-owned cooperative operating over 1,600 miles of fiber infrastructure in north Georgia. NGN is also providing the libraries with hosted Wi-Fi service and a VoIP phone system at each location, it said. The network is live in Northeast Georgia Regional Library locations in Clarkesville, Cleveland, Cornelia, Rabun, Stephens and the system’s central library office, it said.
Salisbury, North Carolina, is the first 10 GB city by Calix and Fibrant, with 10 Gbps service being offered at Catawba College, said a news release from Calix Thursday. Calix supplies telecom equipment to service providers. Fibrant is an all-fiber municipal broadband network owned and operated by the city of Salisbury.
Internet Order and its CEO, Daniel Roitman, were ordered to repay consumers more than $1 million for unfair and deceptive practices, said a news release from Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson's (D) office. The Philadelphia-based online company was accused of using deceptive “negative option” marketing to lure consumers into buying language instruction courses in violation of the federal Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act and the state Consumer Protection Act, it said. The lawsuit alleged consumers who bought the introductory set for $9.95 were unknowingly and automatically enrolled in a “negative option” purchase plan that obligated them to receive up to four advanced-level additional courses at a cost of $256 each for a total of as much as $1,024. To avoid charges, consumers were required to ship the advanced-level courses back to the company at their own expense within 30 days. If they failed to do so, they were automatically charged $256 on the credit card they used to buy the introductory “Quick and Simple Course.” The suit also alleged consumers who refused to pay were hounded with letters and threatened with collection agency action. Internet Order must pay the states of New York, Pennsylvania and Washington $288,000 of any future profit from Pimsleur Language Learning sales made between July 2016 and June 2019, Ferguson's office said. Internet Order has always aimed to be fair, honest and transparent in its marketing efforts to its consumers, said Roy Hibberd, Internet Order general counsel. The "negative option" marketing model the company uses is a lawful model as recognized by the FTC, he said. The company has taken corrective action to its online marketing and how it deals with customers, Hibberd said. The company's language learning method was never in question, he said: "The issue had to do with the extent of disclosure of our pricing model and we entered the settlement on that basis."
The Atlantic City Police Department, in conjunction with the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, deployed secure and portable technology during two concerts, allowing reliable, uninterrupted transmission of video, voice and radio communications without reliance on commercial broadband providers, said a news release Wednesday from Mutualink. Heavy usage during large events tends to result in poor data transmissions and dropped and incomplete calls, which has been a challenge for first responders, the vendor said. But JerseyNet, a FirstNet early builder project and the only statewide NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunity Program in the U.S., was able to successfully operate emergency communications during those events, it said. JerseyNet focuses on deployable assets equipped with microwave backhaul and Mutualink interoperable communications technology, JerseyNet said. During the concerts in Atlantic City, the police department’s Mobile Communications Unit and several trailer-mounted surveillance cameras were connected to JerseyNet, allowing unobstructed sharing of data between the field resources and the police command. This data was shared within the command structure and across the network with other supporting agencies, including the New Jersey State Police and emergency medical service providers, who were able to view the information and video on fixed workstations and portable smart devices using Mutualink.
Switched copper voice service and switched fiber voice service provide the same local exchange services, even though they don't operate in an identical matter, said the D.C. Public Service Commission Tuesday in an opinion and order in the investigation into the continued use of Verizon's copper infrastructure to provide services (case No. 1102). But residential and business customers will lose certain features associated with LECs if they choose FiOS digital voice service, the order said. Because fiber facilities are more resistant to environmental factors, the facilities may be less prone to service outages, the order said.
Midwest Connections and Midwest Energy Cooperative launched gigabit speed Internet in southwest Michigan, said a news release from Midwest Energy Cooperative. Midwest Connections is an unregulated service of Midwest Energy Cooperative, a regional electric distribution system with about 36,000 customers across southern Michigan, northern Indiana and Ohio. Together they make up TeamFiber, which launched fiber Internet in small markets in parts of rural southwest Michigan in 2014 and then committed to a five-year build-out of its entire southwest Michigan service territory, the release said.
Wireless services company 5 Bars agreed to develop Sacramento's fast broadband wireless master plan, said a Monday news release from the distributed antenna system and Wi-Fi company. When that network is fully implemented, it will provide the ability for all citizens to publicly access high-speed wireless Internet in key areas, 5 Bars said.