EPB Turns Up the Speed to 10 Gigs
“Chattanooga’s EPB Fiber Optics now offers 10 gigabit Internet service to all households and businesses in its service area. The ultra-fast service is available for $299 per month with free installation, no contracts, and no cancellation fees, announced community leaders at a press conference on October 15th.”
Barriers to Broadband Infographic
The link above will show you the states that restrict municipal broadband and more. This reinforces the point the FCC recently made that, by its estimates, half of rural Americans can’t get advanced broadband service.
http://www.cnet.com/news/how-blazing-internet-speeds-helped-chattanooga-shed-its-smokestack-past/
How does gigabit Internet drive innovation?
“While ‘the Gig’ is often credited with Chattanooga’s most recent renaissance, there are a number of other factors that help make Chattanooga an attractive hub for tech entrepreneurs. The city boasts investors, such as Lamp Post, which are willing to bet on early-stage startups. There is also the nonprofit, The Company Lab, or CoLab for short, which in 2012 launched “GigTank,” an annual 14-week summer entrepreneur program focused on making the best uses of the gigabit broadband. And there is the INCubator program sponsored by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hamilton County Business Development Center, which offers office space, advice and mentoring opportunities for startups.”
Google Fiber and representatives from other tech firms will pitch lawmakers on ways to improve broadband investment around the country. “..old rules for network investment no longer apply.”
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/the-coming-broadband-divide/?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1
“Fast Internet, the FCC is saying, has become as essential as having a phone to call the fire department. And not having it means more than missing out on the latest ‘House of Cards’ episodes on Netflix.”