Broadband is in the eye of the beholder

Blandin on Broadband

So the FCC recently changed their definition of broadband. To those of us who think about broadband everyday that’s a big deal.

But what does it mean to the regular Joe in Moorhead? Dave Peters (of MRP’s Ground Level) asked some of the Minnesota Ultra High Speed Task Force folks about that.

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Columbus-based NetJets adds high-speed Internet to 250 aircraft

Boulder County Business Report

Aircell LLC signed a contract with NetJets Inc. to provide it with high-speed Internet service on more than 250 of its mid-size and large-cabin aircraft.

The Itasca, Ill.-based company, with its business aviation division based in Broomfield, will begin installing the high-speed Internet infrastructure soon. The deal represents the largest order for high-speed Internet service in business aviation history, according to an Aircell press release.

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Massillon Cable president elected as director of American Cable Association

CedMagazine.com

The American Cable Association has reelected Steve Friedman as its chairman and James Bruder as its vice chairman.

Friedman is chief operating officer of Wave Broadband in Kirkland, Wash., and Bruder is CEO of Harron Communications in Frazer, Pa. Both will serve another two-year term.

ACA President and CEO Matthew Polka said, "From working closely with Steve and Jim for many years, I have a deep appreciation for their tremendous leadership skills, but they also have an incredible commitment and ability to guide this great ACA organization at a time when so much is at stake for the independent cable operator community."

The following were elected as directors:

* Colleen Abdoulah, chairwoman and CEO of WOW! in Englewood, Colo.
* Patricia Jo Boyers, president of Boycom in Poplar Bluff, Mo Click here!.
* Martin Brophy, president and CEO of Shen-Heights TV in Shenandoah, Pa.
* Robert Gessner, president of Massillon Cable TV in Massillon, Ohio

WSOS rural program schedules conference

News-Messenger

The Ohio Rural Community Assistance Program staff at WSOS will open its first conference to community leaders around Ohio on Aug. 24 in Columbus.

"This is an ambitious effort, but we are excited about it," said Deb Martin, director of The Great Lakes Rural Community Assistance Program, administered by WSOS.

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Community development education program offered online

Rural Community Building

The Great Plains IDEA (Interactive Distance Education Alliance) sponsors a fully online master’s degree program in Community Development to prepare those who wish to work to improve communities.

It is particularly useful for those working in rural areas where access to graduate level education is limited.

US Department of Education statistics show that urban college graduates are twice as likely to enroll in graduate programs as rural graduates, and online learning is a great way to bridge this educational divide.

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COLUMN: Affinity programs make sense for chamber members

Marietta Times

The Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce continually looks for new programs and services that it can offer its business members.

With a diverse membership, ranging from the county's largest employer, Memorial Health Systems, to the home-based independent distributor, the chamber's menu of offerings is quite lengthy.

In evaluating what the chamber can do to best achieve our mission statement, some of the offerings are dropped while new ones are added to the list.

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Ohio RCAP offers its first conference for community leaders

The Beacon (Ottawa County)

On Aug. 24, the Ohio RCAP staff at WSOS will open its first-ever conference to community leaders around Ohio.

“This is an ambitious effort, but we are excited about it,” said Deb Martin, director of The Great Lakes Rural Community Assistance Program, administered by WSOS.

The conference, slated for Aug. 24-25 at the Hilton Easton, Columbus, has secured U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, as one of its guest speakers; Dr. Ned Hill, of Cleveland State University; and has invited Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.

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Now Skype wants to go corporate

BusinessWeek

Skype, which disrupted the telecommunications industry with free or low-cost calls routed over the Internet, is once again an independent company.

EBay bought the Estonian startup in 2005, but, after a strained relationship, sold most of its stake for $2 billion in November. Now the new owners, led by private equity firm Silver Lake, are imposing business rigor on the company and pushing it to grab a piece of the corporate telecommunications market.

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Wi-Fi to lure fests back to river

Columbus Dispatch

The festivals that have vacated the city's riverfront during construction of the Scioto Mile will have one more incentive to return next year: free wireless Internet.

The $44 million project is creating parkland on the east side of the Scioto River from Broad Street to Bicentennial Park. Water and electrical hookups were already planned to accommodate festivals. With the addition of wireless Internet, festival vendors will have easier access to swipe credit cards.

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Smart and connected communities pilot programs to revitalize Northern Ohio

Advertiser Talk

Cisco today announced that it has joined with OneCommunity, a leader in incubating public-private partnerships and a nonprofit broadband service provider supporting northern Ohio, to transform the region with dynamic citizen and government programs.

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Good start for Frontier Communications

Norwalk Reflector

That was the word Friday about the recent transition from Verizon to Frontier Communications.

Frontier officially claimed ownership of all Verizon land-line services in Ohio and 13 other states July 1 in a deal totaling about $8.6 billion. Since that time, Frontier Communications Central Region President John Lass and Sr. Vice President Dave Davidson have been touring all of the Verizon stations in the state.

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Frontier takes over local Verizon lines

Journal-Courier

Verizon Communications customers may have been surprised to get their telephone bills this month from Frontier Communications.

Verizon sold phone lines in 14 states to Frontier in a $5.3-billion deal that closed July 1.

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Cisco to partner with OneCommunity on cutting-edge communication technologies in Northeast Ohio

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cisco Systems, one of the world's largest technology companies, on Thursday said it plans to use the fiber-optic communication infrastructure in Northeast Ohio as a testing ground for some of its latest network technologies.

The company said it has partnered with local non-profit organization OneCommunity to use its ultra high-speed network that connects more than 1,500 hospitals, schools, libraries and local government buildings across Northern Ohio. OneCommunity has been building the network since 2003.

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Omnicity Makes Its Third Strategic Ohio Acquisition

MarketWatch.com

Omnicity Corp, the Midwest's largest and fastest growing fixed wireless broadband service provider, has agreed to acquire the Motorola Canopy wireless network assets and subscribers of RAA Services based in Columbiana County, Ohio.

The addition of RAA Services adds 10 towers passing more than 32,000 households and furthers the existing partnership with the Columbiana County Port Authority (CCPA) to make use of its fiber optic network throughout the county. Omnicity CEO, Greg Jarman, commented, "RAA Services gives us feet on the ground in Columbiana County Ohio to further our expansion into Eastern Ohio and build out the surrounding counties. We welcome its customers and look forward to making use of CCPA's infrastructure and fiber optic network to support our fixed wireless network."

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Akron police reports posted online

Akron Beacon Journal

Akron's designation as Ohio's hub of innovation is being bolstered by a pilot program venture with international technology company Cisco.

On Wednesday, the city's police reports dating back about four years were placed on online, giving citizens immediate access to crime reports and statistics. Crash reports are not yet included.

The crime reports are available here

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The Web Means the End of Forgetting

New York Times

Four years ago, Stacy Snyder, then a 25-year-old teacher in training at Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, Pa., posted a photo on her MySpace page that showed her at a party wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup, with the caption “Drunken Pirate.” After discovering the page, her supervisor at the high school told her the photo was “unprofessional,” and the dean of Millersville University School of Education, where Snyder was enrolled, said she was promoting drinking in virtual view of her under-age students.

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nTelos increases fiber optic network

NewsVirginian.com

Waynesboro-based nTelos announced plans Monday to almost double its fiber optic network and take in an additional 100,000 customers.

The telecommunications company will buy FiberNet from One Communications Corp. for $170 million, said nTelos spokesman Mike Minnis.

The move will add 3,500 miles of fiber optic lines to the company’s network, which now runs about 4,500 miles.

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Zito Media selects Juniper Networks to expand services and extend reach into new markets in Western Ohio

MarketWatch.com

Juniper Networks announced today that Zito Media has selected Juniper's solutions to upgrade its network and develop a broadband infrastructure capable of serving underserved communities located in Zito's service areas of New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Ohio.

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Update on Case Western Reserve's new fiber project

Sacramento Bee

Intwine Energy, a leader in the development of Internet connected smart-grid products for both utilities and retail customers, today announced the adoption of its WiFi thermostat technology into Case Western Reserve University's Case Connection Zone pilot research project. The IECT220 and the IECT 210 Intwine WiFi Thermostat, as well as a beta version of the Intwine Energy WiFi Connected Whole-House Power Monitor, which includes the Blueline Innovations sensor, and Smart Plug, have been successfully demonstrated to researchers and will be installed into a beta community.

The Case Connection Zone will bring super high-speed gigabit fiber to approximately 100 residences adjacent to the university as the first step in an initiative to determine how utilization of gigabit Internet connectivity can be made relevant and useful in people's everyday lives. The project will include Internet-enabled services related to health care and wellness, neighborhood and public safety, education and household energy management.

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T-Mobile improves wireless speeds in Ohio cities

InformationWeek SMB

T-Mobile has been rolling out HSPA+ to markets aggressively this year. T-Mobile says that 16 devices in its portfolio can "benefit" from the HSPA+ network, though T-Mobile has yet to announce any full HSPA+ capable handsets.

The lastest batch of cities to gain access to the improved wireless speeds include: Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Waco, Texas; Baltimore, Md.; Baton Rouge and Lafayette, La.; Birmingham, Al.; Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton, Ohio; Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville, Fla.; Greenville, S.C.; Honolulu, Hi.; Indianapolis, Ind.; St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.; Milwaukee, Wi.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Portland, Ore.; and Wichita, Kan.

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Central Ohio created Twitter application "ChumpDump" featured in CrunchGear

Midwest TechBiz

Even though I am on vacation this week, I enjoy keeping up with events and people that impact my world, or at least keeping up with the things that interest me. So, it was with delight that I saw a post at TechCrunch Sunday on ChumpDump, an idea birthed at this past April's Startup Weekend III in Columbus, Ohio. We have a solid track record of success at SWColumbus and I expect we'll see more successes, as we have a vibrant, innovative community in Central Ohio.

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Agencies cataloging nation's radio spectrum

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Federal officials are beginning work on a comprehensive inventory of the nation's radio spectrum in hopes of finding more capacity for wireless high-speed Internet connections.

The Federal Communications Commission said it is working with the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to catalog spectrum usage.

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Madison County launching office/tech incubator

By Chris Pugh
Connect Ohio

Madison County is creating a Professional Office/Technology Incubator to attract new businesses to the area.

Madison County Future, Inc. Community Improvement Corporation Executive Director and Director of Development Sean K. Hughes said the incubator will be patterned off of existing models such as Dublin’s Entrepreneurial Center.

“Our incubator will be an opportunity for new business start-ups or existing businesses who want to get out of their home-based business situation and grow to access low overhead office space with shared conference/meeting rooms, break rooms, restrooms, etc.,” Hughes said. “They also will have access to individual business counseling, low-cost training programs, and shared networking opportunities to grow their client bases.”

Hughes said county officials are accepting proposals for various locations throughout the county and planned to have a physical location chosen in June.

“We will then work with that landlord to develop a lease structure and start any necessary building updates or renovations to make the incubator viable,” he said.

Hughes added that one of the requirements of the building will be access to a server/data center which will allow them to release new technology in the county with local businesses.

“This new technology will allow us to continue with a second phase of the incubator in which we can offer a virtual incubator for small professional and technology businesses who wish to remain in home offices, etc.,” he said. “We also hope that the chosen facility will allow us the ability to install a tower for extending our wireless broadband capabilities.”

Elyria newspaper uses Ustream for its news coverage

By Chris Pugh
Connect Ohio

With changes in how many news consumers are moving online with broadband, traditional media sources are using creative ways to keep up.

The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram newspaper is using Ustream on its website to show live video of breaking news stories.

Ustream is a website where users can stream live video of events.

Photographer Bruce Bishop said the paper decided to use the Ustream video service several weeks ago.

“We have been doing some work here and there with a full-sized camera tethered to a laptop, it was cool but not exactly the most stimulating to use,” Bishop said. “Our Web Editor Rona Proudfoot and I have been trying to come up with things to really make our website pop and the idea of doing live coverage of breaking news came up. We have a popular website for the paper and we are tightly integrated with Facebook and have around 7,000 fans, so the idea of doing live video was really tempting because we could get a good audience online quickly.”

Bishop said the paper uses the Droid phone to shoot video.

“We saw it as an opportunity to do something nobody around here was doing,” he said. “The first day we had the phone we had a house fire, and went live with it. While it wasn’t a huge fire one of the comments left on Twitter was “What a great way to show everyone how newspapers can be relevant!”

The photographer said the paper plans to increase the amount of live video it shows on the Internet.

“We are going to keep working toward ever increasing amounts of live news coverage,” Bishop said. “It’s not easy to do because like most papers we have a pretty slim number of people available to cover things. I cover with the phone and a still camera. It limits my ability to do some things but I’ve been a photographer for 20 plus years so multitasking is something I can handle.”

He said the majority of the comments about the news coverage have been positive.

“Live news is nothing new but live coverage of breaking news from the photographer’s perspective is much more intimate and gritty,” he said. “I have to take great pains to avoid showing things that are too disturbing for the average viewer.”

On the Web:
Elyria Chronicle-Telegram: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com
Ustream: http://www.ustream.tv

Frontier plans major upgrade

By Chris Pugh
Connect Ohio

Frontier Communications will be making major investments to expand broadband service throughout various areas of Ohio after completion of the company’s purchase of Verizon’s landline customer accounts in the state.

Dave Davidson, Frontier Senior Vice President and General Manager for Ohio, said the company has made a number of commitments in the state, including:

- Expanding broadband availability to 85 percent of households within the Frontier service territory by Dec. 31, 2013. The current broadband availability in these areas is approximately 60 percent.

- Making capital investments of at least $110 per access line or a minimum of $50 million per year for each of the next three years.

- Capping basic local telephone rates in Frontier’s service territory at current levels until broadband deployment reaches 85 percent of the households in the Frontier Ohio service territory.

- Retaining the 1,000 to 1,100 existing Verizon employees in Ohio after the acquisition. This includes employees at the Marion Call Center and Norwalk Dispatch Center.

After the acquisition, the company will serve parts of 77 Ohio counties.

“Frontier Communications’ acquisition of Verizon land lines is a positive step for residents and businesses within Southeast Ohio because of their commitment to invest millions of dollars in infrastructure,” Connect Ohio Southeast Region State Operations Manager Bart Winegar said. “This means broadband services will be extended further into unserved areas and businesses will have enhanced product offerings.”

BroadbandStat question of the month

Q: How do you access multiple layers of technology in BroadbandStat?

A: You can view several layers simultaneously by using the advanced tab of the application. The website is at http://www.connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/interactive_map.php

Got a question about our BroadbandStat program? E-mail it to Public Relations Specialist Chris Pugh and he will find an answer for you.

New research, maps, and adoption project discussed at Tech Association meeting

By Chris Pugh
Connect Ohio

About seventy elected officials, Internet providers, and other key state stakeholders took part in Connect Ohio’s quarterly Technology Association meeting June 25 at the Riffe Center in Columbus.

Executive Director Tom Fritz presented attendees with the organization’s 2010 State Residential Technology Assessment statistics.

Most notably, he reported Ohio has moved ahead of the national average with two of three residents connected to broadband service. Three out of five American adults are connected to high-speed Internet.

Fritz also shared updates to Connect Ohio’s BroadbandStat website, which included the ability to sort new maps by technology and the addition of searchable online maps.

A roundtable discussion was also held on Connect Ohio’s federal broadband stimulus funds application for its Public Adoption through Libraries II/Every Citizen Online Adoption Project, which would allow for statewide computer classes and advertising for the program.

State Public Utilities Commission Section Chief Marianne Townsend also talked about the impact of Ohio’s new Telecom Bill, which is slated to go into law in September.

Americans spending more time on Internet

Akron Beacon Journal

The Center for Digital Future at the University of Southern California conducted a survey that reported the following:

• Americans are spending more time on the Internet. In 2009, time spent online averaged 19 hours a week, up from 9.4 hours in 2000.

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Plans detailed for AT&T Akron data center

Data Center Journal

AT&T is a world leader in delivering IP-based communications services. Its support extends to the iPhone 4 and to TV services.

Earlier this month, the company announced its plans to invest in a ninth data center, which is slated for establishment in Akron, Ohio, and involves an investment of $120 million. This announcement came on July 7 from downtown Akron. The site of the facility is the former Bell data center on Opportunity Parkway. The site has also been used by SBC and Ameritech. The building will be refurbished to house AT&T operations. A portion of the investment has gone into upgrading the infrastructure and the cooling system.

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Qwest sets meeting on CenturyLink deal

Columbus Business First

Qwest Communications International Inc. has set Aug. 24 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed takeover by CenturyLink Inc.

The shareholder meeting will be held at the Denver Marriott City Center starting at 10 a.m. Shareholders as of Tuesday will be eligible to vote on whether to accept the acquisition offer by Monroe, La.-based CenturyLink.

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Frontier closes $8.6 billion Verizon deal

tradingmarkets.com

Representatives from Frontier Communications met with employees from the former Verizon in Portsmouth Monday to introduce them to the new company and its plans to better serve our community.

Frontier officially claimed ownership of all Verizon land-line services in Ohio and 13 other states on July 1 in a deal totaling about $8.6 billion. Since that time, Frontier Communications Central Region President John Lass and Sr. Vice President Dave Davidson have been touring all of the Verizon stations in the state.

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Cleveland neighborhoods testing ultra high-speed broadband in Case Western Reserve study

Government Technology

Following NBA star LeBron James' much-hyped, nationally televised disowning of his hometown in early July, the Cleveland Cavaliers commanded much of the Ohio city's attention. For months prior, local fans and sportswriters speculated on whether local hero James, who grew up in nearby Akron, would remain with the team or search for greener pastures.

Even before James left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, some in Cleveland half-jokingly claimed that James was the only economic driver left in the downtrodden city. Yet less than five miles from the team's home court at Quicken Loans Arena sits Cleveland's premier higher education institution, Case Western Reserve University. Researchers there have begun work on an ambitious project to build out 1 GB per second broadband connectivity to the neighborhoods surrounding the university. It's part of an experiment to see whether ultrafast Internet connections can help communities become healthier, better educated and more sustainable.

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59% of U.S. adults use mobile for Web

San Jose Business Journal

The number of U.S. adults accessing the Internet via a cellphone or laptop computer has grown to 59 percent, a new report said Wednesday.

The study by the Pew Research Center said that number is up from 51 percent in April 2009.

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Two Columbus residents create new Facebook app

MidWestTechBiz

Two friends in the Columbus area, Daryl Kulak and Steve Sarafa, decided that if all these Silicon Valley types could create apps for the new platforms like Facebook, iPhone, Android and Twitter, so could they. They put a little money together, hired a few developers and got busy.

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Time Warner Cable introduces IntelliGo by Sierra Wireless and Road Runner Mobile(TM) 4G

tradingmarkets.com

Time Warner Cable and Sierra Wireless announced a new dual mode mobile hotspot device, IntelliGo is now available on the Time Warner Cable 4G network with Road Runner Mobile(TM).

IntelliGo enables any device with Wi-Fi connectivity, and up to five devices simultaneously, to connect to the Time Warner Cable 4G Mobile Network and a nationwide 3G network for internet access on the go.

While on the Time Warner Cable 4G network, customers using Road Runner Mobile(TM) can get internet speeds up to 6 Mbps (megabits per second) on the fastest mobile broadband network available.

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AT&T picks Akron for $120 million high-tech center

Akron Beacon Journal

AT&T has chosen Akron to house its ninth mobility center in the country — an investment of $120 million in high-tech equipment.

The announcement of the major infrastructure investment was made in the former Ohio Bell Data Center off of Opportunity Parkway in downtown Akron. The facility first opened in 1985 and handled service orders and prepared customer bills. The building has been retrofitted and will handle the latest in wireless network technology, officials said.

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BREAKING NEWS: AT&T investing $120 million in Akron facility

By Chris Pugh
Connect Ohio

AT&T announced at an event Wednesday that the company will spend $120 million in a new wireless data center on 349 Opportunity Parkway in Akron.

According to officials, $20 million is earmarked on refurbishing the building and another $100 million on electronic equipment.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland was at the event and praised AT&T for its successful opening during tough economic times in the state.

We'll continue to update the story through the day.

Frontier completes acquisition

TeleGeography

Frontier Communications has completed its $8.6 billion acquisition of the wireline operations of Verizon Communications in 14 states, including Ohio.

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Want to know where LeBron James is going? Check his Website.

ProBasketballTalk.com

"You'll be the first to know."

Register at the new LeBronJames.com and that is the sentence that greets you.

Those words plus other rumblings from his camp suggest that the first place the word of LeBron's decision on where to play next year will be made through his site. DJ Steph Floss -- the DJ at Cavaliers games and LeBron's personal DJ -- said on his blog that the announcement would come through the site.

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World Cup Match Breaks Online Viewing Records… Or Does It?

speedmatters.com

Last week, ESPN claimed to host the largest ever online audience for a sporting event: the United States' World Cup game against Algeria. ESPN said 1.1 million people watched at least some of the USA's 1-0 win as it was streamed online.

According to ESPN: "the match averaged 328,000 viewers per minute in... live online coverage. When combined with the simultaneous England vs. Slovenia game, ESPN3.com hit its peak point of viewing... when 513,000 viewers were watching each minute." Adding to these incredible numbers, some 650,000 people watched the game on mobile devices, which ESPN says is also a record.

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Finland the first country in the world to make broadband access a legal right

engadget.com

We knew this was coming, but starting today, every citizen of Finland has the legal right to a 1Mbps broadband connection, meaning that providers are now required to make the connections available to everyone.

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