Communities forge ahead with their own broadband initiatives

Continued impatience about when--or if--traditional service providers will start offering ubiquitous broadband connectivity has led state and local governments to take their own steps forward.

Oklahoma, for example, will institute a program that expands rural access, and Leverett, Mass., plans to hire a contractor to build a fiber optic network. In each instance, public money is being used to build necessary facilities. Oklahoma is using a $74 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to build out the Oklahoma Community Anchor Network (OCAN) to cover schools, hospitals and tribes throughout the state. The project is running under the joint auspices of the state's Office of Management and Enterprise Services, Department of Transportation and State Regents for Higher Education's OneNet Division, a telecommunications network for government and education. The 1,005-route mile network, which is expected to go online Aug. 1, covers 35 counties and includes 33 "community anchors" with plans to partner with local telecom companies operating in rural communities.