Philadelphia to apply for Google’s experimental ultra-high speed broadband

It wasn’t at a press conference or inside the Inquirer editorial boardroom. The city’s announcement to join the rush for Google’s ultra-high speed fiber broadband came during a few minutes of a presentation, backed by dense slides at a technology community event inside a rock venue.

“Let’s light this joint up,” city Chief Technology Officer Allan Frank said, throwing his hands in the air and walking off stage at the fifth Ignite Philly, seemingly surprised by the cheers and laughs the slide earned.

The announcement at Johnny Brenda’s last night, a bar filled with mostly 20 and 30-somethings, came 10 months after Frank first unveiled his $100 million city technology investment vision to Refresh Philly, another young, hip, technology community event staple. Technically Philly urged continued involvement by the community and Frank and, in many ways, that’s continued.

The decision marks something of a marriage between likely the city’s two most prominent officials whom have hands in the region’s technology community: the son of a former mayor and, as City Councilman Bill Green put it last night, “the baddest ass CTO of any city, Allan Frank.”

Read more

Pennsylvania receives $2.2 million for broadband data collection

A $2.2 million federal grant for broadband data and mapping in Pennsylvania will help the state's broadband vision, outlined in a report here by the Rendell Administration (PDF).

A federal grant will fund research into the digital divide and ways to solve it in Pennsylvania.

The National Telecommunication and Information Administration announced Tuesday that Pennsylvania has been awarded a two-year, $1.7 million grant to collection data about broadband adoption, MuniWireless reports. An additional $500,000 will be used for planning a broadband strategy in the state, bringing the total award to $2.2 million.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, which will handle the funds, was not immediately available for comment.

The NTIA has awarded $97 million to 51 grantees so far and will likely wrap up the remaining grants this quarter. The grants—which will be awarded to each state, the District of Columbia and five territories— are a part of the Obama administration’s strategy to improve broadband adoption in the U.S.

More than $300 million was set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to collect data to better assist the NTIA in distributing $7.2 billion to improve broadband infrastructure, create public computers centers and promote sustainable broadband adoption.

The City of Philadelphia requested $35 million in the NTIA’s first round of broadband investment, as we reported in September. The NTIA has not yet announced which projects will receive funding.

City of Philadelphia to buy municipal WiFi network from Network Acquisition

Technically Philly's interactive timeline follows the history of Wireless Philadelphia. To see the full resolution version of the timeline, click through the image.

The City of Philadelphia plans to purchase for $2 million the city-wide wireless network once known as Wireless Philadelphia, currently owned and operated by Network Acquisition, the Inquirer reports.

The network will be utilized by the city for municipal services, like its public safety network and for its mobile city workers. Free access will remain available to the public in “targeted public spaces,” according to a City press release published by Philebrity. The City says it will need to invest $17 million through 2015 to improve the network.

The City has been in talks with Network Acquisition since it began convening stakeholders earlier this year to talk about the future of Philadelphia’s technology ecosystem, as we reported in our comprehensive Digital Philadelphia coverage.

Read more

Comcast comments could hurt city broadband stimulus plans

Another blow to Philadelphia’s bid for federal stimulus dollars to help bridge the digital divide may have come the way of a Center City skyscraper.

Comcast has filed controversial commentary that some speculate could hurt Philadelphia-based requests for broadband stimulus grants.

In a move seen elsewhere in the U.S., the Center City-based telecommunications giant submitted formal comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on three Philadelphia-based applications—each seeking a piece of $4.6 billion in broadband grants—including the infrastructure portion of the city’s Digital Philadelphia vision.

Local pundits say the move is intended to challenge Philly’s broadband proposals. Broadband activists, like Rutgers University Professor Todd Wolfson, say it is an attempt to suggest that the applications are ineligible for grants, which seek to provide money to areas “unserved” or “underserved” by broadband connectivity.

The NTIA requires that grants go to locations where the rate of broadband subscription is below 40 percent of households. Though broadband penetration is estimated to be as low as 50 percent in Philadelphia, Comcast’s actual coverage blankets higher percentages of the population.

Comcast submitted to the NTIA a summary of its coverage area and subscriber information in the Philadelphia region, Comcast spokesperson Sena Fitzmaurice tells Technically Philly.

“We would not describe it as a ‘challenge,’ we describe it as filing factual information,” she said in a telephone interview. “There was an opportunity to object, but this is just a straight description of where we provide service and where we don’t.”

Wolfson, though, says it’s about business competition. He points to a story published in October by Bloomberg, pinning Comcast Vice President David L. Cohen against proposals that undermine Comcast’s business.

“Those applications don’t qualify for funding primarily because they are applications to provide service in areas where there is already broadband service,” Cohen told the publication.

Read more

Friday Q&A: Broadband biz strategist Craig Settles talks Digital Philadelphia future

The City of Philadelphia’s Division of Technology was handed a tremendous setback last week.

The city has been taking serious steps to move beyond Wireless Philadelphia and to develop a new plan of action to help bridge the digital divide, what the DOT calls Digital Philadelphia. In August, it submitted a broadband grant proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration—as did 2,200 other groups—with hopes of grabbing a slice of $4.7 billion being given out for broadband initiatives as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the broadband stimulus fund.

Because of the tremendous influx of applications, the NTIA turned over some of the decision-making process to state governments. Last week, the Governor’s Office offered recommendations to federal agencies promoting two dozen broadband stimulus grants, including six from the Philadelphia region, as we reported.

And to the surprise of many, the City’s $21 million dollar middle mile infrastructure project was not recommended. Its Free Library-sponsored $14 million broadband adoption program was given an honorable mention, so to speak, but the state’s recommendations certainly cast doubt on the Digital Philadelphia vision.

Anytime we have a question about municipal broadband in Philadelphia, we turn to the sage wisdom of broadband business strategist Craig Settles.

Read more

State casts doubt on Digital Philadelphia vision

Doubts have surfaced regarding the city’s Digital Philadelphia broadband vision after the state recommended two dozen proposals for federal stimulus dollars to the federal agency responsible for dolling out $4.6 billion for broadband expansion Thursday.

Digital Philadelphia barely made the cut.

The City of Philadelphia’s $21 million proposal for middle mile infrastructure that would connect city assets and could help bridge the digital divide wasn’t recommended. The Free Library of Philadelphia’s request for $14 million for adoption programs, like an improved city-wide Web portal, received a nod as a “supported” project, an honorable mention behind 13 state projects that are “highly recommended.” A third submission under the Digital Philadelphia moniker, a $2.3 million bid from the Philadelphia Housing Authority for public computer centers, received the highly recommended nod.

Read more

City CTO: “We have a heck of a shot” for federal broadband stimulus money

From left to right: Doug Faith, Derek Pew, Bill Green, Allan Frank, Todd Wolfson.

Five known members of Philly’s technology community discussed the impact of Wireless Philadelphia, the city’s digital divide and its application for federal broadband stimulus dollars Tuesday evening.

Local technology leaders and policymakers agree that lessons learned from the failed initiative put the city in a unique spot to advance its technology foundations, and they are hopeful that the city is awarded federal grants for the Digital Philadelphia Broadband Initiative.

Read about the history of Wireless Philadelphia.

More than 75 business leaders, policymakers, academics and activists filed into the Connelly Auditorium at the University of the Arts’ Terra Hall to hear the panel discuss broadband policy in the city.

“There’s really no other municipal network that has quite the resonant experience, not only in the tech side of networks but of its downfalls,” said Derek Pew, CEO of Network Acquisition—which now owns the Wireless Philadelphia assets.

“Something can happen. We’re in a unique place, where a large asset, history, experience and desire have come together.”

Read more

City of Philadelphia requests $35 million in federal broadband stimulus application

The City of Philadelphia hopes that federal agencies awarding federal broadband stimulus grants will fund $35 million to its Digital Philadelphia Broadband Initiative, according to documents published by the National Telecommunications Information Administration.

Executive summaries detailing combined applications between the Division of Technology and the Free Library of Philadelphia call for $21 million for middle mile infrastructure and $14 million for adoption programs.

“The 21st century will undoubtedly be defined by the advent of the digital age,” the Free Library’s application stated. “However, in Philadelphia 41 percent of residents do not have Internet access at home and are being left behind without the ability to connect with job opportunities, healthcare information or educational resources.”

Several other Philadelphia-based organizations, including the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Philadelphia Prison Society and the Delaware County Library System also submitted applications for stimulus funds, documents reveal.

Read more

City CTO and community to publicly discuss broadband policy at One Web Day kick-off

Nothing says civic duty like a town hall meeting. Now it’s Philly tech’s turn.

City Chief Technology Officer Allan Frank and a handful of influential members of Philadelphia’s technology community will hold a public panel this month to discuss broadband policy, Digital Philadelphia and the city’s technology future.

The September 22 panel, hailed as One Web Day Philly’s inaugural event, marks the first public discussion concerning Digital Philadelphia since Frank reached out to members of technology community earlier this year.

“With all the energy that’s gone into broadband expansion over the last few months because of the stimulus grant,” One Web Day Philly organizer Gwen Shaffer says, “we need to think about how we’re going to build on that momentum, and make sure there’s public input.”

Discussion will surround a pivotal question that Frank has been meek to respond to: If Philadelphia doesn’t receive federal broadband stimulus money, how will the city realize the Division of Technology’s Digital Philadelphia vision and the Nutter administration’s promise to expand Internet access in Philadelphia?

Read more

Friday Q&A: Thomas Morr of Select Greater Philadelphia

In our coverage of the city’s Digital Philadelphia vision, city CTO Allan Frank’s conversation about a ten-year plan for the city’s technology future, we had the chance to speak to some influential members of Philadelphia’s technology community.

We urge you to check out our in-depth multimedia package on the subject here.

Of the many interesting conversations was a chat with President and CEO of Select Greater Philadelphia Tom Morr. Morr was brought to Philadelphia to lead Select, which is intended to bring business to the region, after successfully steering the Greater Washington Initiative, a similar organization based in D.C.

We chose to reach out to Morr because as a vital member of attracting business to the region, we hoped he’d have some insight on rumblings that the city is considering creating technology innovation zones where tech businesses would be catered to.

In addition, Select completes some solid research on the business community in Philadelphia, including reports on the IT sphere and most recently, the possibility that the economy is beginning to turn around for the region, as reported by PhillyInc’s Mike Armstrong.

We discussed with Morr his thoughts on Digital Philadelphia, the possibility of those tech innovation zones, the future of Philadelphia’s tech community and more, after the jump.

Read more