Wisconsin is working to increase its budget transparency with a new measure passed along with the budget. Under the terms of the bill state agencies will be required to post information online anytime they spend over $100. However, government watchdogs are skeptical that the measure will actually result in increased transparency.
Municipal public safety officials have gone to Washington to lobby for a proposed public safety broadband network. The network which would service only public safety, law enforcement and first responders is supported by the Obama administration but members of Congress are less sure of its merits. The network would cost taxpayers nearly $13 billion and [...]
Last year, West Virginia received $126 million in federal stimulus grant money to expand broadband statewide. However, state officials may be scaling back the project resulting in unspent funds. At the same time, the state’s broadband map still lacks critical data about broadband access.
Recall elections are going forward in Wisconsin after yesterday’s Democratic primary. The primary was notable for having 6 fake Democrats on the ballot. The fake democrats were placed on the ballot by the state Republican party to force the primary and give incumbent lawmakers more time ahead of the recall vote. In yesterday’s primary all [...]
Calix, a California based provider of broadband access systems and software has been on a roll lately picking up contract wins nationwide as states begin choosing vendors for stimulus funds awarded for broadband expansion. The company, which offers a unified access portfolio allows customers to deploy virtually any service over fiber- and copper-based network architectures. [...]
New Jersey lawmakers are going through the state budget recently signed by Governor Chris Christie in an attempt to override specific spending items he vetoed. Senate Democrats take issue with 39 items that were removed from the budget including social welfare programs and municipal aid. The bills are expected to go up for a vote [...]
As Minnesota wraps up the seventh day of being without a functioning state government, reports are emerging that despite all the talk about fiscal responsibility the shutdown will end up costing the state and local businesses millions. The Minnesota state government has been shutdown since Friday due to a budget fight between lawmakers and the [...]
Washington broke ground on a project that will expand broadband access statewide. The Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet) began construction on a massive project that will bring nearly one thousand miles of broadband service to nearly every unserved community in the state. Washington was awarded $140 million in federal stimulus grants for the project.
Texas, New York and Georgia are all working on bills that will reform health care in their states. Texas Governor Rick Perry is expected to sign a package of health care reform bills sent to his desk yesterday that will give the state more control over Medicare and Medicaid. A new Georgia law will allow [...]
Hawaii is hoping to expand its broadband access statewide with the support of a new law that exempts broadband providers from state and county permitting requirements for installation, construction and development of broadband infrastructure. The bill will go into effect on July 1 and last for five years before sunsetting.
