Cities Lack Support for Broadband, Says SNG Report

Many U.S. cities lack funding and other support for advancing broadband, said a Strategic Networks Group report released Wednesday. About 63 percent of some 100 cities surveyed don’t have broadband funding, a city broadband office, and broadband adoption and training programs, the report said. About half the cities said lack of funding is the main thing stopping them from moving forward with broadband network investments, and 36 percent blamed a lack of political leadership. More than 80 percent said they had a utility or network asset that could be used for the buildout of a municipal network. Half the cities said they considered their broadband speeds excellent or very good, while two-fifths rated their city’s broadband value for money as such, it said. “Leadership, investment, and strategies need to be put in place at the municipal level to ensure the competitiveness and effectiveness of today’s American cities,” said President Michael Curri in a news release. SNG surveyed 103 U.S. cities in 38 states, plus one Canadian city. Corning, Henkels & McCoy, Fujitsu Network Communications, and Power & Tel underwrote the report.