Baltimore city government held a hearing on January 16, to discuss a plan to implement broadband across the city, Technical.ly reported. Consulting firm CTC Technology and Energy will aid the city in moving forward with deployment. Baltimore City CIO, Frank Johnson, discussed the city’s responsibility to provide the necessary infrastructure at the meeting.
Johnson said, “All of these things are critically dependent on a robust citywide network. If you’re following the national dialogue on this, it’s obvious that communities like ours cannot be solely dependent on industry to build, operate and manage that capability for us.” Johnson went on to discuss a different five-year tech transformation plan that was released by the Baltimore City Office of Information and Technology one year ago.
The plan was introduced after City Council President, Bernard C. “Jack” Young, began pushing for better connectivity in the city last year. CTC President Joanne Hovis discussed what infrastructure will be needed to meet the goals of the plan.
Hovis said the plan will focus on providing better connectivity to people that currently cannot afford service, and helping small businesses increase their coverage in order to be more successful. According to Technical.ly, already existing fiber infrastructure will be assessed, and the city will determine how it can be used to maximize its efficiency.
Founder of the Baltimore Broadband Coalition, Philip Spevak, discussed the city’s need for more providers in the city, and how increased internet access will benefit the local healthcare system. The ultimate plan, which will include all previous plans that have aimed to increase connectivity, will be released in the spring. It will also include a business plan for deploying 5G in low-income areas that will cover finances and a risk/benefit analysis of 5G. Comments? Email Us.
February 5, 2019
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