Internet Access

Arizona to Build ‘Testbed’ for Autonomous Vehicles
The Arizona Department of Transportation announced a public-private partnership to install fiber-optic infrastructure along 405 miles of interstate highways to enable vehicle connectivity.

New Fiberoptic Cable Infrastructure Is Changing Alaska’s Classrooms
Rural Alaska has some of the least reliable and slowest internet connections in the country, but new cable infrastructure in the Arctic Sea is changing that.

Mapping the Gap Between Broadband Access and Broadband Subscription
Not everyone that has access to high-quality Internet infrastructure is making use of it.

Digital Divide Broadens with Broadband
Accessing the internet is too expensive for many, not just in rural areas but also in cities.
San Antonians Angry About Huts, Google Fiber's Fast Internet Plan Hits a Speedbump
Some in Texas are worried about the structures that house Google's Fiberoptic Cables, complaining that the huts are ugly and take up too much park space.

Free Wi-Fi Network Launches Around Kendall Square in Cambridge
It wasn't easy, but a broad swath of Cambridge, Massachusetts will now have free Wi-Fi Internet. The effort required a partnership between several institutions and organizations to come to fruition.
L.A.'s Next Superhighway
Could Los Angeles get a private company to spend $3 billion to $5 billion to connect every residence and business in the city to a fiber broadband network? City leaders seem to think so, and are planning to move forward with an RFP.

With Broadband Access Improved, Tougher Challenge is Getting Americans to Use It
Though the Obama administration poured billions of dollars into expanding broadband access across America (98 percent of homes now have access), reducing digital inequality has been a far greater challenge.
Google Blimps to Bring Internet Access to Remote Regions
With the privacy concerns that've arisen with its questionable data gathering, many people are unlikely to welcome the idea of a Google blimp floating overhead. But the billion people the company wants to connect to the Internet may feel differently.
Highly Anticipated Google Fiber Plan for Kansas City Unveiled
Calling it the "next phase of the Internet", Google announced the details of the roll out of its ultrahigh-speed Internet network this week, which will offer speeds 100 times faster than typical broadband connections to residents of Kansas City.
Fast Broadband = Fast Money
Michael Coren examines the influence of internet connection speeds on economic production and the reasons why he believes "broadband will become the interstate highways of the 21st century."
Opinion: Being 'Smart' When Preparing for Hurricanes in New York City
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, Fast Company's Boyd Cohen writes how New York City's preparedness for Hurricane's should include enhancing infrastructure in things like the Internet and transit.
The Unseen Space: Signal Space
With a growing demand for wireless internet, mobile communication networks may encroach on public space, writes Michael Chen, adjunct assistant professor at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture.
London Underground Gets Wireless Connection
A six month trial will bring Wi-Fi Internet access into test locations within the London tube system, part of an effort by the city to bring Internet access to the entire system in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Connecting to Internet in Remote Areas to Bring High Tech Tools to Town Meetings
Even when the circuitry is beyond us mere mortals, DIY comes to the rescue In town meetings we use the Internet for a wide variety of uses, from photo walls to display images collected during our WalkShop tours, to brainstorming and voting with our AnyWare suite of tools, to collecting ideas using Google Docs or Google MyMaps at round tables. The latest WiFi cards are making connecting to the Internet possible in places where the Internet normally is not available.
The Challenge of Municipal Wi-Fi
This article from Government Technology looks at the idea of municipal Wi-Fi Internet access and why it has struggled to take off.
The High Cost of Internet Access
The City of Sherwood, Oregon has invested $1.55 million in broadband fiberoptic cable, promising internet access for all and a system that would pay for itself. So far, it hasn't quite worked out that way.
Bridging the Broadband Gap in Inner Cities
As President Elect Obama delivers his weekly address via YouTube, half of all Americans don't have the broadband access necessary to watch.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Florida Atlantic University
Strategic Economics Inc
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service