Google, NCC Saluting Muni Broadband Efforts

Google Fiber is backing new awards to encourage city governments to build out broadband and "attack" other barriers to adoption.

According to Next Century Cities (NCC), a leading advocate for municipal broadband, Google Fiber is teaming with it and the National League of Cities, to create Digital Inclusion Leadership Awards for city governments that are providing digital training, Internet access at reasonable rates to diverse participants, and for a more general "uniquely innovative approach to bridging the digital divide. Award categories include."

There are no funds associated with the awards, just recognition. But Next Century Cities will pay for two representatives from each of the two winning programs to attend an NALC event in the fall where the awards will be handed out.

Google Fiber is doing its own creative buildout of high-speed broadband, with the help of cities across the country,

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.