Next Generation Broadband in Montana

"It may not be development as we think of it today. This will focus on programmers, coders, home-based businesses…. I don’t see a downside to greater connectivity in eastern Kentucky."

Through a combination of political will and federal stimulus money, 175-year-old Chattanooga became the first U.S. city to broadly offer a gigabit per second internet speeds – nearly 50 times the national broadband average.

A total of 46 municipalities — representing more than half the state’s population — have joined the consortium to create a statewide gigabit network funded through public-private partnerships.

These communities represent large cities, counties, and rural towns alike, each undertaking a unique approach to reach its broadband goals.

Broadband – but more importantly the applications broadband allows – are now a quality-of-life issue.

The City is looking to incentivize the private sector to drive down the cost and make it more accessible for businesses.

“We’re trying to provide the most information-rich environment we can to tear the wraps off student and teacher creativity."

If cable and phone companies don’t provide faster web service, more municipalities say they want to do it themselves as municipal electric utilities have done in Chattanooga, Tullahoma, Tenn., and Dalton, Ga.

Techie.com’s recent designation of Burlington, Vermont, as one of the country’s most promising tech hubs adds to a long list of national accolades for the city, creating a buzz that could attract even more businesses and investors, according to Vermont technology and economic development experts.

Cleveland is partnering with a host of public- and private-sector organizations to build a downtown high-speed broadband hub.