Boise becomes 100th city to join Next Century Cities broadband coalition

Boise, Idaho has become the hundredth city to join Next Century Cities, a city-to-city collaborative of mayors who see the availability of fast, affordable, and reliable Internet as a critical piece of their community.  

When the initiative was initially launched in October 2014, a number of major cities joined--including Boston, Kansas City, Chattanooga and more recent additions such as Charlotte.  

Deb Socia, executive director of Next Century Cities, said in a release that since the program was launched in October, "we've seen incredible demand from cities looking to lead the conversation about the crucial role next-generation Internet plays in helping communities thrive."

Among the key advocacy issues that Next Century Cities' members have called for is regulatory freedom related to municipal broadband and a call for more accurate broadband network performance.

In February, 38 Next Century Cities mayors and city officials sent a letter urging the FCC to grant petitions from two fellow members, Wilson, N.C., and Chattanooga, seeking relief from state laws in January 2015. Each of these cities' petitions were granted by the FCC in February.

After a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report emerged in June showing the lack of information given to consumers, 35 Next Century Cities mayors and city officials sent a letter to the FCC urging uniform and accessible reporting on broadband network performance.

For more:
- see the release

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