Viodi View – The Bridge Between the Heartland and Silicon Valley

Author: Ken Pyle, Managing Editor

  • Video Innovation in Iowa

    Iowa Independent Telcos have always been at the forefront of adding video and other services to their broadband offerings. It is appropriate then, that the Iowa Telecom Association would produce one of the best one-day programs on the topic of video. Topics ranged from over the top video, to local content to Emergency Alert Services…

  • Rural FTTH Clarity through RFOG

    The year was 1995 and, after poring over real world maps and comparing architectures, I discovered that fiber to the home (FTTH) was less expensive than hybrid fiber coax for delivering video to extremely rural areas. The problem was that, although it was cheaper, it was still too expensive to justify; and, it did not…

  • Online Strengthens the Real World

    Thanks to a post from the Western Telecom Alliance, I noticed a little heralded report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding the value of broadband Internet for rural America. At this point, I have only scanned through the report, but the one section I did read pointed to how broadband can strengthen community ties,…

  • Viodi View – 08/28/09

    Is it serendipity, good luck, or something else when the stars seem to align? That is how I felt a few weeks ago when I received a phone call from a telco friend with a simple request. Thanks to the timing of her call, I was able to exceed her expectations and, in return, get…

  • Viodi View – 08/14/09

    Yesterday’s announcement of the week extension for submitting applications the first NOFA for the broadband stimulus must feel like high school when the teacher gives you another week to finish a project. For the good students, it must be a bit frustrating, as you stayed on task, worked long hours and completed your project on…

  • Viodi View – 07/31/09

    Ten years from now, attendees may look back at the 2009 Summer Convention as the seminal event where OPASTCO kick-started its transition from an association of the PSTN to one with a focus on broadband and IP. Mark Gailey, Chairman of OPASTCO, and John Rose, President of OPASTCO, echoed this theme in their opening comments…