Waiting on Google Fiber
Hey all! I’m Brian Gordon and this week’s Open Source newsletter covers local Google Fiber expansion, local Wikipedia editors, and a local housing market that maybe, possibly is cooling down. For everyone under 40, buying a house is when older and wealthier people secure a mortgage and acquire a property to live in. Wild!
Where Google Fiber is and isn’t
There was a lot of hype when Google Fiber came to the Triangle in 2015. The search giant made #FiberIsComing T-shirts. The governor predicted it would transform the state. Spectrum customers were very curious.
But seven years later, most Triangle households still can’t access the fiber optic internet service, especially those in lower-income areas. Google Fiber says that’s starting to change as its expansion accelerates.
Housing prices dipped in July
Triangle housing data provided to The News & Observer this week showed median sales prices in several local markets fell in July. This includes Orange County, Durham County, and Wake. It was Wake’s first month-to-month price decrease since 2020.
Is it a new trend or a blimp? We’ll see.
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North Carolina’s Wiki warriors
Wikipedia is maintained by a group of volunteer editors called Wikipedians. One the few states to have its own Wikipedian group is North Carolina. They are very passionate about their hobby.
The biggest climate bill ever
What does the federal Inflation Reduction Act mean for North Carolina? Quite a lot said Rep. Deborah Ross, who was in Raleigh on Thursday celebrating the passage of the bill. Among the benefits: $7,500 tax credits for buying new electric vehicles and resuming wind farms off the North Carolina coast.
Short Stuff: Cooper chats cyber
On Tuesday, Gov. Roy Cooper made brief remarks at the North Carolina Digital Government Submit. “We know that this cyber revolution is bringing a lot of opportunities to our state but also challenges,” the governor told reporters after his speech.
Here’s Cooper talking with his hands:
More Triangle tech news:
North Carolina is on its way “to become the envy of the world,” the North Carolina secretary of Commerce told WRAL TechWire.
An interview with Scot Wingo, who is “one of the most active investors in the area,” from Axios Raleigh.
The Town of Cary entered an accelerator program typically used by start-ups, GrepBeat reports.
National tech happenings
Bill Gates helped convince Sen. Joe Manchin to back President Joe Biden’s climate legislation: [Bloomberg]
Amazon filed a complaint against the Federal Trade Commission for harassing its executives, including Jeff Bezos. The FTC is investigating the company for potentially using deceptive techniques to get new Prime members. [Business Insider]
The federal government is dedicating billions to build new electric car public chargers. But drivers say the ones that already exist could be much improved. [New York Times]
Philanthropy funds the Innovate Raleigh fellowship. Consider supporting philanthropy-funded journalism by going to newsobserver.com/donate.
Podcast Pick of the Week
Electric cars are very quiet, which poses a threat to pedestrians, cyclists, and those who are visually impaired. The New Yorker Radio Hour spoke to those who are composing new sounds for these new cars.
Personal Note
I stumbled upon Minor League Cricket in Morrisville last weekend. The Morrisville Raptors have more matches this weekend at Church Street Park:
Thanks for reading!
This newsletter was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate
