Community Broadband Bits

This week on the podcast we’re joined by Berin Szoka, President of TechFreedom, to talk about the pressing broadband issues of today and tomorrow. Christopher and Berin share what they see as the biggest barriers to universal, high-quality Internet access today, including the jurisdictional issues facing communities large and small, as well as the regulatory solutions which … Continue reading "From Broadband Barriers to Section 230 – Episode 450 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

We don’t often get to spend a whole episode diving into the earliest work that communities do to set the foundation for progress in expanding high-quality broadband access down the road, but that’s what we’re talking about today. This week on the podcast Christopher is joined by Pierrette Renée Dagg, Director of Marketing and Communications … Continue reading "Building a Network to Build a Network in Southwest Michigan – Episode 449 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

For the twelfth episode of our bonus series, “Why NC Broadband Matters,” we’re joined by North Carolina League of Municipalities Chief Legislative Council Erin Wynia to talk about Internet access in the state a full year into the COVID 19 pandemic, and the access gaps experienced in towns across the eastern part of the state. Erin shares … Continue reading "North Carolina’s Broadband Preemption Law Means Leaving Money on the Table – Bonus Episode 12 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

The conclusion of the RDOF auction was met with a good deal of drama and uncertainty, leaving many of us working after the fact to understand the policy and practical impacts of its outcomes. This week on the podcast Christopher talks with Jonathan Chambers, a partner at Conexon, a network solutions provider for electric cooperatives … Continue reading "“This Isn’t a Game:” The RDOF Auction, Unforced Errors, and Getting Infrastructure Funding Right – Episode 448 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast Christopher talks with Anza Electric Cooperative General Manager Kevin Short, and Network Administrator Sean Trento. Anza Electric stretches across 550 square miles in Southern California between San Diego and Palm Springs, sandwiched between the Salton Sea and the San Jacinto Mountains. About 6 years ago they initiated a vote to see whether … Continue reading "“Fiber from the Sea to the Mountaintop” with Anza Electric Cooperative – Community Broadband Bits Episode 447" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast we’re catching up with what’s been happening in Le Sueur County (pop. 28,000) in southern Minnesota, and path they’re on to turn the region from one of the least connected in the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes to one on track to becoming among the most connected in the next couple of … Continue reading "Partnerships Bring Better Broadband to Le Sueur County, Minnesota – Episode 446 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

2020 was a year of explosive growth for what is now UTOPIA Fiber’s 15-city footprint, fueled by unprecedented demand. The network buried 1.7 million feet of conduit and 1.4 million feet of fiber cabling, driven by 10,000 new residential installations and over 500 new business connections. This week on the podcast Christopher is joined by CEO and … Continue reading "Wrapping Up a Landmark Year for the UTOPIA Fiber Network – Episode 445 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher talks with Larry Thompson, CEO of Vantage Point Solutions, a South Dakota-based company which provides engineering, consulting and regulatory services for ISPs of all sizes. The two talk about how the variety of subsidy and grant programs we’ve built to get broadband out into rural areas and make sure folks … Continue reading "Reforming Rural Funding Structures for a Better Broadband Tomorrow – Episode 444 of the Community Broadband Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

The Front Range in Colorado has been a hotbed of activity recently, and just before Christmas we wrote about how Fort Collins, Estes Park, and Loveland are all pursuing projects to bring better connectivity to residents in the region. This week on the podcast, Christopher talks with Fiber Manager Brieana Reed-Harmel andMarketing and Communications Manager … Continue reading "Loveland Pulse Races Ahead – Episode 443 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

In August we first covered the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s new Digital Navigator’s program, which provides a best-practices model for organizations looking to use local resources to help neighbors learn the skills and overcome their reluctance to getting online. This week on the podcast Christopher welcomes Paolo Balboa, Program Manager at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance … Continue reading "Finding Our Way with the Help of Digital Navigators – Episode 442 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

2020 is nearly over, and it’s that time of the year we sit back with a cold glass of eggnog and reflect on what was, what is, what might have been, and what will be. In this episode the Community Broadband Bits podcast the MuniNetworks team cranks up Zoom for the zillionth time this month to … Continue reading "Predictions for 2021, Year in Review for 2020 – Episode 441 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

For the tenth episode of our special podcast series “Why NC Broadband Matters,” we’re talking about the innovative Building a New Digital Economic (BAND-NC) grant program, which provides funds to support devices, subscriptions, and digital skills training to communities across North Carolina. The program disbursed its first round of money to 29 projects across 39 … Continue reading "Building Digitally Equitable Communities – Bonus Episode Ten of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

We’ve written a lot about RS Fiber, a broadband cooperative operating in two rural counties in south-central Minnesota. This week on the podcast Christopher talks with two representatives from the cooperative which serves almost three thousand members in Renville and Sibley counties. Our first guest is Jake Reiki, a corn and soybean farmer and Board Chair for … Continue reading "The Truth is in the Numbers: How RS Fiber Brings Broadband to the Farms and Families of Rural Minnesota – Episode 440 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast Christopher talks with Michelle Barber and Andre Lortz. Both serve on the Kaysville City Council and are members of the group Citizens for Kaysville Fiber, but today they join us to talk as regular citizens of the city of 30,000 in Utah. Kaysville has been working to improve Internet access … Continue reading "Organizing for Change in Kaysville, Utah – Episode 439 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast Christopher talks with Steve Lange, IT Manager for the city of Wadsworth (pop. 26,000) in eastern Ohio, which built its hybrid fiber-coax municipal network CityLink back in 1997.  The two talk about the history of the network, its push to bring more competition to the town, and its operational structure — the … Continue reading "Building Momentum with CityLink in Wadsworth, Ohio – Episode 438 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Jennifer Hawkins, President and Executive Director of One Neighborhood Builders (ONB), a community development organization based out of Rhode Island. She talks about about the Olneyville neighborhood, situated on the west side of Providence, and how significant health disparities in that community led her organization to jump … Continue reading "Broadband Access is a Health and Social Justice Issue — Episode 437 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher talks with Maureen Neighbors, Energy Division Chief of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, about the state’s one-of-a-kind, $100 million voucher program designed and deployed for the current school year to help get and keep economically vulnerable students connected.  She tells Christopher how, with the help of CTC … Continue reading "Alabama Makes a $100 Million Commitment to Getting Students Online — Episode 436 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

Despite repeated reminders from the rest of us that Hollywood will only ever give the late night slots to guys named James, Stephen, or Conan, Christopher is determined that if he just hosts enough things he’ll be able to break into the business and leave us all behind. In that spirit comes a new series … Continue reading "Episode 1 of Connect This! – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Bonus Episode" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast Christopher talks with Catherine Nicolaou, External Affairs and Marketing Manager for Sacred Wind Communications, a rural local exchange carrier in NW New Mexico that has been focused on serving the Navajo Nation communities there. She shares the history of Sacred Wind, from buying copper infrastructure from Century Link 13 years ago … Continue reading "Sacred Wind Goes Technology Agnostic To Serve the Navajo Nation — Episode 435 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast Christopher talks with the city of Sandwich, New Hampshire’s Broadband Advisory Committee Chair Julie Dolan and member Richard Knox. The join us to discuss the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative’s recent vote to add broadband to its charter. Sandwich is particularly poorly served in NH and they have been seeking solutions for a … Continue reading "A Grassroots Effort Pushed the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative to Add Broadband to Its Charter — Episode 434 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★