Community Broadband Bits

If you’re a regular reader of MuniNetworks.org, you’ve seen Karl Bode’s name and it’s almost certain you’ve read his work elsewhere. Karl has had his finger on the pulse of telecom, broadband, and related legislative events for a long time. This week, Karl comes on the show to talk about how his career trajectory led … Continue reading "Observations from Tech Writer Karl Bode – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 379" ★ Support this podcast ★

South Bend, Indiana, is a mid-sized city of around 100,000 people where they are making practical use of their dark fiber network and technology. In episode 378 of the podcast, Christopher talks with Denise Linn Riedl, Chief Innovation Officer. Denise describes many of the “non-sexy” ways the community and her department are using technology to … Continue reading "South Bend, Indiana, Integrates Technology and Innovation with a Practical Approach – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 378" ★ Support this podcast ★

Hey, Community Broadband Bits fans, it’s time for Crazy Talk again! This time, our Communications Specialist Jess Del Fiacco joins Christopher and I to address recent insanity attacking municipal networks. “What IS Crazy Talk,” you say? Every once in awhile, anti-municipal network initiatives get wind of particular projects in local communities and make extra efforts … Continue reading "Crazy Talk Rears Its Head Again – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 377" ★ Support this podcast ★

The history of the Internet Society (ISOC) reaches back to the early 1990s when a group of early Internet pioneers, realizing the power of connectivity, developed an organization aimed at  bringing safe and secure Internet access to everyone. Since then, ISOC has worked in policy, deployment, and the difficult task of creating collaborations. This week, we have … Continue reading "The Internet Society Leads Charge to Connect, Collaborate for Decades – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 376" ★ Support this podcast ★

The Connect America Fund (CAF) from the federal government has been both praised and criticized as a mechanism to expand rural broadband deployment. In this episode of the podcast, Principal of Mattey Consulting Carol Mattey talks in depth with Christopher about the program. Carol was a Deputy Bureau Chief in the Wireline Competition Bureau at the FCC to help develop … Continue reading "Inside the Connect America Fund with Carol Mattey – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 375" ★ Support this podcast ★

Even though the state of Tennessee adopted legislation long ago to discourage municipal networks, local communities in the state are finding ways to deliver high-quality Internet access via public utilities. This week, Chief Broadband Officer from BrightRidge Stacy Evans visits with Christopher. They talk about the power utility and their expansive broadband project in eastern Tennessee. BrightRidge … Continue reading "Exploring Eastern Tennessee’s BrightRidge Network – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 374" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we have a returning guest from Tennessee to tell us about the many positive changes occurring in Clarksville, home of CDE Lightband. Christy Batts, Broadband Division Director at the network joins Christopher; her last appearance on the podcast was in 2013. This time, Christy describes how the community network has been innovating for better services and finding … Continue reading "Innovating for Community Benefits in Clarksville, Tennessee – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 373" ★ Support this podcast ★

For community leaders, advocates, and researchers who follow broadband policy, trying to stay up-to-date on the many variations of state policy across the U.S. is a daunting task. As approaches change, the work becomes more complicated. Now, the Pew Charitable Trusts has launched a new tool that helps keep all that information sorted and accessible … Continue reading "Pew Puts State Broadband Policy in One Place – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 372" ★ Support this podcast ★

When we released our Pocket Guide to 5G Hype, we expected to see some reactions from others on the unrealistic expectations about 5G. When this week’s guest contacted us because he disagreed with some of the Pocket Guide content, however, we knew we should bring him on the show.  Sascha Segan, PCMag.com’s lead mobile analyst has seen generations of mobile … Continue reading "Deep Dive Into 5G with PCMag Mobile Expert – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 371" ★ Support this podcast ★

Multiple studies in recent years indicate that properties with fast, reliable Internet access sell faster, bring in a higher price, and are in demand by potential buyers. Properties with slow or no Internet access languish. In Colorado, where the market is competitive and broadband is available in a good portion of the state, organizations like … Continue reading "Realtors a Voice for Property Owners as Colorado Advances Broadband – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 370" ★ Support this podcast ★

When rural Internet access providers work together to reach common goals, they improve their chances of succeeding. Groups such as the South Dakota Telecommunications Association (SDTA) help members get organized and pursue common needs together. The SDTA also provides a way for entities to connect with each other, research common challenges, and discover solutions. This week, … Continue reading "South Dakota Fiber All About the Local – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 369" ★ Support this podcast ★

An increasing number of local communities are investigating ways to improve connectivity through municipal networks. Some of these communities must find a way to overcome state laws that preclude them from investing in broadband infrastructure, or have established requirements that make doing so prohibitive. Recently, we’ve seen reports on state laws that inflate the number of … Continue reading "The State of State Preemption, Nineteen is the Number – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 368" ★ Support this podcast ★

John Lester, General Manager of Clarksville Connected Utilities in Arkansas, was on our show several years ago to talk about his work in Chanute, Kansas. Since then, he’s moved on to Clarksville to bring the community’s infrastructure up-to-date with fiber. In this interview, John brings along Brian Eisele, President and CEO of the Clarksville – Johnson County Chamber of Commerce, … Continue reading "Clarksville, Arkansas, Building Millennial Mecca with Fiber – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 367" ★ Support this podcast ★

The Sprint / T-Mobile merger has been in process for about a year now, with a series of odd, dramatic twists and turns. Recently, a group of state attorneys general sued to stop the transaction. This week, Christopher talks with telecom policy experts Gigi Sohn and Blair Levin to get their takes on the whole … Continue reading "Top Experts Sound Off on Sprint and T-Mobile Merger – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 366" ★ Support this podcast ★

Rio Blanco County in western Colorado is more than 3,200 square miles with a population of only about 6,400 people in the entire county. Due to the low population density and rural nature of much of the county, large corporate Internet access providers have not felt motivated to invest in broadband access. Thanks to public … Continue reading "Rio Blanco Exceeds Expectations in Colorado – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 365" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we’re bringing another podcast interview that Christopher conducted while at Mountain Connect in Colorado. David Young, former Fiber Infrastructure and Right-of-Way Manager for the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, sat down to reminisce about the city’s network that began as conduit and has evolved into citywide Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH). David has moved on to Kansas City in … Continue reading "David Young Shares the Story of Lincoln – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 364" ★ Support this podcast ★

Summer is the time for the Mountain Connect Broadband Development Conference, one of the events that Christopher is sure to attend every year. This year, it was held in Dillon, Colorado, and while he was enjoying the scenery, he collected a series of interviews. This week we hear from Brian Worthen, CEO of Mammoth Networks. With … Continue reading "Mammoth Networks Big on Connecting the West – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 363" ★ Support this podcast ★

Matt Rantanen, director of technology at the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association and director of the Tribal Digital Village Network, has been working for years to get tribal communities connected to broadband. In his conversation with Christopher, he talks about his experience with creative wireless solutions, the potential of the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) to get folks connected, … Continue reading "Building a New Path Toward Tribal Connectivity – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 362" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, Communications Specialist Jess Del Fiacco interviews Christopher about some of the many events that we’ve been following lately. Jess and Christopher start off the show with a healthy dose of outrage as they comment on an advert from Verizon that takes the 5G hype just a little too far. Next they discuss a … Continue reading "5G Absurdity, Ammon Affordability, Speed Realities, and USF Caps – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 361" ★ Support this podcast ★

This spring, SiFi Networks and Fullerton, California, announced that they will be working together to deploy an open access Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network across the city of 140,000 people. SiFi will fund and build the network and has already signed up two providers to offer Internet access service to the public. This week, Christopher speaks with … Continue reading "SiFi Speaks on Fullerton Open Access Project – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 360" ★ Support this podcast ★