Community Broadband Bits

This week, we helped to launch Next Century Cities, a collaborative effort of local governments that are making smart investments and partnerships to ensure their communities have fast, affordable, and reliable Internet access. Deb Socia is the Executive Director of Next Century Cities, coming to it from a nonprofit organization she developed in Boston called … Continue reading "Next Century Cities – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 121" ★ Support this podcast ★

Lisa Gonzalez and I have been wading though all kinds of crazy talk since the cities of Wilson and Chattanooga filed petitions with the FCC to strike down state laws that prevent them from offering Internet access to their neighbors. In our first episode of Crazy Talk since way back in episode 72, we deal … Continue reading "Responding to Crazy Talk: Arguments Against FCC Restoring Local Authority – Community Broadband Bits Episode 120" ★ Support this podcast ★

Earlier, this year, the Minnesota Legislature established a “Border to Border” Broadband fund to expand Internet access to the least connected in the state. Senator Matt Schmit and Representative Erik Simonson led the effort to establish the fund that is now administered by Danna Mackenzie. All three of them join us this week to discuss … Continue reading "State of Minnesota's Border to Border Broadband Fund – Community Broadband Bits Episode 119" ★ Support this podcast ★

While in Springfield, Massachusetts for the Broadband Communities Municipal Broadband and Economic Development event, I met several of the people that have been working on an initiative that aims to bring better Internet access to many in Connecticut. Two of them, Connecticut Consumer Counsel Elin Katz and Broadband Policy Coordinator Bill Vallee join me this … Continue reading "Connecticut Communities Want Better Internet Access – Community Broadband Bits Episode 118" ★ Support this podcast ★

Calls for “dig once” policies have resonated for years. The general idea is that we can more fiber and conduit in the ground at lower prices if we coordinate to include them in various projects that already disturb the ground. In the south Twin Cities metro in Minnesota, Dakota County has been tweaking its dig … Continue reading "Dakota County is Fiber Rich Thanks to Dig Once Approach – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 117" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, Lisa Gonzalez interviews me about my recent trip to the Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul, Turkey. The IGF is an opportunity for anyone concerned with Internet Governance on planet Earth to discuss the perceived problems and possible solutions. It uses a multi-stakeholder format, which means that governments, businesses, civil society, and academics are … Continue reading "Reflections on the Internet Governance Forum – Community Broadband Bits Episode 116" ★ Support this podcast ★

By building a fiber line to allow some local businesses to get next-generation Internet access, Rockport became the first municipal fiber network in the state of Maine. Town Manager Richard Bates joins us for episode 115 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast. We discuss the financing behind the network and their partnership with local Internet … Continue reading "First Muni Fiber Net in Maine – Community Broadband Bits Episode 115" ★ Support this podcast ★

Sallisaw is one of many small municipal FTTH networks that most people are not familiar with. For a decade, they have been quietly meeting their community's needs with DiamondNet. For this week's Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary], we learn more about it in a conversation with Assistant City Manager Keith Skelton and Network Communications Supervisor Danny Keith. … Continue reading "Sallisaw: The First Muni Fiber Network in Oklahoma – Community Broadband Bits Episode 114" ★ Support this podcast ★

Though much of western Massachusetts has poor access to the Internet, the town of Leverett is in the midst of fiber build that will offer a gigabit to anyone who wants it. Peter d'Errico, on the town Select Board, has been part of the project from the start and Chairs the Broadband Committee. He joins … Continue reading "Muni Fiber in Rural Massachusetts – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 113" ★ Support this podcast ★

After having met City Councilmember Caitlin Copple at last year's Broadband Communities event in Austin and seeing the progress Missoula, Montana, has made in considering a municipal fiber network, I knew we should ask her to be on the show. This week, she joins me and Karen Palmer, the Director of Operations for a local … Continue reading "Missoula Pursues Open Access Fiber for Jobs – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 112" ★ Support this podcast ★

Hunter Newby is back for his second appearance on Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] to discuss his thoughts on carrier neutral approaches to spur our economy with more investment in better networks. We just talked with Hunter in episode 104 on carrier neutral approaches to middle mile networks. Now we discuss these types of approaches within communities … Continue reading "Muni Fiber as Real Estate – Community Broadband Bits Episode 111" ★ Support this podcast ★

Given the exciting development of the FCC opening comment on petitions from Wilson, NC and Chattanooga, TN to restore local authority to their states, Lisa and I decided to take over this week's podcast of Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary]. We talk about the petitions, some background, and interview Will Aycock from Wilson's Greenlight Gigabit Network and … Continue reading "Understanding the Wilson and Chattanooga FCC Petitions – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 110" ★ Support this podcast ★

If you have doubts that we can or will connect rural America with high quality Internet connections, listen to our show today. Alyssa Clemsen-Roberts, the Industry Affairs Manager at the Utilities Telecom Council, joins me to talk about how utilities are investing in the Internet connections that their communities need. Many of these utilities are … Continue reading "Rural Utilities Building Broadband Networks – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 109" ★ Support this podcast ★

Boulder is the latest Colorado community to recognize the benefits of using city-owned fiber to spur job growth and improve quality of life. Boulder Director of Information Technology Don Ingle joins us for episode 108 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast. We discuss the many ways in which Boulder has benefited from community owned fiber … Continue reading "The Past and Future of Muni Fiber in Boulder – Community Broadband Bits Episode 108" ★ Support this podcast ★

Holly Springs, a town of about 25,000 in the Triangle region of North Carolina, has built its own network to connect community anchor institutions and has an interest in using it to spur economic development and other community benefits but a 2011 law pushed by Time Warner Cable makes some of that more difficult. City … Continue reading "Holly Springs Finds Savings with Muni Fiber – Community Broadband Bits Episode 107" ★ Support this podcast ★

Longmont is about to break ground on the citywide FTTH gigabit network but it is already offering services to local businesses and a few neighborhoods that started as pilot projects. Vince Jordan, previously a guest two years ago, is back to update us on their progress. Until recently, Vince was the Telecom Manager for Longmont … Continue reading "Early Lessons from Longmont – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 106" ★ Support this podcast ★

With so many people on vacation this week for Independence Day, we decided to take it easy and reflect on my trip to Colorado to discuss rural broadband at the Mountain Connect conference. Lisa and I reflect on the event and what other states can learn from Colorado. Though the Colorado legislature previously bowed to … Continue reading "Reflections on Mountain Connect Rural Broadband Conference – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 105" ★ Support this podcast ★

I recall first hearing about Alled Fiber a few years back and not thinking much about it. It seemed like another operator focused on connecting wireless towers and building long haul fiber… but then I heard Hunter Newby's presentation at Mountain Connect in Colorado. When he noted the need to have infrastructure that financiers could … Continue reading "Fiber as Real Estate – Allied Fiber on Episode 104 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, Lisa and I discuss the Coalition for Local Internet Choice, CLIC, that was announced last week. This is a short episode that aims to answer some of the common questions about CLIC, including why we felt it was necessary to create this coalition now. You can still sign up to become a member … Continue reading "A Short CLIC Background – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 103" ★ Support this podcast ★

Following up on Lisa's in-depth story on Monticello, Illinois, we asked Vic Zimmerman to join us for episode 102 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary]. We talk about how rural Monticello started by reaching out to the existing service providers, only to be stalled for months and then years. Eventually they realized they would have to … Continue reading "Illinois' Monticello Local Partnership Leads to Big Savings – Community Broadband Bits Episode 102" ★ Support this podcast ★