Community Broadband Bits

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Benoit Felton (Independent Consultant, Diffraction Analysis).  During the conversation, the two discuss the transformational potential of broadband,  international developments in fiber deployment and lessons on wholesale broadband networks.  They talk about the state of European broadband service, what keeps customers from changing providers within open access … Continue reading "Lessons on Retail and Wholesale Broadband Models from Europe, Asia, and the U.S. – Episode 505 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined live from Broadband Communities by Bob Knight (CEO, Harrison Edwards) and Kim McKinley (Chief Marketing Officer, UTOPIA Fiber).  During the conversation, the three discuss the newly announced American Association of Public Broadband (AAPB). They talk answer what the group is, why it’s needed and how people can … Continue reading "Introducing the American Association of Public Broadband – Episode 504 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Jeff Gavlinski, CEO of Mountain Connect to preview this year’s event. During the conversation, the two talk about what makes Mountain Connect different from other broadband conferences, what’s on deck for this year, and Jeff’s perspective on larger trends in the broadband industry. They also discuss … Continue reading "Previewing Mountain Connect 2022 – Episode 503 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Shayna Englin, Director of the Digital Equity Initiative at the California Community Foundation. During the conversation, the two talk about Shayna’s work with the Digital Equity Initiative, how their coalition brought about recent wins for community broadband in LA County, and what’s next in the fight … Continue reading "Los Angeles County and California Are Building A Broadband Future – Episode 502 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by three colleagues from the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at ILSR including Sean Gonsalves (Communications Team Lead), Ry Marcattilio-McCracken (Research Team Lead) and DeAnne Cuellar (Outreach Team Lead). During the conversation, the four talk about Sean’s writing that highlights improvements to New York’s new budget bill, and … Continue reading "What New York State Got Right and No Answers on States Rights Question – Episode 501 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Margaret Kaufer, President of the New York-based STEM Alliance, and Bob Cacase, Commissioner of Information Technology for the City of Yonkers. During the conversation, the three talk about Y-ZONE, a partnership between several community groups working to connect households in Yonkers. They discuss origins of the … Continue reading "Y-ZONE is Connecting Families with CBRS – Episode 500 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the show, Christopher is joined by Angela Thi Bennett, Director of Advocacy & Impact at DigitalC, a community-based Cleveland nonprofit which operates a fixed wireless network in the city’s unserved and underserved neighborhoods. Before she leaves to become the first Digital Equity Director for National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Angela sits down with … Continue reading "Empowering Community in Cleveland, with Digital C – Episode 499 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Nancy Werner, General Counsel of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA).  During the conversation, the two talk about NATOA and it’s role in supporting community broadband projects, how the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Act is structured, and how exactly BEAD grant … Continue reading "Breaking Down BEAD Funding Requirements with Nancy Werner – Episode 498 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by ILSR Community Broadband Networks Research Team Lead Ry Marcattilio-McCracken and Communications Team Lead Sean Gonsalves. During the conversation, the three discuss stories from the big list of American Rescue Plan Community Broadband Projects, Sean’s Broadband Breakfast Telehealth Op-Ed with Craig Settles, and why healthcare providers aren’t … Continue reading "ARPA Funding, Telehealth and a Good Rant – Episode 497 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, radio producer Matt Purdy reports a story on Baltimore’s efforts to build a municipal broadband network that prioritizes equity for historically marginalized communities. This show is 13 minutes long and can be played on this page or via iTunes or the tool of your choice using this feed. Transcript coming soon.  We want … Continue reading "Special Report: Baltimore Builds Muni Fiber, Prioritizing Equity – Episode 496 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Bill Coleman, Founder of Community Technology Advisors in St. Paul, Minnesota. During the conversation, the two discuss the origins of the Blandin Foundation’s Accelerate! Program, how facilitating team dynamics helped to breath new life into pre-recorded webinars, and why Bill believes that approach, along with an … Continue reading "Accelerate! Program Shows Promise in Midwest Communities – Episode 495 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Will Anderson, Program Coordinator at Vermont Communications Union Districts Association (VCUDA) and Evan Carlson, Board Chair at NEK Broadband (Northeast Kingdom, VT). During the conversation, the three discuss the origins and progress of Vermont’s Communications Union District (CUD) model, how the Department of Public Service has … Continue reading "CUDs are Connecting Rural Vermont – Episode 494 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Jeff Magsamen, Telecom Director at Waverly Utilities in Waverly, Iowa. During the conversation, the two discuss Waverly’s journey building a municipal network, how triple play take rates have changed in the last few years, and the benefits of partnering with neighboring municipal networks to reduce startup costs. Christopher … Continue reading "Waverly Muni Fiber Another Success Story for Iowa – Episode 493 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Joe Poire, Director of Petrichor Broadband in Whitman County, Washington. During the conversation, the two discuss the unique role of Ports in Washington State, which for years have been building robust broadband infrastructure that could be used for increasing competition or extending access into unserved areas. … Continue reading "Public Open Access Spurs Competition in Washington State – Episode 492 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by PJ Armstrong, Interim General Manager at Monmouth Independence Networks (MINET) operating in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. During the conversation, the two discuss how MINET came into existence over fifteen years ago, unique perspectives from an older municipal network, progress on MINET’s recent investor-backed expansion into Dallas, Oregon, … Continue reading "Perspectives From An Established Muni Network – Episode 491 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Bob Marshall, General Manager of the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative and the Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications Company. During the conversation, the two discuss Bob’s love for the cooperative movement, how Plumas-Sierra relies on fixed wireless, cable and fiber to service their rural terrain, and how they are using … Continue reading "Geography is Everything – Episode 490 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Matt Schmit, Director of the Illinois Office of Broadband and Chair of Illinois Broadband Advisory Council. During the conversation, the two discuss Illinois’ $420 million investment in broadband infrastructure as part of the Connect Illinois Broadband Grant program, the challenges in and solutions to both rural … Continue reading "It’s Not a Rural Broadband Challenge, It’s a Statewide Broadband Challenge – Episode 489 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the podcast, we’re back for another staff conversation about all that 2021 had to offer and serve up some predictions for the coming year. Joining Christopher on the show are Senior Reporter and Editor Sean Gonsalves, Community Broadband Outreach Team Lead DeAnne Cuellar, Senior Researcher Ry Marcattilio-McCracken, GIS and Data Visualization Specialist Christine … Continue reading "Last Year and Next Year: Predictions Evaluated and Recharged – Episode 488 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Derek Turner, the research director for Free Press, to talk about the history of the federal government’s broadband data collection and how the Form 477 came to be.  They unpack how this data collection process has been historically flawed and how it … Continue reading "A History of Form 477 and Broadband Mapping Data – Episode 487 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

For episode 15 of our bonus series, “Why NC Broadband Matters,” Christopher Mitchell is joined by Catharine Rice (Co-founder of NC Broadband Matters and  Project Manager at the Coalition for Local Internet Choice) and Doug Dawson (Owner and President of CCG Consulting) dig into what all these different pots of federal funding mean communities across … Continue reading "What Does All This Money Mean? – Bonus Episode 15 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★