Community Broadband Bits

For years, we have urged municipal networks to cooperate in various ways to lower costs. For instance, by building a shared middle mile network to aggregate their bandwidth and get a better deal due to the higher volume. So it came as a [no-glossary]bit[/no-glossary] of a shock that Georgia Public Web has been helping many … Continue reading "Connecting Georgia's Munis – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 156" ★ Support this podcast ★

Many communities feel like they are an island without proper connectivity but Islesboro, Maine, is literally an island… without proper connectivity. This week, we talk with Page Clason, Manager of the Broadband Internet Working Group for the island that is moving toward a fiber solution to expand high quality Internet access. We discuss the differences … Continue reading "Maine Island Stranded Without Fiber – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 155" ★ Support this podcast ★

After reading “Amtrak's Lessons for Access to the Airwaves,” I knew we wanted to talk to Michael Calabrese and Patrick Lucey of the Open Technology Institute at the New America Foundation to discuss wireless policy. Unfortunately, scheduling challenges kept Patrick off the this show but we do have a great discussion for this week's Community … Continue reading "Recent Advances in the Wireless Future – Community Broadband Bits Episode 154" ★ Support this podcast ★

We were excited to begin writing about the Upgrade Seattle campaign back in January and this week we are presenting a discussion with several people behind the campaign for episode 153 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast. We are joined by Sabrina Roach, Devin Glaser, and Karen Toering to discuss what motivates the Upgrade Seattle … Continue reading "Upgrade Seattle on Need For Better Access – Community Broadband Bits Episode 153" ★ Support this podcast ★

After Santa Fe found its residents and businesses were often paying the same rates for connections at half the speed of peers in Albuquerque, the City began investigating the local broadband market. This week on Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary], Sean Moody joins us to discuss the situation and what Santa Fe is doing to spur more … Continue reading "Santa Fe's Targeted Fiber Investment – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 152" ★ Support this podcast ★

Back in March, I spoke at the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities Telecom conference, which is always an event with interesting people. While there, I met Doug Hammer and Krista Allen of Harlan Utilities. With just over 5,000 people, Harlan is small but they actually have better Internet and cable choices than most of us, … Continue reading "Small ISPs and Paperwork – Community Broadband Bits Episode 151" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we are focusing on security concerns for community networks. Community networks tend to be small, with limited staff to keep track of the many challenges of running a network. Our guest this week on Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] is Weston Hecker, Senior Systems Security Analyst and Pen Tester for KLJ. After defining what penetration … Continue reading "Ensuring Security on Community Networks – Community Broadband Bits Episode 150" ★ Support this podcast ★

Our second episode of Community Broadband Bits featured an interview with Monica Webb, Chair of the Wired West Board and Spokesperson. Three years later, we are excited to have Monica on the show again to update us on their recent progress. As we recently noted, the state has decided to contribute significantly to the capital … Continue reading "The Latest on Wired West Rural Fiber – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 149" ★ Support this podcast ★

In the aftermath of the Comcast/TWC merger being effectively denied by the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission, we thought it was a key moment to focus on antitrust/anti-monopoly policy in DC. To discuss this topic, we talk this week with Teddy Downey, Executive Editor and CEO of the Capitol Forum as well as … Continue reading "Comcast Merger Wrap-up and Anti-Monopoly Policy – Community Broadband Bits Episode 148" ★ Support this podcast ★

The first gigabit city in Wisconsin, Reedsburg, has a municipal fiber network operated by the city-owned electric utility. This week, we talk with General Manager of the Utility Commission, Brett Schuppner. Reedsburg fiber goes back to 2003, which makes it one of the oldest FTTH networks in the nation. Located about an hour outside of … Continue reading "In Reedsburg, Expansion Weighed After Muni Fiber Success – Community Broadband Bits Episode 147" ★ Support this podcast ★

When we last wrote about the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative, it was a coop focused on open access middle mile connections. Now it has become the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation and is starting to work on some plans to expand open access last mile access. This week, we speak with MBC President and CEO Tad Deriso … Continue reading "Improving Mid-Atlantic Internet Access – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 146" ★ Support this podcast ★

As more communities become service providers in order to provide a needed service to local businesses and residents, they are taking on an important responsibility to safeguard the data and privacy of subscribers. Unlike big providers like AT&T or big cable companies, municipal providers tend not to engage in data mining or violating their users' … Continue reading "Muni Networks, Digital Liberty, and Surveillance – Community Broadband Bits Episode 145" ★ Support this podcast ★

After we heard that Lafayette's LUS Fiber was considering expanding to some nearby communities, we knew we had to set up an interview with Terry Huval, Director of the Lafayette Utilities System in Louisiana. In our interview this week, Terry and I discuss Lafayette's success, the legacy of the law creating special barriers that only … Continue reading "Opportunities and Challenges as Lafayette Considers Muni Fiber Expansion – Community Broadband Bits Episode 144" ★ Support this podcast ★

After anticipating this moment for many months, we have a ruling from the FCC that has restored local authority to build and expand networks in North Carolina and Tennessee. Though we have already pulled out the key passages for readers, we wanted to discuss the decision with Jim Baller of Baller, Herbst, Stokes, & Lide. … Continue reading "Explaining the FCC Muni Order Removing State Barriers – Community Broadband Bits Episode 143" ★ Support this podcast ★

In Montana, local businesses and the city of Bozeman have been working on a public-private partnership approach to expanding Internet access that is likely to involve the city building an open access fiber network. We discuss their approach this week with Brit Fontenot, Economic Development Director for the city of Bozeman; David Fine, Bozeman Economic … Continue reading "Bozeman's Public-Private Approach In-Depth – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 142" ★ Support this podcast ★

After the FCC decisions to remove barriers to community networks and to reclassify Internet access as a Title II service to enforce network neutrality rules, Lisa and I spend some time discussing the decision and reactions to it. We also discuss my presentation at Freedom to Connect, where I offer some thoughts on what communities … Continue reading "Reaction to the FCC Decisions, Dissent, and Next Steps – Community Broadband Bits Episode 141" ★ Support this podcast ★

As high quality Internet has become more essential for business and quality of life, those who realized that the existing telecom providers had no intention to invest in better connections in their rural Missouri communities began to ask their electric cooperative – Co-Mo – to step up and do it. This week, we talk with … Continue reading "Rural Electric Co-Mo Coop Goes Gig – Community Broadband Bits Episode 140" ★ Support this podcast ★

Arizona's city of Mesa is one of the largest communities in the nation to benefit from the city taking role in ensuring conduit and fiber are available throughout the area. This week we talk with Alex Deshuk, the city's Manager of Technology and Innovation that was brought on in 2008. We talk about how Mesa … Continue reading "Mesa's Focus on Dig Once and Fiber Leases Pays Off – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 139" ★ Support this podcast ★

As we near the FCC open meeting at the end of next week, when it will decide on both the Chattanooga and Wilson petitions regarding their wish to expand as well as a proposal to reclassify Internet access a Title II service in order to ensure it can maintain the same open Internet we have … Continue reading "Answering Questions About Title II and Munis – Community Broadband Bits Episode 138" ★ Support this podcast ★

Last year was the first year I attended Mountain Connect, an event in the Rockies west of Denver that discusses approaches to improving Internet access. Historically, they focused on rural communities but as co-chair of the event Jeff Gavlinski notes in our discussion this week, they are expanding it to include more urban issues as … Continue reading "Rural Colorado Internet Access and Mountain Connect – Community Broadband Bits Episode 137" ★ Support this podcast ★