Community Broadband Bits

This week we are welcoming Scott Bradner, a long time doer, writer, and thinker on Internet matters. Thanks to a listener request, we had already recorded an interview last week discussing peering before the news broke that the FCC would be allowing paid prioritization peering arrangements, which many have said represents the end of network … Continue reading "Peering: Then and Now on Community Broadband Bits Podcast #96" ★ Support this podcast ★

Nestled in a valley in the Colorado rockies, the city of Montrose has voted overwhelmingly to reestablish local authority over whether to build a municipal fiber network. With nearly 20,000 people, Montrose does have cable service from Charter and DSL from CenturyLink but neither service is meeting local needs. Virgil Turner, Director of Innovation and … Continue reading "Montrose Moves Toward Muni Network -Community Broadband Bits Podcast #95" ★ Support this podcast ★

The Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast this week focuses on what people can do to start building a grassroots effort for a network in their community. John St Julien of Lafayette, Louisiana, returns to the show to discuss what they did and ideas for others to follow. John was last on the show for episode 19, … Continue reading "Advice for Starting a Community Network – Community Broadband Bits Episode #94" ★ Support this podcast ★

While in Iowa for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities telecom conference, I had a chance to interview Michael Curri, the Founder and President of Strategic Networks Group – SNG. He and I have long had great discussions at events around the country and I attempted to recreate some of the key points in this … Continue reading "Benefits of Increased Broadband Utilization – Community Broadband Bits Podcast #93" ★ Support this podcast ★

While at the SEATOA Conference in Raleigh last week, I met Mike Foor, the President and CEO of the Georgia Communications Cooperative (GCC). Given the important role GCC is playing in expanding great Internet access in rural Georgia, we wanted to interview him for Community Broadband Bits. Back in episode 46, we spoke with Paul … Continue reading "Understanding the Georgia Communications Cooperative – Community Broadband Bits Podcast #92" ★ Support this podcast ★

Lisa Gonzalez and I, Christopher Mitchell, are back in studio for a short conversation about the implications of a municipal network or a coop receiving subsidies from government to engage in overbuilding, where it builds a fiber network in an area already served by slow DSL and cable networks. This has become an important issue … Continue reading "To Overbuild or Underbuild? A Rural Policy Conundrum – Community Broadband Bits Podcast #91" ★ Support this podcast ★

Just a few weeks after releasing our case study of Santa Monica's City Net, we have an opportunity to interview Jory Wolf, CIO of Santa Monica, and the chief driver of City Net. This is episode #90 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast. We talk about how City Net got its start with a smart … Continue reading "Exploring Santa Monica's Incremental Fiber Approach – Community Broadband Bits Episode 90" ★ Support this podcast ★

If all had gone according to the plan behind the 1996 Telecommunications Act, we would have lots of competition among Internet service providers, not just cable and DSL but other technologies as well. Alas, the competing technologies never really appeared and various incarnations of the FCC effectively gutted the common carriage requirements at the heart … Continue reading "History of the Quickly Subverted 1996 Telecommunications Act – Community Broadband Bits Episode 89" ★ Support this podcast ★

Having just returned from a short trip to Sweden, Lisa Gonzalez and I discuss what I learned and how Stockholm has become one of the most connected cities on the planet. We talk about how Stockholm built a massive dark fiber network that has enabled competition at the service layer, the status of telecommunications in … Continue reading "Overview of Stockholm's Stokab – Community Broadband Bits Episode #88" ★ Support this podcast ★

More communities are today considering how they can improve Internet access in their community than at any other time. Having a gigabit is quickly becoming the standard – not because we all need 1,000 Mbps but because we know that everything we want to do is possible on a gigabit connection. Video games aren't going … Continue reading "Processes for a Gigabit Community: Community Broadband Bits Episode 87" ★ Support this podcast ★

Ammon, a town of 14,000 in southeast Idaho, has been incrementally building an open access, fiber optic network that has connected community anchor institutions and is starting to become available to local businesses. Ammon Technology Director Bruce Patterson joins us to explain how the community has moved forward with its model for improving Internet access. … Continue reading "How Ammon, Idaho, Builds Digital Roads – Community Broadband Bits Episode 86" ★ Support this podcast ★

The Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency, which we have written about many times, is at a crossroads. An Australian corporation specializing in infrastructure is prepared to infuse $300 million into the project but the Utah Legislature may prohibit it from expanding and even from using existing connections outside member cities. We asked Jesse Harris of … Continue reading "Fork in the Road For UTOPIA: Forward or Backward? Community Broadband Bits Episode #85" ★ Support this podcast ★

When the DC Circuit Court handed down a decision ruling against the FCC's Open Internet (network neutrality) rules, it also clarified that the FCC has the power to overrule state laws that limit local authority to build community networks. Harold Feld, Senior Vice President for Public Knowledge, joins us for Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] Episode #84 … Continue reading "A Roadmap for the FCC To Ensure Local Authority to Build Networks – Community Broadband Podcast #84" ★ Support this podcast ★

When we think about the threat of monopoly, we almost always focus on how monopolies can raise prices beyond what is reasonable. But there are many threats from monopolies and many are much more dangerous to a free society than higher prices. This week, monopoly expert Barry Lynn joins us for the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] … Continue reading "The Real Threats from Monopoly – Community Broadband Bits Podcast #83" ★ Support this podcast ★

The municipal electric utility in Russellville has launched Kentucky's first citywide gigabit service on its FTTH network. [no-glossary]Russellville[/no-glossary] Electric Plant Board General Manager Robert White joins us to share their motivations for building a fiber network. The utility had originally offered some telecommunications services over a wireless system but recognized the need for a more … Continue reading "Meet Russellville, Kentucky's Broadband Speed Leader – Community Broadband Bits Podcast #82" ★ Support this podcast ★

After a listener suggested we do a show on the modern role of public access media, we decided to reach out to Mike Wassenaar, now a senior development officer at Free Press and formerly the Executive Director of Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, a great example of the promise of public access. Mike and I talk … Continue reading "Public Access Media and Community Owned Networks – Community Broadband Bits Podcast #81" ★ Support this podcast ★

Today, Lisa and I are joined by Eric Lampland for a discussion of how a community could justify building a community owned network from the indirect benefits that it would create, including the savings that each household realizes from competition driving down prices. Eric Lampland is the CEO and principal consultant of Lookout Point Communications, … Continue reading "Justifying a Network with Indirect Cost Savings – Community Broadband Bits Episode 80" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, Don Means joins us to talk about public libraries, their role in the modern era, and an interesting pilot project involving several libraries and white spaces wireless technology. Don is the coordinator of the Gigabit Libraries Network and has a passion for both libraries and expanding Internet access to all. We offer some … Continue reading "Don Means on Libraries and White Spaces – Community Broadband Bits Episode 79" ★ Support this podcast ★

For those looking for our weekly podcast over the holiday break, we decided to recut one of our early interviews with Bob Frankston, a favorite of Lisa's, and put it back in the feed. We ran the original interview for episode 14 of our Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast and again now for episode 78. Frankston … Continue reading "Bob Frankston Encore Interview – Community Broadband Bits Episode #78" ★ Support this podcast ★

When a major employer in Auburn, a town of 13,000 in northeast Indiana, told the local government that it would have to move jobs to a different location unless it had improved Internet access, the local government first encouraged it to work with the telephone company. But when that telephone company, headquartered far from Auburn, … Continue reading "In Indiana, Auburn Built Fiber Network Incrementally – Community Broadband Bits Episode 77" ★ Support this podcast ★