Community Broadband Bits

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 ★

Like many states, Minnesota has a major metro area that generally has higher quality Internet access than non-metro communities. The Greater Minnesota Partnership, a coalition of businesses, chambers, nonprofits, and cities from across the state, have made improving Internet access a major priority in their efforts to influence the state legislature. This week, we talk … Continue reading "Greater Minnesota Partnership Focuses on Non-Metro Need – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 136" ★ Support this podcast ★

OneCommunity is a nonprofit organization in northeastern Ohio that has connected thousands of community anchor institutions with high capacity connections. Created as OneCleveland before expanding, it has remained a rather unique approach to expanding high quality Internet access. This week, CEO Lev Gonick joins us to talk about OneCommunity and its contributions to the region. … Continue reading "OneCommunity's Middle Way – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 135" ★ Support this podcast ★

In recent weeks, we have been excited to see announcements from Ting, a company long known for being a great wireless provider (both Lisa and I are customers), that is now getting into FTTH deployments. The first announcement was from Charlottesville where it acquired another company. Last week they announced a partnership with Westminster, Maryland. … Continue reading "Ting Delivering FTTH Is Great News for Community Fiber – Community Broadband Bits Episode 134" ★ Support this podcast ★

While at the Broadband Communities Economic Development conference in Springfield last year, I had the good fortune to catch a panel with Chris Merdon, the CIO of Howard County, Maryland. Howard County has become an Internet Service Provider, not just to itself, but to private firms as well. To improve Internet access for businesses, it … Continue reading "Howard County Fiber Encourages New Jobs, Competition in Maryland – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 133" ★ Support this podcast ★

Ever since the last time I spoke with Blair Levin on Episode 37, I have wanted to have him back for a friendly discussion about public or private ownership of next generation networks. Though Blair and I entirely agree that local governments should be free to decide locally whether a community broadband network investment is … Continue reading "Public or Private Ownership? Community Broadband Bits Episode 132" ★ Support this podcast ★

For our final Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] episode of 2014, we review some of the notable events and news we covered and we discuss some predictions for 2015. Lisa Gonzalez and Rebecca Toews join me in this discussion. Read the transcript from this call here. We want your feedback and suggestions for the show – please … Continue reading "Year in Review, Expectations for 2015 – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 131" ★ Support this podcast ★

Given all the horrible experiences people have had over the telephone with massive cable companies, it isn't clear that one can design a skit to parody such a conversation. Each time someone calls one of these companies is a parody in and of itself. However, given that this is a holiday week, we decided to … Continue reading "Can you Satirize Poor Customer Service from Big Cable Companies – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 130" ★ Support this podcast ★

We have seen a lot of claims about Kansas City – whether Google Fiber's approach is increasing digital inclusion, having no impact, or possibly even increasing the digital divide. This week on our Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast, we are excited to have Michael Liimatta, President of a Kansas City nonprofit called Connecting for Good, that … Continue reading "Connecting For Good in Kansas City – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 129" ★ Support this podcast ★

The open access approach, which generally refers to multiple service providers offering services across the same physical network, remains a challenge for those who want to implement it. Though many communities would prefer to focus on the infrastructure rather than selling services directly in competition with existing providers, most find the approach is not feasible. … Continue reading "Open Access and Incumbent Challenges – Community Broadband Bits Episode 128" ★ Support this podcast ★

I was recently invited to speak in Brussels on the experience of U.S. cities and fiber optic investment. Videos from the seminar are available here. I took some extra time around the seminar to visit Amsterdam and then Bruges in Belgium. On this week's Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast, Lisa and I discuss broadband in the … Continue reading "Reflections on European Broadband – Community Broadband Bits Episode 127" ★ Support this podcast ★

The small village of Sebewaing has become the first gigabit village in the state of Michigan. Superintendent of Sebewaing Light and Water utility Melanie McCoy joins us to discuss the project on episode 126 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast. With approximately 1,800 people, Sebewaing has cracked the code for a small local government to … Continue reading "Michigan's First Gigabit Village – Community Broadband Bits Episode 126" ★ Support this podcast ★

Susan Crawford, author of Captive Audience and now co-author of The Responsive City: Engaging Communities Through Data-Smart Governance joins us for Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] #125. We discuss the idea of a Responsive City. Susan contrasts her visions of a Responsive City with more traditional notions of a “smart” city and notes that having fiber throughout … Continue reading "Susan Crawford on the Responsive City – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 125" ★ Support this podcast ★

We first became aware of the Media Mobilizing Project through our work with the ★ Support this podcast ★