In a break from our traditional format of 20-30 minutes (or so), we have a special in-depth interview this week with Harold Depriest, the former CEO and President of Chattanooga's Electric Power Board. He recently retired after 20 incredibly transformative years for both Chattanooga and its municipal electric utility. We talk about the longer history behind … Continue reading "The Deep History of Chattanooga's Fiber Network – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 230" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Nov 29, 2016•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 230
Rural electric co-ops have started delivering high quality Internet access to their member-owners and our guest this week on Community Broadband Bits episode 229 is dedicated to helping these co-ops to build fiber-optic networks throughout their territories. Jon Chambers is a partner at Conexon and was previously the head of the FCC's Office of Strategic Planning and … Continue reading "Rural Electrics Solve Rural Internet Access Problems – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 229" ★ Support this po...
Nov 22, 2016•36 min•Ep. 229
When we last spoke to people from Lincoln, Nebraska, about their innovative conduit program to improve Internet access, we focused on how they had done it – Conduits Lead to Competition, podcast 182. For this week and episode 228 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, we focus more on the community benefits their approach has led … Continue reading "City of Lincoln Conduit Spurs FTTH, School Network Innovation – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 228" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Nov 15, 2016•31 min•Ep. 228
The second-largest city in Wisconsin and the home of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is pursuing a path-breaking municipal Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) strategy. They have already started by deploying fiber to several low-income neighborhoods and working with local ISP ResTech to offer services.Madison CIO Paul Kronberger joins us for Community Broadband Bits episode 227 to discuss their plan. … Continue reading "Madison Starts Muni Fiber Effort, Considers Citywide Effort – Community Broadband...
Nov 09, 2016•18 min•Ep. 227
Pinetops, a town of about 1,300 outside Wilson, North Carolina, is suffering a double calamity as Hurricane Matthew has left floods and incredible damage in its wake. Less natural but no less frustrating is the unforced error by the North Carolina Legislature in effectively prohibiting municipal broadband networks.This week, we have a doubleheader interview with … Continue reading "Pinetops Threatened by Hurricane and NC Legislature – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 226" ★ Support this podcast ...
Nov 01, 2016•21 min•Ep. 226
Telephone and electric cooperatives are making strides in bringing high-quality connectivity to rural areas while national providers stay in the city. This week we speak with two gentlemen from rural southwest Michigan’s Midwest Energy Cooperative: President and CEO Bob Hance and Vice President of Regulatory Compliance Dave Allen.The electric cooperative has embarked on a project to … Continue reading "Midwest Energy Cooperative Connects Rural Michigan – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 225" ★ S...
Oct 25, 2016•28 min•Ep. 225
In June, North Carolina released a report pronouncing that 93 percent of the state has access to broadband speeds. At the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, our Research Associate H.R. Trostle, who has been examining reporting data in North Carolina for the past year, came to some very different conclusions. In episode 224, she and Christopher … Continue reading "H.R. Trostle On Co-ops, Munis, Connectivity In North Carolina – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 224" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Oct 18, 2016•23 min•Ep. 224
In the north central region of Utah, eleven communities are now served by a regional open access fiber-optic network operated by the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency or UTOPIA. UTOPIA’s Executive Director, Roger Timmerman, and Mayor Karen Cronin from member community, Perry City, take time to speak with us for Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] episode 223.One … Continue reading "Update on Utah's Open Access UTOPIA – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 223" ★ Supp...
Oct 13, 2016•25 min•Ep. 223
Located in the Denver metro region and shaped like a barbell, Centennial has effectively used dig once policies to build conduit and fiber assets that have attracted Ting to the community. Tim Scott is the Director of Fiber Infrastructure for the city and joins us on Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast episode 222. Centennial took advantage … Continue reading "Carrier-Grade Fiber in Centennial, Colorado – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 222" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Oct 04, 2016•29 min•Ep. 222
Having few options for high-quality telecommunications service, Virginia's Roanoke Valley formed a broadband authority and is building an open access fiber-optic network with different options for ISPs to plug-in. In addition to being our guest on Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] episode 221, Frank Smith is the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority CEO and President. We discuss their … Continue reading "Virginia's Roanoke Valley Opens Fiber Access – Community Broadband Bits Podca...
Sep 27, 2016•29 min•Ep. 221
Medina County has built a fiber network to connect its core facilities and leases its fiber to multiple ISPs to improve connectivity in its communities. David Corrado, CEO of the Medina County Fiber Network, joins us to discuss their approach on Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] episode 220. We discuss how the Port Authority became the lead … Continue reading "Medina County Aims to Be Mecca of Fiber – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 220" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Sep 20, 2016•31 min•Ep. 220
Saint Louis Park, a compact community along the west side of Minneapolis, has built an impressive fiber network, a conduit system, and several deals with developers to ensure new apartment buildings will allow their tenants to choose among high speed Internet access providers. Chief Information Office Clint Pires joins me for Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast … Continue reading "Saint Louis Park is Prepared for the Fiber Future – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 219" ★ ...
Sep 13, 2016•40 min•Ep. 219
After his daughter asked how her classmates could do their school homework if they did not have a computer or Internet access at home, Pat Millen's family formed E2D – a nonprofit organization called Eliminate the Digital Divide. This week, Pat and I talk about their strategy, which was created in the footprint of North … Continue reading "Eliminate the Digital Divide – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 218" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Sep 06, 2016•30 min•Ep. 218
It has been several weeks, but Lisa and I wanted to answer any lingering questions people may have about the results of the Sixth Circuit case reviewing the FCC's action to remove state-created barriers to municipal networks. We devoted Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] episode 217 to the case and aftermath. The Sixth Circuit ruled against the … Continue reading "North Carolina and Tennessee Lose in 6th Circuit – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 217" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Aug 31, 2016•20 min•Ep. 217
The Internet is one of those things that is right there in front of our face but can be hard to define exactly. Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] Episode 216 answers that question and picks up right where episode 213 left off with Fred Goldstein, Principal of Interisle Consulting Group. Having already discussed the regulatory decisions that … Continue reading "Just What is the Internet? Community Broadband Bits Podcast 216" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Aug 24, 2016•40 min•Ep. 216
Cape Cod's OpenCape is the latest of the stimulus-funded middle mile broadband projects to focus on expanding to connect businesses and residents. We talk to OpenCape Executive Director Steve Johnston about the new focus and challenge of expansion in episode 215 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast. Steve has spent much of his first year … Continue reading "Open Cape Works With Communities for Last Mile – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 215" ★ Support this podcast ...
Aug 16, 2016•26 min•Ep. 215
As the next President considers how to improve rural Internet access, the administration will have to decide where to focus policy. Some at NTIA – the National Telecommunications Information Administration, a part of the federal Department of Commerce – have argued for more middle mile investment. NTIA oversaw major investments in middle mile networks after … Continue reading "Middle Mile vs Last Mile – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 214" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Aug 10, 2016•29 min•Ep. 214
We originally planned this episode of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast to answer the question of “What is the Internet?” But as we started talking to our guest, Principal of Interisle Consulting Group Fred Goldstein, we quickly realized we first had to dig into a little bit of history. This is not the story of … Continue reading "Smart FCC Decisions Helped Create the Internet – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 213" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Aug 02, 2016•34 min•Ep. 213
Overlooked by the incumbent telephone company, Mount Washington in the southwest corner of Massachusetts is becoming one of the smallest FTTH communities in the country by investing in a municipal fiber network. A strong majority of the town committed to three years of service and the state contributed $230,000 to build the network after a … Continue reading "Tiny Mt Washington Builds Fiber-to-the-Home – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 212" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Jul 27, 2016•21 min•Ep. 212
Fort Collins is a thriving community of over 150,000 and the home of Colorado State University. Despite gorgeous vistas and many high tech jobs, Fort Collins basically has the same cable and DSL duopoly the majority of communities suffer from. But they are making plans for something better. Mayor Wade Troxell joins us this week … Continue reading "Fort Collins Mayor on Fort Collins Fiber Future – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 211" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Jul 19, 2016•24 min•Ep. 211
When the cable and telephone companies refused to offer dial-up Internet service 20 years ago in Alexandria, Minnesota, the municipal utility stepped up and made it available. For years, most everyone in the region used it to get online. Now, the utility has focused its telecommunications attention on making fiber-optic telecommunications services available to local … Continue reading "In Minnesota, Alexandria Connects Businesses – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 210" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Jul 13, 2016•18 min•Ep. 210
In celebration of Independence Day, we are focused this week on consolidation and dependence. At the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, we are very focused on independence and believe that the consolidation in the telecommunications industry threatens the independence of communities. We doubt that Comcast or AT&T executives could locate most of the communities they serve … Continue reading "Discussing (Ranting) Consolidation – Community Broadband Bits Episode 209" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Jul 05, 2016•23 min•Ep. 209
A small telecommunications company in Albuquerque embodies much of the philosophy that has powered the Internet. And CityLink Telecommunications President John Brown credits Vint Cerf for some of that inspiration. John Brown joins us for episode 208 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast, where we talk not just about how enthusiastic he is for open … Continue reading "CityLink Telecommunications in Albuquerque Prefers Open Access – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 208...
Jun 28, 2016•36 min•Ep. 208
On the heels of releasing our video on Ammon, Idaho, we wanted to go a little more in-depth with Bruce Patterson. Bruce is Ammon's Technology Director and has joined us on the show before (episodes 173 and 86). We recommend watching the video before listening to this show. We get an update from Bruce on … Continue reading "Ammon's Network of the Future – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 207" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Jun 21, 2016•27 min•Ep. 207
Last week, while at my favorite regional broadband conference – Mountain Connect, I was asked to moderate a panel on municipal fiber projects in Colorado. You can watch it via the periscope video stream that was recorded. It was an excellent panel and led to this week's podcast, a discussion with Glenwood Springs Information Systems … Continue reading "Glenwood Springs Shares Lessons Learned – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 206" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Jun 14, 2016•21 min•Ep. 206
Last month we wrote wrote about the Whip City Fiber Pilot project in Westfield, Massachusetts expanding and this week we interview two people from Westfield Gas & Electric about the effort. Aaron Bean is the Operations Manager and Sean Fitzgerald is the Key Accounts and Customer Service Manager. We discuss their pilot project, how they … Continue reading "Whip City Fiber Expanding – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 205" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Jun 07, 2016•19 min•Ep. 205
For more than 100 years, Nevada's Churchill County has been operating its own telecommunications system, Churchill Communications. In recent years, they upgraded the vast majority of the county from copper to fiber offering a gigabit connection to the Internet. Churchill Communications General Manager Mark Feest joins us this week for Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] Episode 204. … Continue reading "Over 100 Years of Muni Telecom in Churchill County – Community Broadband Bits ...
May 31, 2016•18 min•Ep. 204
In Tennessee, this month marks 10 years of Morristown Utility Systems delivering fiber-optic triple-play service to the community, including great Internet access. But those living just outside the city and in nearby cities have poor access at best. MUS General Manager and CEO Jody Wigington returns to our show this week and we also welcome … Continue reading "Tennessee Potential Partnership Between Morristown Muni and AEC Co-op – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 203" ★ Support this podcast ★...
May 25, 2016•24 min•Ep. 203
The American Cable Association (ACA) represents over 800 small and medium-sized cable companies around the United States, including many municipal cable and fiber-optic networks. This week, we talk with ACA President and CEO Matt Polka about what they do and how small cable companies are vastly different from the big companies like Comcast and Charter. … Continue reading "Meeting the American Cable Association – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 202" ★ Support this podcast ★...
May 17, 2016•29 min•Ep. 202
On the outskirts of Akron, just south of Cleveland, the community of Fairlawn is building a citywide wireless and fiber optic network using an interesting model. Most of the citywide municipal Internet networks in the U.S. have been built by communities with a municipal electric power company. Fairlawn has no such utility, not even a … Continue reading "Fairlawn Focuses on Citywide Gig Infrastructure – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 201" ★ Support this podcast ★...
May 10, 2016•22 min•Ep. 201
