On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by Deanne Cuellar, the State Program Director for Older Adult Technology Services (OATS). They explore the history of the digital divide in San Antonio and Cuellar’s role in making the city one of the nation’s leaders in digital inclusion efforts. The two also … Continue reading "The Fight for Digital Inclusion and Equity in San Antonio – Episode 479 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support thi...
Oct 26, 2021•29 min•Ep. 500
On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell talks fiber with Gary Bolton, CEO and President of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) at the Broadband Communities Summit in Houston, TX. The two discuss a recent fiber optic technician training program that FBA is rolling out, not only to fill expertise gaps and the labor shortage, but also … Continue reading "Let’s Talk Fiber – Episode 478 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Oct 19, 2021•29 min•Ep. 499
For episode 14 of our bonus series, “Why NC Broadband Matters,” we’re joined by Amy Huffman, Policy Director at National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and Christa Vinson, Program Officer of Rural Broadband and Infrastructure at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), to talk about the state of digital inclusion across the country. Vinson updates us on … Continue reading "Tides Are Turning With Digital Inclusion – Bonus Episode 14 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this ...
Oct 07, 2021•34 min•Ep. 498
On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by Angela Bennink (Telecommunications Director for Kitsap Public Utility District) and Laura Loe (Executive Director of Share The Cities Community Education & Share The Cities Action Fund) from Washington state. The group discusses the struggles Public Utility Districts (PUDs) have experienced over … Continue reading "The Long and Winding Road for Publicly Owned Broadband in Washington State –...
Oct 05, 2021•43 min•Ep. 497
On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by occasional guest host Sean Gonsalves, ILSR’s Senior Reporter, Editor, and Researcher to take a hard look at our philosophies around competition and telecommunications regulation. Sean briefly recaps a recent update by ILSR Researcher and Writer Jericho Casper on preemption developments over … Continue reading "The Great Debate Over Telecommunications Competition and Regulation – Episode 476 of the Com...
Sep 28, 2021•52 min•Ep. 496
On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by Scott Vanderlip, chair of Los Altos Hills Community Fiber, to talk about how he and other Los Altos Hills residents banded together to create a subscriber-owned network. The two discuss the challenges of building a locally-owned network from the ground up. Los … Continue reading "Los Altos Hills Community Fiber: A Story of Community Solutions to Community Empowerment – Episode 475 of the Commun...
Sep 21, 2021•28 min•Ep. 495
On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by Mike Gailey (Mayor of Syracuse), Brody Bovero (City Manager for the City of Syracuse), and Scott Darington (City Manager for the City of Pleasant Grove) to talk about why they decided to work with UTOPIA to connect their communities in Utah. … Continue reading "A Plan for Better Broadband in Syracuse and Pleasant Grove, Utah – Episode 474 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this ...
Sep 14, 2021•26 min•Ep. 494
This week, we are spotlighting episode 134 of Building Local Power, an ILSR podcast hosted by our Communication’s Manager, Jess Del Fiasco. On this episode, Jess is joined by the Community Broadband Networks Initiative’s Senior Researcher Ry Marcatillio-McCrack and Senior Reporter, Editor and Researcher Sean Gonsalves to interview Christopher Ali about his new book, Farm Fresh Broadband: The … Continue reading "Rethinking Rural Connectivity with Christopher Ali – Episode 473 of the Community Bro...
Sep 08, 2021•39 min•Ep. 493
On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, ILSR’s Senior Reporter, Editor, and Researcher Sean Gonsalves, along with Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer Maren Machles, chat with Paul Recanzone, the general manager of Beacon Broadband, about Beacon’s plan to build out broadband where no one has before. Beacon Broadband is a wholly-owned subsidiary … Continue reading "One Cooperative in Oregon Hopes Broadband Will Help Revitalize A Community’s Economy – Episode 472 of th...
Aug 31, 2021•30 min•Ep. 492
On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is on vacation and the writing team takes over the show to talk about what brought them to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance as well as the communities they’ve spoken to recently. Sean Gonsalves, ILSR’s Senior Reporter, Editor, and Researcher, hosts the … Continue reading "The Writing Team Takes Over – Episode 471 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Aug 24, 2021•29 min•Ep. 491
This week on the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Executive Director of the ConnectMaine Authority, Peggy Schaffer to discuss strategies that might make Maine and other states successful in solving connectivity issues with the $42 billion in broadband funding the new infrastructure plan sets aside to go directly to states. States will … Continue reading "Shifting the Mindset from Scarcity to Abundance: The Infrastructure Bill and Longterm Broadband Solutions – ...
Aug 17, 2021•26 min•Ep. 490
On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell and ILSR Senior Reporter, Editor, and Researcher Sean Gonsalves talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed the Senate today — the episode was recorded last week, before the vote. While the bill does not … Continue reading "A Mixed Bag: How The Infrastructure Bill Will Impact Municipal Broadband Networks – Episode 469 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Sup...
Aug 10, 2021•36 min•Ep. 489
On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Bruce McDougall, Anacortes City Council Member to speak about the journey to build a 21st century infrastructure in this small community in Washington by advocating for a municipally owned and operated fiber optic network. McDougall talks about the power municipal … Continue reading "How Activism and Community Empowerment Brought Anacortes, Washington 21st Century Broadband – Episode 468 of the Comm...
Jul 28, 2021•33 min•Ep. 488
On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Sascha Meinrath, Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Pennsylvania State University and Director of X-Labs. The two discuss an exciting collaboration they are working on with Consumer Reports and other allied organizations that crowdsources monthly Internet bills from actual users. The aim … Continue reading "Crowdsourcing Data, Fighting for Competition and Digital Equity – Episode 467 of the Commu...
Jul 20, 2021•33 min•Ep. 487
On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Matthew Rantanen, Director of Technology for the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association along with Maren Machles, ILSR Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer to talk about the first iteration of the Tribal Wireless Bootcamp, which took place from June 30 through July 4. The … Continue reading "Building Connections and Digital Sovereignty at the Tribal Wireless Bootcamp – Episode 466 of the Co...
Jul 13, 2021•44 min•Ep. 486
This week on the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell chats with Sean Gonsalves, ILSR’s Community Broadband Senior Reporter, Editor and Researcher to catch up on some of the most interesting broadband stories in recent weeks. The two begin by discussing a recent story by Jericho Casper, ILSR Researcher and Writer, reporting more than 20 communities in … Continue reading "Recent Developments in Vermont and New Hampshire and the Real Broadband Challenges in America – Episode 465 ...
Jun 29, 2021•30 min•Ep. 485
On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell talks with John Windhausen, Executive Director of the Schools, Health, Libraries and Broadband Coalition (SHLB) and Alicja Johnson, SHLB Communication Manager. The non-profit advocates for anchor institutions to be at the table when communities are considering building municipal fiber networks. This is because these institutions are … Continue reading "The Power of Anchor Institutions in Community Connectivity – Episod...
Jun 22, 2021•42 min•Ep. 484
This week on the podcast Christopher is joined by Douglas Adams, the CMO of Think Marketing, a firm which handles the marketing operations for the municipal network FairlawnGig in Ohio, Ernie Staten, Director of Public Service for the city of Fairlawn, and Angela Siefer, Executive Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. The topic of the day is … Continue reading "“Pushed Through in the Dark of Night:” Ohio Senate Aims to Ban Municipal Broadband – Episode 463 of the Community Broadba...
Jun 15, 2021•30 min•Ep. 483
Last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a historic, $7 billion plan to increase broadband access across the state. On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by Ernesto Falcon (Senior Legislative Counsel) and Hayley Tsukayama (Legislative Activist) from the Electronic Frontier Foundation to talk about how the funds will be … Continue reading "Historic Investment in California Broadband – Episode 462 of the Community Broadband Bits ...
Jun 01, 2021•28 min•Ep. 482
On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by broadband analyst and telehealth advocate, Craig Settles; Dianne Connery, Special Projects Librarian in Pottsboro, Texas; and Adam Echelman, Executive Director of Libraries Without Boarders, to talk about how libraries are the cornerstones of information access for communities across the country. Libraries have been connecting communities to … Continue reading "How Libraries Continue to Provide Resources i...
May 25, 2021•35 min•Ep. 481
On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher and ILSR senior reporter and editor, Sean Gonsalves chat with Nate Benson, a reporter with WGRZ in Buffalo, New York, about his approach to reporting on connectivity issues afflicting the Western part of the state. Benson explains the origins and results of his Fall 2019 investigation into monopoly … Continue reading "Reporting on Broadband Issues in New York – Episode 460 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this...
May 19, 2021•37 min•Ep. 480
On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher and ILSR senior reporter and editor, Sean Gonsalves chat with Nate Benson, a reporter with WGRZ in Buffalo, New York, about his approach to reporting on connectivity issues afflicting the Western part of the state. Benson explains the origins and results of his Fall 2019 investigation into monopoly … Continue reading "Reporting on Broadband Issues in New York – Episode 460 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this...
May 18, 2021•37 min•Ep. 479
A couple of months ago we wrote about the city of Tucson’s efforts to bridge the digital divide by building a wireless citywide network. On this episode of the podcast, Christopher talks with Collin Boyce, the city’s Chief Information Officer, to hear more about how the effort started, what they’ve learned along the way, and the impact … Continue reading "Building a Citizen-Centered, Smart City Public Network in Tucson – Episode 459 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast...
May 11, 2021•35 min•Ep. 478
For the twelfth episode of our bonus series, “Why NC Broadband Matters,” we’re joined by Doug Dawson (Owner and President of CCG Consulting), Catharine Rice (Project Director for the Coalition for Local Internet Choice) and Gene Scott (General Manager of the Outside Service Plant for the Greenlight Network) to talk about the wave of new federal dollars reaching … Continue reading "North Carolina Broadband and the Influx of Federal Dollars – Bonus Episode 13 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcas...
May 06, 2021•45 min•Ep. 477
On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher is joined by ILSR’s senior editor and reporter, Sean Gonsalves, Doug Seacat, Owner of Deeply Digital and Clearnetworx, and Casey Irving, Director of Business Development, about bringing world-class connectivity to households in and around the city of Ridgeway, Colorado. Around five years ago, Clearnetworx won a Colorado broadband fund grant … Continue reading "Lessons Learned in Local Broadband Grants, and the Value of Persever...
May 04, 2021•47 min•Ep. 476
This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by two representatives from Conway Corp, a municipal utility in Conway, Arkansas to hear about their commitment to providing high quality Internet access to residents over the last four decades. CEO Bret Carroll and Chief Technology Officer Jason Hansen dive into the rich history of Conway Corp, starting … Continue reading "How Broadband Became a Municipal Utility in Conway, Arkansas – Episode 457 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support ...
Apr 27, 2021•35 min•Ep. 475
This week on the podcast, we’re joined by two representatives from Minnesota based CTC, a firm that started as a telephone cooperative and has become one of the most aggressive fiber network builders in greater Minnesota. CTC partners with electric cooperatives and communities to undertake internet infrastructure projects around the state. CEO and General Manager, Kristi Westbrock, and Director of … Continue reading "Relationships Are Key: Partnering to Connect Minnesota – Episode 456 of the Com...
Apr 20, 2021•29 min•Ep. 474
In this episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Chambers, a partner at connects at Connexon. Connexon has helped rural electric cooperatives build fiber to the home networks since its founding five years ago. Christopher and Jonathan talk about ideas for how to improve structuring rural broadband subsidies in a way that takes advantage of fiber infrastructure’s long … Continue reading "Speed Vs. Longevity: Rethinking How We Fund Rural Broadband – Episode 455 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ ...
Apr 13, 2021•39 min•Ep. 473
One component of the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 was the Emergency Broadband Benefit, a $3.2 billion program designed to get families connected to available service that they otherwise might not be able to afford. The program provides a subsidy of up to $50/month (or $75 on tribal lands) for broadband service as well as up … Continue reading "Advantages and Potential Pitfalls of the Emergency Broadband Benefit – Episode 454 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ S...
Apr 06, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 472
This week on the podcast, Christopher talks with Belle Ryder, Orono, Maine Assistant Manager and President of the nonprofit OTO Fiber Corporation. The towns of Orono and nearby Old Town began their search for better broadband more than 10 years ago, and have overcome an array of challenges in bringing a pilot project to justify future-proof … Continue reading "Resiliency in a Decade-Long Fight to Get Better Broadband – Episode 453 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★...
Apr 01, 2021•47 min•Ep. 471
