Samuel Morse, the Telegraph, and Government
Smithsonian magazine provides some background on Samuel Morse, inventor of Morse Code and credited with inventing the telegraph.
Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
News
Publicly Owned Network in Cortez Connects Business Corridor
We have been trying to keep close track of the recent group of communities building incremental, publicly owned, open access fiber networks -- which often starting with connections to businesses.
Salisbury's Fibrant Hits 1600 Subscribers
The muni FTTH network owned by the city of Salisbury, North Carolina, is finishing the calendar year with over 1600 subscribers. The network just began signing up customers 13 months ago.
Broadband Blindness Documentary
A new documentary from California explores the failure of the private sector and competition more generally to sufficiently invest in fast, affordable, and reliable access to the Internet. It comes in three parts and runs about 25 minutes in total.
History of Monticello and TDS: Be Wary of Incumbent Providers
I recently stumbled across some interesting pieces of information between Monticello and telephone-incumbent TDS when the Minnesota City decided to build a city-owned next-generation FTTH network after TDS refused to upgrade its services.
B4RN Expands Community Broadband in Rural England
One of our kindred spirits across the pond reached out to me after I wrote about Vermont's self-funded community network.
Design Principles from Virginia's nDanville Open Access Network
The nDanville network of rural southern Virginia has long been a favorite of ours (previous coverage is available here).
Vermont Network Takes Local Ownership to Next Level
Vermont's East Central Fiber-Optic Network (ECFiber) has finished its second round of financing.
Community Broadband Policy Fellowship - Young Elected Officials Network
The Young Elected Officials Network has announced a one year fellowship working on community broadband. Applications are due on January 4.
AT&T Abandons Wireless Consolidation Attempt
It is hard to avoid becoming cynical when watching the federal government interact with big corporations like AT&T. So when AT&T announced it would merge with T-Mobile, giving AT&T and Verizon a combined 3 out of 4 cellular subscribers, I thought two things:
1) What a terrible idea.
Comedian Louis CK Takes Internet Seriously
Louis CK, the comedian responsible for the FX show "Louie" and for making people laugh at his brutally candid assessment of how much his young daughter's opinion about anything matters, has bypassed the major studios, channels, and cable distribution systems to sell one of his concerts directly to his fans.
WindomNet Turns on Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services
Exciting times in rural southwest Minnesota, as Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services has turned on its first customer. SMBS is a broadband stimulus-enabled partnership with eight rural communities and WindomNet, the muni FTTH network in Windom.
The Rev. Andrew Schensted and his wife, Lisa, were the first to be connected.
Tullahoma Utilities Start Smart Meter Meetings
Tullahoma, home to the LightTUBe FTTH network of Tennessee, is starting to roll out smart meters for its electrical and water utilities (owned by the city). They have initiated a series of public meetings to discuss the AMI - Advanced Metering Infrastructure.
Stop the Real Government Takeover of the Internet
I've censored the following, in protest of a bill that gives any corporation and the US government the power to censor the internet--a bill that could pass THIS WEEK. To see the uncensored text, and to stop internet censorship, visit: http://americancensorship.org/posts/15925/uncensor
Johnson City Seeks Partner to Offer Broadband Services
One month after the Johnson City Power Board (Tennessee) approved a fiber-optic network, they have issued a request for qualifications to identify potential partners that would provide broadband servic
The Internet is More Important than Broadband
I encourage readers to visit Doc Searls post "Broadband vs. Internet" for a discussion about things that matter regarding the future of Internet access for most Americans.
The Internet is no more capable than the infrastructures that carry it. Here in the U.S.
Community Broadband Fills Needed Gap in Wisconsin
Another video from the University of Wisconsin Extension Service's broadband stimulus project, Building Community Capacity through Broadband, which we have been covering here.
Personal Telco Project Video in Portland
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet some of the folks from the Personal Telco Project in Portland, Oregon. They have been around for a long time and do excellent work.
The Real Government Takeover of the Internet
If you aren't familiar with SOPA - the "Stop Online Piracy Act" or its companion in the Senate (called PIPA or Protect IP), you should be. This is legislation that would allow the US government to require Internet Service Providers block web sites without due process.
Susan Crawford Identifies Problems/Solutions with Broadband in America
Susan Crawford published an excellent essay in the New York Times presenting her Looming Broadband Monopoly argument as a discussion of the coming digital divide between those with access to next-generation networks and those without.
These numbers are likely