News

UTOPIA Pursues Additional Funding

on May 13, 2010

UTOPIA, the open access FTTH network in several cities of Utah, has been seeking some $20 million to continue adding new subscribers to the network. The cities involved seem to be on board, committing to the funding following recent successes.

Fiber Down Under: Australia Plans Publicly Owned Open Access Network

Christopher Mitchell

on May 12, 2010

Australia is planning to build a nationwide open access network that will be owned by the public. Ars Technica recently covered their progress - Australia has released a consultant report on the proposed network.

North Carolina Video of Committee Hearing to Preempt Communities

Christopher Mitchell

on May 11, 2010

"My issue is that cities should not be competing with private enterprise." - Senator Hoyle of North Carolina Given this Senator's opposition to the public sector competing with the private sector, I assume he is fighting just as hard to shut down the libraries (or have Borders and Barnes and Noble neglected to donate enough to his candidacy?), as well as the schools (there are pr

OneCommunity: A Bit of Background

Christopher Mitchell

on May 11, 2010

KMOX, a station from St. Louis, recently asked what Ohio's OneCommunity did correctly in building a regional broadband network. The article is interesting for some background on OneCommunity, but the discussion of what St.

Highland, Illinois, Begins Building Fiber Network

Christopher Mitchell

on May 10, 2010

Back in early March, Highland Illinois, broke ground on its publicly owned FTTH network project. Plans call for connecting some businesses by the end of this year and connecting everyone by the end of 2011. KMOV in St.

Lafayette and a Level Playing Field

Christopher Mitchell

on May 10, 2010

This is a great inside look at how one community built a globally competitive broadband network (probably the best citywide network in the US) and the barriers they faced from incumbent providers Cox and BellSouth. Terry Huval, the Director of Lafayette Utilities System in Louisiana, spoke to the U.S.

Connected Nation and Lies About DSL Speeds

Christopher Mitchell

on May 9, 2010

On Wednesday, I testified at an informational hearing before the House Telecom Subcommittee of the Minnesota Legislature. Connected Nation was giving an update on their contract to map broadband availability in Minnesota and I wanted to record some dissent regarding their claims and the usefulness of maps in general. For those who have not used the Connected Nation tool, it is horrible.

Time Warner Reverses Direction in NC, Fights Competition with New Strategy

Christopher Mitchell

on May 7, 2010

Time Warner, AT&T, and other incumbents have radically changed their strategy to prevent broadband competition in North Carolina via new restrictions that are being debated in the Legislature currently. This switch in strategy offers more proof that they stand on no principle aside from protecting their monopoly. The famous HB 1252 in North Carolina is back... but different.

Lafayette: 100Mbps and Now What?

Christopher Mitchell

on May 5, 2010

One of the focuses of the recent FiberFete conference is what do communities do once they have built a next-generation network. Lafayette had lots of ideas. Let's start with counting new jobs.

Changing the Rules: Beware Free Money

Christopher Mitchell

on May 3, 2010

One of the dangers of federal programs like the broadband stimulus programs BTOP and BIP is that the feds make the rules...

Lessig Presentation on America's Broadband Policy

Christopher Mitchell

on May 1, 2010

Paul Venezia is one of the few who noted a recent Lessig presentation that discusses broadband policy. Larry Lessig's presentation offers an excellent short history of broadband and telecom history - from the beginning of AT&T to the National Broadband Plan.

Tonka Connect

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 30, 2010

Lake Minnetonka Communication Commission -- a group representing a number of suburban communities located west of Minneapolis -- is seeking to build a community-owned FTTH network.

Rules Matter - Network Neutrality and Transparency

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 29, 2010

I was briefly checking out the Open Internet Workshop when I got into a short tweet-argument with someone I did not know. Bear with me as I recount the discussion then explain why I think it worth delving into for a post.

FCC Commissioner Tells NC Audience, States Should Not Preempt Community Broadband

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 28, 2010

Thanks to Catharine Rice, who tipped me off to FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn's presentation at the SEATOA Conference yesterday. SEATOA is a regional group of states from the southeast of the US that are part of NATOA.

Gentlemen, Please - Dealing with a Divided Market

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 27, 2010

Susan Crawford recently posted "The Gentlemen's Agreement," noting that major cable companies have divided the national market and tend not to compete with each other (they actually help each other in some circumstances). Though bad for

Update on Salisbury Fiber Network

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 26, 2010

After focusing on the North Carolina battle at the Legislature (regarding whether cities should be allowed to choose to build their own broadband networks or if they should solely have to beg the private sector for investment), I wanted to check in on Salisbury, which is building a FTTH network. Salisbu

Time Warner Pushes Moratorium in North Carolina

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 25, 2010

Time Warner continues to fight for monopoly protections in North Carolina with legislation to hamstring municipalities, preventing them from building the essential broadband infrastructure they need.

Cable Cos, Wi-Fi, and Limiting Competition

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 23, 2010

David Pogue, a NY Times Tech columnist, recently wrote about a partnership between cable companies to share Wi-Fi access points:

I, a Cablevision customer, can now use all of Time Warner’s and Comcast’s hot spots in these three states.

FiberFête

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 21, 2010

FiberFête, a conference in Lafayette celebrating "our connected future," continues today.

North Carolina Considers Pro-Monopoly, Anti-Competition Broadband Bill

Christopher Mitchell

on Apr 16, 2010

Stop the Cap! sounded the alarm that North Carolina is once again considering a bill to prevent competition by effectively banning communities from building their own networks.