News

Longmont's Saga - The Failure of Referendum

on Nov 16, 2009

As we have noted previously, Longmont, Colorado, has seen a number of private companies attempt to offer Wi-Fi broadband and then go out of business.

Illinois Governor Recommends Publicly Owned Fiber Network for Broadband Stimulus

Christopher Mitchell

on Nov 13, 2009

Highland, a city in Illinois, has been recommended by the governor to receive a grant from the broadband stimulus program. Highland plans to build a full fiber-to-the-home network after first connecting the schools and public buildings (a phased approach that has worked well elsewhere).

The Commons

Christopher Mitchell

on Nov 12, 2009

Elinor Ostrom's Nobel Prize Award was a significant victory for those of us who have recognized not only a difference between the public good and private good, but really for those of us who have recognized the great variety of approaches on how to promote the public good. First, the background - Elinor Ostrom has won a Nobel

Ultra High Speed Task Force Report Released

Christopher Mitchell

on Nov 6, 2009

Minnesota's Ultra High Speed Broadband Task Force (created by the legislature last year and largely appointed by the Governor) is releasing its report today (the report will soon be available here).

Results of Tuesday's Elections

Christopher Mitchell

on Nov 5, 2009

A few local elections on Tuesday had questions relating to publicly owned broadband networks. In Seattle, candidate McGinn strongly supported a publicly owned fiber optic network for the city and he may yet get his way as the race is a dead heat and ballots are still being counted.

FCC Needs Your Comments on Local Government and Broadband

Christopher Mitchell

on Nov 4, 2009

The FCC is asking for comments on the contribution of federal, state, tribal, and local government to broadband [pdf].

Missouri's Consultant, Competition Spurs Investment, and Maine's Middle Mile

Christopher Mitchell

on Nov 3, 2009

A columnist explains why Missouri hired broadband network consultant Jim Baller to aid in expanding broadband across the state.

Tacoma Raises Prices for Cable Subscribers

Christopher Mitchell

on Nov 2, 2009

Tacoma's Click! network, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, has announced a coming price hike to cover increased costs for carrying channels. Tacoma's Click!

Community Fiber Networks, Symmetry, and the Flu

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 30, 2009

Many publicly owned community fiber networks offer symmetrical connections - allowing subscribers to both upload and download content at the same speeds. This approach treats the subscriber as both a producer and consumer of content (one of the reasons I generally avoid calling a subscriber a "customer" or "user").

TDS Ups Ante in Monticello with Predatory Pricing

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 29, 2009

Monticello Minnesota, the small community located 40 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, recently returned to the news when its telephone incumbent, TDS, began offering a fast 50/20 Mbps residential broadband connection for $50/month.

Longmont, Colorado, Considers Broadband Options

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 28, 2009

As I noted previously, a community in Colorado - Longmont - will soon vote on whether the local government should be allowed to sell retail Internet services.

Maine Needs Publicly Owned Broadband

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 27, 2009

My colleague in Portland, Maine, and I wrote this commentary for Maine's Portland Press Herald. Last January, as the economy spiraled downward, Time Warner did what no other company could have gotten away with under the circumstances: It imposed a price increase of as much as 5.5 percent on its Maine customers.

Video on Australia's Proposed National Broadband Network

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 26, 2009

Alcatel-Lucent has created a terrific video (I saw it at Fiberevolution.com) for Australia regarding their proposed National Broadband Network. Australia is the latest of many countries poised to surpass the U.S.

CNET's Real Deal Video - On Broadband Networks

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 23, 2009

Wherein I answer some questions to clear up common misconceptions about the broadband and cable networks upon which we depend...

Lafayette and Incumbent Responses to New Networks

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 22, 2009

For another real-world example of how companies respond to public entry into the telecom market (as opposed to theoretical arguments about crowding out investment), let's look back down to Lafayette and how cable incumbent Cox responded:

“Cox froze the cable rates in Lafayette, and they didn’

The Real Deal on CNET

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 20, 2009

On Thursday, Oct 22, at 1:00 PM PDT (which is 4:00 PM EDT and, most importantly, 3:00 CDT), I will be a guest on CNET's The Real Deal - a live show that takes questions from listeners and viewers.

Checking in on Seattle

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 19, 2009

We occasionally look in on Seattle's broadband discussions because they are the largest city in the U.S. in which there is something approaching a serious discussion about a publicly owned community fiber network.

Network Neutrality and Public Goods

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 16, 2009

Following up on my recent piece about Comcast and the public interest, I wanted to note some good arguments for network neutrality.

Publicly owned Wi-Fi in Oklahoma City Saves Millions

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 15, 2009

Last year, Oklahoma City launched the world's largest muni Wi-Fi mesh network (not residential use, just public safety and other muni uses).

Comcast, Caps, and the Public Interest

Christopher Mitchell

on Oct 14, 2009

While I try to keep postings on this site to the subject of publicly owned networks, I think it important to discuss the ways in which some major carriers routinely flout the public interest.