Community Broadband Media Roundup - May 6
Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
News
Express Your Support for Community Networks With This Constituent Letter
If you believe that publicly owned Internet networks are one of the tools that can help in efforts to expand fast, affordable, reliable connectivity to people in your state, and you want to share your thoughts with elected officials, use this language to get started.
Bipartisan Bills Introduced to Correct Tax Law Hindering Rural Co-op Broadband
Last November, we reported on a change to the tax code that is deterring rural telephone and electric cooperatives from leveraging government funding to expand broadband access.
Report: San Francisco's Public Housing Low-Cost Gig and How They Did It With Monkeybrains
Local communities continue to search for ways to tackle the digital divide, and in San Francisco, the city is making strides by working with a local Internet access company. The City by the Bay and ISP Monkeybrains have adopted a new model to bring high-quality connectivity to residents in public housing. Monkeybrains and San Francisco has found a way to bring the same gigabit Internet access to low-income households at an affordable rate. Read our new report, A Public Housing Digital Inclusion Blueprint: Monkeybrains and San Francisco Deliver a Sustainable Gig, to learn how the partners found a way to shrink the digital divide in public housing facilities.
Next Century Cities Looking for New Leader
We recently shared the news that dynamo Deb Socia was leaving her post as Executive Director of Next Century Cities (NCC) to pursue a new position as CEO and President of the Enterprise Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
City Leaders in Bozeman, Montana, Declare Broadband Essential Infrastructure
In mid-April, city leaders in Bozeman, Montana, passed Resolution No. 5031 to officially declare broadband essential infrastructure for the city.
South Hadley FTTH Deployment Progressing in Massachusetts
By this July, the South Hadley Electric Light Department (SHELD) expects to begin serving the the first subscribers to Fibersonic, the town’s municipal Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network.
Georgia Telephone and Electric Cooperatives Partner for Better Business Connectivity
Last August, Pineland Telephone and Jefferson Energy Cooperatives in Georgia began developing a project together to bring fiber connectivity to businesses in the small towns of Louisville (pop. 2,200) and Wrens (pop. 2,000).
Deb Socia to Lead Enterprise Center in Chattanooga
It was only a year ago that Next Century Cities Executive Director Deb Socia received the Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion Award. Since then, Deb has continued to raise the bar for nonprofit leaders. She has brought people together, advocated for smart policies, and developed resources to help local communities improve connectivity and shrink the digital divide. Now, Deb has decided it’s time to share her high-energy magic in Tennessee. Deb recently announced that she has accepted a position as CEO of the Enterprise Center in Chattanooga.
California General Assembly Committee Considers Pro-Monopoly Bill April 24th
In recent years, an increasing number of local communities have started looking into the possibilities of developing broadband infrastructure. One of the reasons they often cite for their investigations is the desire to increase competition for broadband services.
Community Broadband Media Roundup - April 22
Arkansas
Why did Arkansas change its mind on municipal broadband? by Nick Keppler, CityLab
Northern California City Gets Closer to Downtown Fiber Pilot
Earlier this month, Redding City Council decided to take the next step toward building a fiber network in a portion of the Northern California city’s downtown.
Great Lakes Energy Planning FTTH Expansion in Rural Michigan
Great Lakes Energy (GLE) is considering expanding their Truestream fiber Internet access and voice service to more rural areas in the northwestern region of Michigan’s lower peninsula.
Columbus, Mississippi, Network Quashed Courtesy of Big Cable and Telecom Lobby
Local communities in the state of Mississippi have the legal authority to develop publicly owned Internet networks and offer broadband, or any other utility, to the general public. When it comes to bonding in order to financing deployment for broadband infrastructure, however, the law isn’t as cut and dry. In order to stay on the right side of the law, the community of Columbus, Mississippi, decided to obtain permission from the state legislature to issue bonds for a $2.75 million expansion of their existing fiber optic network. Things didn’t work out as well as they had hoped, thanks to powerful lobbying influence in Jackson.
Wilson's Greenlight Community Broadband Now Serves 10,000 Subscribers
It’s been a little over ten years since Wilson, North Carolina, began offering Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) service to residents and businesses. After a decade of Internet access, video, and voice services, the Greenlight Community Broadband network recently celebrated adding the 10,000th subscriber.
Community Broadband Media Roundup - April 15
California
Manhattan Beach takes first step towards installing city-wide fiber optic Internet by Kirsten Farmer, The Beach Reporter
Michigan
Broadcast TV Dispute Hinders Co-op Fiber Project in East Tennessee
Plans for Holston Electric Cooperative to offer television service as part of its Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network deployment are on pause following allegations from the east Tennessee co-op that broadcasting company Nexstar Media Group refused to engage in “good faith” negotiations over retransmission consent agreements.
Culver City, California, Seeking Network Operator; Proposals Due June 27th
Last July, Culver City finished deploying their fiber optic backbone which they began developing in 2016.
Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Strives to Become Next Gig City with Fiber Upgrade
In Hopkinsville, Kentucky, “the idea that [Internet] connectivity is a luxury” will soon be a relic of the past.