In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris is joined by Sean Gonsalves and Sascha Meinrath (X-Lab and Penn State University) for a wide-ranging conversation on broadband data, satellite security, and the creeping influence of AI on everyday life.

Together, they start with Vermont’s new VT Speed Check, a partnership with Ookla that asks residents to test early and often as fiber reaches more of the state. Sascha praises the effort but makes the case for open data and open methodologies over proprietary platforms, whose licensing terms can bar researchers from asking hard questions about individual ISPs. 

The group also takes on the federal government’s failure to collect pricing data, the more than $500 million spent on broadband mapping, and an FCC challenge process that lets inaccurate provider claims stand. Chris then argues that today’s higher interest rates are normal rather than extreme, and the panel weighs what that means for municipal fiber and the costs of not building.

Moving to satellite, they discuss reports that Starlink service was cut off for Ukrainian drones and the troubling question of whether one person can degrade military communications. They also cover research linking an ad-tech firm to spyware affecting Starlink devices worldwide, and how big tech scales by eliminating customer service.

Concluding with a What the Tech!? segment, Sean explains “baby schema,” the psychology behind the adorable mascots AI companies use to win trust for agents that need access to your email, calendar, and contacts. 

Sascha describes how mainstream AI tools increasingly restrict access to legal information, why some open-weight models are less restrictive, and how AI customer service has become a war of attrition against users.

This show is 56 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Whitedrift for the song Operator, licensed Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris is joined by Samantha Schartman, Director of Philanthropic Programs at Connect Humanity, to discuss the Alt Funding Field Guide: Building Sustainable Funding for Digital Adoption. 

The guide is a new resource that maps how digital skills and connectivity programs create value across six sectors: education, healthcare, telecom, workforce development, housing, and local government.

Samantha shares the personal history behind the guide. She helped lead the BTOP-funded Connect Your Community program, which trained 33,000 first-time computer users across five states, only to see its staff laid off when federal funding ended. 

She describes watching the field rebuild during the pandemic with ARPA and Capital Projects Fund dollars, then shrink again after the Digital Equity Act was canceled. That experience led her to form the Alt Funding Working Group, which has grown from six people to more than 150 leaders nationwide.

Together, they dig into the core idea of co-investment. Rather than relying on the next grant, programs can show local stakeholders the value they receive and ask them to invest in proportion to it. 

That could be a hospital system cutting emergency costs, an ISP gaining subscribers, or a housing provider seeing more regular rent payments. Samantha explains why this requires programs to move from testimonials to measurable outcomes, and to redesign their work around community goals.

Concluding with a case for government efficiency, Samantha shares findings from her Connecting Cuyahoga report. It found that serving social service clients offline costs roughly four times as much as serving them online, meaning digital inclusion programs can pay for themselves. 

Chris and Samantha also take aim at wasteful policies, like Medicaid-funded tablets locked to a single use, and preview future episodes that will dive deeper into each sector.

For more information about Connect Humanity's Alt Funding Field Guide, click here!

This show is 48 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Whitedrift for the song Operator, licensed Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris is joined by Chao Jun Liu (Electronic Frontier Foundation) to discuss Condition 50. NTIA added this term to the BEAD program last November. 

It would bar states that accept BEAD funds from enforcing laws that regulate the rates, terms, or conditions of broadband service, including net neutrality, open access, and affordability rules.

Together, they break down what California stands to lose. That includes its landmark 2018 net neutrality law and the $20 low-income plans required as conditions of the Charter-Cox and Verizon-Frontier mergers. 

Chao explains net neutrality’s core protections against blocking, throttling, zero rating, and paid prioritization. She also recounts how Verizon throttled firefighters during a record wildfire in 2018, which helped push California’s law over the finish line.

Moving to the stakes, they weigh roughly $1.4 billion in BEAD deployment funds against a Public Knowledge estimate that Condition 50 could cost California $5 to $16 billion in existing broadband benefits. 

They also cover New York’s decision to sign the agreement despite its Affordable Broadband Act, and how NTIA’s exemption from the Administrative Procedure Act let it add the condition without public comment.

Concluding with the decision facing Governor Newsom ahead of the November 1 deadline, they explore the legal and strategic calculus for a state that has already filed 100 lawsuits against the administration. They also discuss what the outcome could mean for Internet users well beyond California.

This show is 42 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes (formerly Community Broadband Bits) or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Whitedrift for the song Operator, licensed Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris is joined by Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting), Doug Adams (Broadband.io), and Jade Piros de Carvalho (IdeaTek) for a candid, wide-ranging discussion on why new Internet Service Providers stumble and the administrative realities bearing down on state broadband offices.

Together, they break down the common operational traps that derail network builds—from easily overlooked execution details like pouring concrete pads for field huts, to vendor bottlenecks with OSS/BSS software, poor contractor restoration that angers local communities, and the pitfalls of passive marketing. 

Moving behind the scenes of federal policy, the panel tackles the mounting compliance fatigue surrounding the BEAD program, examining high staff turnover in state offices, environmental review delays, pole attachment friction with co-ops, and shifting NTIA timelines.

Concluding with a look at the future of digital infrastructure, the group explores what happens when federal funding programs hit administrative walls and how local, state, and community-driven efforts can maintain momentum to get unserved communities connected.

This show is 52 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes (formerly Community Broadband Bits) or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Whitedrift for the song Operator, licensed Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris and Sean break down the flawed realities behind national broadband data and policy. They dive into the Federal Communications Commission’s latest 706 report, calling out its questionable citations and reliance on unchecked ISP claims. 

The conversation moves to the BEAD program, exploring why one-third of rural electric co-ops are pulling out of fiber awards, and examines new research from Ohio revealing how tree canopy issues and tall tower costs challenge Starlink’s promises.

Later in the show, Chris and Sean highlight a municipal fiber effort moving forward in Southwick, Massachusetts, discuss what a massive airport ground stop says about the fragility of fiber infrastructure, and tackle the risks of introducing AI into air traffic control in the What the Tech!? segment. 

Finally, they wrap up with a look at a Government Accountability Office report detailing the missteps and misleading figures surrounding DOGE.

This show is 42 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes (formerly Community Broadband Bits) or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Whitedrift for the song Operator, licensed Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).

In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris is joined again by Doug Dawson of CCG Consulting for a wide-ranging conversation about fixed wireless access performance, federal broadband definitions, the BEAD program's true-up process, and the potential impact of artificial intelligence on network infrastructure.

Chris and Doug begin by diving into a recent Ookla report on Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. They break down how FWA operates on de-prioritized cellular capacity, why seasonal foliage can slow down speeds, and how the limitations of upload performance highlight the stark difference between cellular home broadband and wireline fiber connections.

From there, the conversation turns to federal policy and mapping challenges. Chris and Doug critique potential shifts at the FCC regarding broadband speed definitions and discuss a GAO report highlighting the hurdles local governments and Tribal nations faced during the bulk broadband collection challenge process. They also examine the NTIA’s plan for truing up unserved locations under the BEAD program, as well as the final funding distributions across fiber, Low Earth Orbit satellites, and fixed wireless networks.

Finally, Chris and Doug tackle the popular debate around AI and network congestion. They unpack why data center traffic differs from residential internet usage, address the security and infrastructural risks of rapid AI development, and discuss the long-term economic viability of major AI models.

Throughout the episode, Chris and Doug connect these technical and policy developments to broader questions about network reliability, federal oversight, market competition, and who will ultimately build and control the future of telecommunications.

This show is 46 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes (formerly Community Broadband Bits) or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Whitedrift for the song Operator, licensed Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).