In the first official episode of Unbuffered, Christopher Mitchell is joined by a powerhouse roundtable: Karl Bode, Gigi Sohn, Doug Dawson, and Sean Gonsalves. Together, they have a wide-ranging conversation on broadband policy, media consolidation, and the systems of power shaping both.

They unpack how decades of telecom mergers and inconsistent oversight from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have concentrated control over our media and reshaped how these issues are covered and understood. 

The group explores the erosion of local journalism, the growing influence of large corporations and billionaires, and how regulatory decisions continue to shape competition, affordability, and accountability.

The conversation also steps back to wrestle with a bigger question: is today’s Internet and technology ecosystem still serving the public good? From algorithm-driven media to infrastructure decisions that prioritize profit over people, the group reflects on how technology can both empower communities and reinforce existing inequities.

This show is 57 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 Riverside for the music. The song is Caveman and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

Welcome to Unbuffered, a new podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance that builds on the legacy of Community Broadband Bits and Connect This! while expanding the conversation around the Internet, technology, and power.

Hosted by Chris Mitchell, Unbuffered will continue to explore community broadband, digital equity, and local solutions, but with a broader lens on how technology shapes our lives, our communities, and our sense of agency. 

From local infrastructure to global platforms, the show asks a central question: who controls the systems we rely on every day, and how can communities take that power back?

Expect a mix of one-on-one interviews, roundtable discussions, and candid reflections on the policies, technologies, and ideas shaping our digital future. 

Same trusted conversations, new name, and a renewed focus on building an Internet that is open, accessible, and accountable to the people it serves.

This trailer is 3 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

Transcript below.

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

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

Thanks to Riverside for the music. The song is Caveman and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Shane Eleniak (Calix) to talk about:

• Comcast's new five-year price lock
• A CNET pricing study that looks at the rising cost of access that hasn't improved most household's reliability
• The milestones that Utah-based municipal network UTOPIA Fiber hit in 2024
• The future of Passive Optical Networks, and where we go after XGS PON

Join us live on April 18th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at [email protected] with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about major changes coming to the BEAD program and a grab-bag of other topics, including:

• Amazon drone delivery pauses in College Station, Texas
• A new report shows the Affordable Connectivity Program saved the federal government more than it cost
• The coming transformation of the BEAD program, and the likely minor and major changes to come: including removing the preference for fiber, eliminating planning requirements pertaining to climate change and service addenda like data caps, and much more.
• The announcement of Starlink Residential Lite
• Takeaways from the new OpenVault broadband usage report
• If some recent fiber provider news is revealing of the first provider closures

Join us live on March 7th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at [email protected] with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

In this first episode of the new year, Chris sits down with John Farrell, Co-Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Director of the Energy Democracy Initiative, to explore the intersections of telecommunications and energy policy.

They discuss the historical and ongoing impact of monopolies in these sectors, the challenges posed by regulatory frameworks, and how technological advancements like solar power and batteries are reshaping local power generation. Together, they unpack the parallels between broadband and electricity—touching on customer experiences, infrastructure investment, and the unintended consequences of scale.

This conversation dives deep into the incentives shaping utilities, the potential for community-driven solutions, and the urgency of adapting systems to modern challenges like climate change and peak demand. Tune in for a thought-provoking dialogue about breaking down barriers to innovation and building a more resilient, equitable future for energy and Internet access.

This show is 39 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

Transcript below.

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

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

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Matt Peterson (SFMIX). They talk about some of the sea changes we expect to see with the change in federal administrations with relation to BEAD before a long conversation with California-based IX builder Matt Peterson about whether we need more middle mile in this country and how we might best build it.

Join us live on November 8, at 2pm ET or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at [email protected] with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Join us Friday, December 1st at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and special guest Mike Dano (Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading) to tackle the future of LTE networks - how did we get here, and where are we going? They'll talk about what happened to the 5G hype train, rural mobile wireless, market dynamics, and more. Go back and watch The Only History of LTE You'll Ever Need to catch up on part one of the discussion.

First, the crew tackles the FCC's digital discrimination proceeding in the context of ILSR Researcher Emma Gautier's recent piece on the subject. Then, they pause for a brief moment on what looks like a new dark money, anti-municipal broadband campaign aimed at UTOPIA Fiber in Utah. Finally, Christopher, Kim, Doug, and Travis are joined by Mike Dano to jump into the main subject of today's show: where we're at now, and where we expect to go, with mobile wireless networks.

Email us at [email protected] with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Join us Wednesday, October 11th at 3pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), with special guest Matt Larsen (Vistabeam) to talk about innovation in fixed wireless deployments, and a grab bag of other topics.

Email us at [email protected] with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

This week on the podcast, ILSR Senior Reporter and Editor Sean Gonsalves joins the show for another installment of Crazy Talk. Today's topic is fiber, with the two breaking down a recent op-ed in The Hill by Technology Policy Institute President Scott Wallsten. Christopher and Sean inject a much-needed reality check, as well as some nuance, to Wallsten's performative anxiety that public broadband subsidies supporting fiber optic deployments will leave rural America behind.

They talk about the broken history of regulation and accountability that "technology neutral" arguments like Wallsten's harmfully perpetuates, when fixed wireless networks do make sense to support, and the often-underappreciated work being done by local governments across the country to maintain fiber infrastructure that they've been using to serve their communities well for decades.

This show is 35 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

Transcript below. 

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

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

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.