This is the transcript for episode 294 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Robert Bridgham shares lessons learned from the Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority. Listen to this episode here.

Robert Bridgham: You know there's a lot of things on the Eastern Shore that are very relaxed and that's one of the beautiful things about being here is being able to come here and just enjoy what it is. But we try to make sure that we make everything a priority so people understand that they're important to us.

Lisa Gonzalez: The Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority is connecting premises in Virginia. One section at a time. They began around 2008 with funding help from NASA. When the government facility on Virginia's Wallops Island needed better connectivity through fiber. Since then the Authority has started taking advantage of the infrastructure to connect the local smaller communities with an open access Fiber-to-the-Home network. In this interview Christopher talks with Robert Bridgham from the Authority who describes the community and the Authority's efforts in their ongoing projects. The publicly owned infrastructure creates the opportunities for more competition, a range of services, and improved local connectivity. Now here's Christopher with Robert Bridgham from the Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Today I'm speaking with Robert Bridgham, the executive director of Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority. Welcome to the show, Robert.

Robert Bridgham: Thank you very much.

Christopher Mitchell: So let me just dive in with a quick question and what's the Eastern Shore? I mean I actually visited as a child I have very fond memories but aside from a lot of sand I don't recall a whole lot.

This is the transcript for episode 293 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Katie Cristol and Jack Belcher join the show from Arlington, Virginia, to explain the community's approach to bridging the digital divide. Listen to this episode here.

Katie Cristol: It just starts with the idea that everyone regardless of whether your work is in technology, paving, or public schools is committed to the notion of helping lift up our neighbors with the assets that they need.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 293 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. It was 2014 when we last spoke with Arlington, Virginia's Jack Belcher about the community's fiber optic network. This week he's back and he's joined by Katie Cristol, County Board Chair. The network has been up and running for several years now providing better connectivity for government facilities and community anchor institutions leasing out dark fiber. And now they've developed a new program to help shrink the digital divide. In this interview Jack and Katie give us details about the Arlington Digital inclusion Initiative including why where and how local government departments are working together. Jack also fills us in on what's next for Connect Arlington and share some lessons learned. Now here's Jack Belcher and Katie Cristol from Arlington Virginia.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis. And I'm speaking with Katie Cristol, the Chair of the Arlington County Board in Virginia. Welcome to the show. Thanks so much for having me. And we also have repeat guest Jack Belcher, Arlington County Chief Information Officer. Welcome back, Jack.

Jack Belcher: Thank you for inviting us.

This is the transcript for episode 292 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Ernie Staten of FairlawnGig in Fairlawn, Ohio, joins the show to discuss what the city's learned from running its own municipal fiber network. Listen to this episode here.

Ernie Staten: We've heard from many of these younger families coming into our town, saying this is the reason why we're moving here is FairLawnGig.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 292 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. When we last checked in with Ernie Staten from Fairlawn, Ohio, it was May 2016 and the community near Akron was getting started in building out their fiber optic network. The town has been deploying networks since then and is offering services to both businesses and residents. In this interview you'll hear Christopher and Ernie talk about Fairlawn's approach and how they're driven to provide the best infrastructure for the community. You'll also hear how the network has been received so far and the many ways it's paying off. Ernie shares some of the challenges they've encountered and how they've used outreach to overcome them. Now, here's Christopher with Ernie Staten from Fairlawn, Ohio.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell up in Minneapolis, the Bold North, Institute for Local Self-Reliance office where we just hosted the Super Bowl and we had a crazy new slogan as a part of that, but today I'm torquing about Fairlawn, Ohio, with Ernie Staten the deputy director of public service in Fairlawn. Welcome back to the show, Ernie.

Ernie Staten: Thanks for having me, Chris.

Christopher Mitchell: Ernie, you are one of the more interesting projects I think that we've talked with in the past because you have built a citywide municipal fiber network without the electric utility. How have things been going for you?

This is the transcript for episode 291 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Will Aycock joins the show to discuss the Pay-As-You-Go program in Wilson, North Carolina. Listen to this episode here.

Will Aycock: So it's a Pay-As-You-Go way to consume broadband, making it more like putting gas in the gas tank so if I need one days worth of broadband I can pay to keep that service active. Other times we can just let the account draw down.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 291 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. For about 10 years. The community of Wilson, North Carolina, has been served by its own publicly-owned fiber optic network Greenlight Community Broadband has brought fast, affordable, reliable connectivity to residents and businesses throughout the community of approximately 49,000 people. Along the way, the utility's attracted employers, kept local dollars in the community, and instilled a sense of pride of ownership. Now Greenlight is experimenting with ways to connect residents who might have difficulties connecting to traditional carriers due to credit or income limitations. In this episode, Christopher talks with Will Aycock from Greenlight about their inventive program to get more people online. In the interview, you'll hear Christopher mention the nearby community of Pinetops, where Wilson extended Greenlight service in 2016. After a court decision that reversed an FCC order and a state law that carved out a shaky exception for Pinetops. The tiny community is on the verge of losing Greenlight service. There's a lot of history there and we discuss the situation in episode 226 of the podcast back in November 2016. You can learn more about Wilson, Greenlight, and Pinetops at MuniNetworks.org. Now let's get on with the interview. Here's Christopher with Will Aycock from Wilson, North Carolina.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis where it's probably a lot colder than North Carolina where my guest Will Aycock is the general manager of Greenlight Community Broadband. Welcome back to the show, Will.

This is the transcript for episode 290 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Bill Callahan and Angela Siefer join the show to discuss the report on redlining and digital inclusion in Cleveland. Listen to this episode here.

Bill Callahan: Little parts of the city were they deployed it they were parts of the county including most of the suburbs where they deployed it. And there were parts of the city notably those which are a lower income where they simply didn't.

Lisa Gonzalez: You are listening to episode 290 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. In March 2017 the National Digital Inclusion alliance and connect community released a report that analyzed connectivity and digital inclusion in Cleveland Ohio. The report titled AT&T digital redlining described how the company had failed to invest in specific areas of the city with some of the highest concentrations of low income households. In this interview Christopher talks with Angela Siefer from the National Digital Inclusion alliance and Bill Callahan from connect your community. Angela and Bill explain how they came to take on the Cleveland project what they've learned about digital redlining and describe what it is. And they also share some ideas to eliminate it. Angela and Bill also give us an update on what is happening in Cleveland since they released the report. Now here's Christopher with Angela Siefer and Bill Callahan.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell up in the frozen tundra of Minneapolis where I a lonely Eagles fan waits to see what happens this weekend though as you're listening to you will already know what happened to the Eagles and the Vikings game although we are all united in opposing the Patriots coming out of my shell this year and I'm going to be very honest about this. But to get back on track I'm with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and today we're going to talk about digital redlining. We're welcoming back to our show a fan favorite Angela Siefer the executive director for the National Digital Inclusion alliance. Welcome back. Thanks

Angela Siefer: Chris. I'm excited to be here.

This is the transcript for episode 289 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. David Talbot from the Berkman Klein Center joins the show to discuss a report on consumer prices and municipal networks. Listen to this episode here.

David Talbot: Our findings are quite narrow and they are very limited and we would like to see that much more of this kind of work can be done and to do that you'd need the data to be made available.

Lisa Gonzalez: You're listening to episode 289 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. When it comes to Internet access rates most of us wish we could pay less and get more. A recent report from the Berkman Klein Center analyzes data from locations where municipal networks and networks in the private sector advertise services in the same areas. The report finds that in most instances a municipal network option provides annual savings to subscribers at an entry level tier. In this interview Christopher talks with one of the authors of the report David Talbot. David explains the methodology he and his coauthors used in building their database developing comparisons and how they came to their conclusions. Due to some of the marketing tools that private providers use to attract new subscribers the task was more complicated than it sounds. You can download a copy of the report at cyber.Harvard.edu and you can also access our story about their report on MuniNetworks.org where we provide a direct link. The report is titled "Community-Owned Fiber Networks: Value Leaders in America." Now here's Christopher with David Talbot from the Berkman Klein Center.

Chris Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell having some fun up here in Minneapolis with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance talking again to David Talbot a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Welcome back to the show, David.

David Talbot: Hi Chris, how are you?

This is the transcript for episode 287 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Christopher Mitchell investigates the state of telecom in Appalachian Ohio and discusses the Mobile Only challenge. Listen to this episode here.

Lilah Gagne: On a good day, I will get one bar of LTE, if I put my phone in the window for about five minutes, and that's just to get a webpage to load.

This is the transcript for episode 288 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Robin Anderson of National Information Solutions Cooperative describes how telephone cooperatives brought high-speed Internet service to much of North Dakota. Listen to this episode here.

Robin Anderson: We have 18 smaller independent telcos in North Dakota 15 of those are cooperatives.

Lisa Gonzalez: You're listening to episode 288 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez unless you've been to rural North Dakota. You probably imagine white sleeping planes dotted here and there with a herd of cattle or oil rigs. What most people don't realize is that rural North Dakota has some of the most extensive fiber optic networks in the country. Rural cooperatives An independent telecommunications companies have quietly been investing in North Dakota regional networks for years. In this interview Christopher talks with Robin Anderson from National Information Solutions co-operative. One of the many that helped establish the state's incredible connectivity. Robin and Chris discuss how the rural areas of North Dakota came to have some of the best internet access in the country. The people behind the deployments and what the experience is like for a smaller independent provider who sees the wisdom of rural investment. Now here's Christopher with Robin Anderson.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis and I'm speaking with Robin Anderson, sales manager for National Information Solutions Cooperative in North Dakota. Welcome to the show.

Robin Anderson: Thanks Chris.

Christopher Mitchell: So let me just ask you briefly tell us what the National Information Solutions co-operative is before we get into how North Dakota has better internet access than the whole rest of the country.

This is the transcript for episode 286 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. The staff of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative sit down to discuss the good and the bad of 2017 and what they expect down the road in 2018. Listen to this episode here.

Lisa Gonzalez: Hey everybody. Welcome to Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is episode 286.

Christopher Mitchell: Also, known as, it's been five and a half, or six and a half years, or something. Can you believe we're still around?

Lisa Gonzalez: Today, we're going to do our annual prediction show, and we're going to be talking about what we predicted last year for this year, and then we're going to also create some predictions for 2018. I think we should start with the elephant in the room, that is network neutrality. Somebody make an elephant noise. Awesome, Nick. By the way, we have Nick, here, along with Hannah.

Nick Stumo-Langer: I just came from DC to do that, I'm actually not going to talk on this podcast anymore.

Hannah Trostle: Hello, everyone.

Lisa Gonzalez: Okay. The first thing we need to do is we need to start with a quote, and this is the quote we're starting with, "No good will come out of the FCC," any guesses, anybody? Any guesses?

Nick Stumo-Langer: Aristotle.

Lisa Gonzalez: Chris?

Christopher Mitchell: I think I should go by fearless leader, now.

Lisa Gonzalez: That's right, fearless leader. You're the one who said it when we were talking about [the] FCC, and yes, that ended up happening. Let's talk a little bit about network neutrality. We didn't really make a specific prediction last year, whether or not it would be revoked.

Christopher Mitchell: My prediction would have been, it would not have been, because I thought it would take longer, I literally didn't think that they would do it so quickly, but when you just say, "Hey, who cares about the public process, you can do things really quickly."

This is the transcript for episode 285 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Christopher Mitchell sits down with David Young of Lincoln, Nebraska, again to discuss 5G and competition. Listen to this episode here.

David Young: It's definitely a passion for Lincoln. Oftentimes you hear stories about how government restricts investment our government hampers investment the Lincoln broadband model was specifically designed to encourage investment. You

Lisa Gonzalez: You are listening to episode 285 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. We always like reporting on Lincoln, Nebraska. The community of about 280000 people in the eastern side of the state started with a plan to install conduit to attract private providers. Over the past few years their investment has attracted an ISP interested in providing fiber to the premise began a small cell project for better local mobile service and increased competition. Nebraska is one of around 20 states with laws that usurp local telecommunications authority. Lincoln found a way to make local lemonade out of state lemons. When Christopher attended the broadband community's economic development conference in Atlanta in November he had the opportunity to talk with David Young. David has been on the show before and took some time to share an update on what's been going on with Lincoln. And there is a lot. Now here's Christopher with David Young from Lincoln, Nebraska.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcasts coming to you live from a hotel room overlooking the Atlanta runway's which you may hear from time to time. This is Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Once again with David Young the fiber infrastructure and right of way manager from Lincoln Nebraska. Welcome back. Thank you. Thank you Chris. It's great to have you back. As you said there has been many people at this event where broadband communities in Atlanta for the fall series of the economic development gathering. It's a wonderful event and everyone who's here has listened to you apparently on a podcast in the past. That's been nice.