This is Episode 7 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Mary Beth Henry joins the show to discuss efforts to improve broadband access in Portland, Oregon. Listen to this episode here.

Christopher: This is Christopher Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance talking about community broadband networks. Today we're talking to Mary Beth Henry, the director of the Portland Office for Community Technology and Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission. She's been a president of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, also called NATOA, which has been essential in preserving local telecommunications authority. In our interview, she talks about past and present efforts in Portland to improve access to broadband for residents and businesses. Here's the interview with Mary Beth.

Thank you, Mary Beth, for talking with us today.

Mary Beth:  I'm very happy to be here. Thanks, Chris. 

Christopher: I'd like to start by learning a little bit about Brand X in Portland on a really important Supreme Court case that came out of a real innovative approach that Portland tried to take with a broadband network. Can you tell me about that?

Mary Beth: Sure. We had the opportunity in June of 1998, when AT&T applied for approval of a change in control of the TCI Cable franchise. At the time, we had a blossoming ISP, internet service provider, market. We probably had upwards of thirty different providers that our citizens could choose among. 

As part of the cable franchise process, local governments have the authority to place conditions to ensure that the legal, technical, and financial conditions of the original franchise will be met. We placed a condition on that franchise transfer which said that the cable modem platform would have to be open. What that would mean would be that anybody subscribed to cable modem for their internet, you would be able to choose any ISP that you wanted. 

This is Episode 8 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Chris interviews Jim Moorhead, executive committee chair of the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County in California, about how rural areas are oft-ignored by large telecoms. Listen to this episode here.

Christopher M.: This is Christopher Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance talking about community broadband networks. Today we're talking with Jim Moorhead, executive committee chair of the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County in California. Mendocino County is a large rural county that has been neglected by AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon. Dial up access to the internet is the only option for half the county. For six years, Jim and others have worked to bring real broadband to everyone. We talk about their efforts and barriers in this interview. The fuzzy audio is due to the sad state of telecommunications in Northern California. Here’s our interview with Jim Moorehead. I’m here with Jim Moorehead, the head of the executive committee of the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County in California. Welcome to the show, Jim.

Jim M.: Hi, Christopher. Thanks for having me on. 

Christopher M.: I’m really glad you were able to come on. It’s a fascinating project you’re working on. Can you tell us a little bit about Mendocino County and why you need to have a Broadband Alliance?

This is Episode 9 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Chris interviews Leslie Nulty on how rural Vermont organized and bootstrapped its own network. Listen to this episode here.

Chris: Welcome to the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and the editor of muninetworks.org. For the 9th episode of our show, we are excited to discuss a new model in building a community fiber network. The East Central Vermont fiber network is bootstrapping their own network. Funding the effort with money raised within the community. This is a unique and fascinating example of how rural towns can pull together, and solve their own problems locally. Leslie Nulty is the project coordinator for ECFiber. She will walk us through some of their history, and how they are financing their fiber network. I've known some of the people working on this project for many years and have long appreciated their transparency and willingness to share their proverbial secret sauce with anyone who asked. Here is my interview with Leslie. Leslie thank you for joining us on the Community Broadband Bits podcast. We're excited to learn more about Vermont.

Leslie: Thanks for having me.

Chris: Absolutely. You're involved with a project commonly called ECFiber. Can you tell me about that project?

Leslie: The full name is actually East Central Vermont Community Fiber-Optic Network. The name sort of puts us on the map. We're pretty much in the center of Vermont, for those who know the geography. The green mountains are on North South, at the ridge through the center of the space. We're on the East Side, and encompass 23 towns between the slope, the Eastern slope of the green mountain over to the Connecticut River which is the border with New Hampshire. We are organized, as a legal municipality through something called an inter local contract. Which is simply an agreement that has then signed after a town wide vote by everyone of the 23 member town.

Chris: You're in a contiguous area, right? The way towns work in that part of the country, it's like ... They're all connected, and you're not leaving anyone behind.

This is Episode 11 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Steve Reneker explains the fiber network in Riverside, California and the non-profit organization SmartRiverside's digital inclusion program. Listen to this episode here.

Lisa: Welcome to the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Lisa Gonzalez, with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and a writer on MuniNetworks.org Today's show features an interview with Steve Reneker, the chief innovation officer for the city of Riverside, California. Steve is also the executive director of the non-profit organization SmartRiverside, which has won numerous awards for it's digital inclusion program. Christopher Mitchell interviewed Steve in our eleventh podcast, to learn more about the fiber-optic network that Riverside built and how they've made Wi-Fi a key piece of their digital inclusion work. Learn more in this interview.

Chris: Steven, thank you for joining us on Community Broadband Bits.

Steve: My pleasure, thanks for having me.

Chris: I'd like to start off by talking about your fiber-optic network that links with public facilities. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

This is Episode 12 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Todd Murren explains the creation of SpringNet in Springfield, Missouri and how the community network helped with economic development. Listen to this episode here.

Lisa: Hello and welcome to the 12th edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Lisa Gonzalez with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and a writer for muninetworks.org. In this edition, Christopher Mitchell interviews Todd Murren, the Director of SpringNet, servicing businesses in Springfield, Missouri with a high capacity of fiber network. Todd tells a little about the history of SpringNet, including how legislature changes in Missouri set a course for the network to serve local businesses. Todd also talks about economic development in SpringNet and how the network helped insure 400 local jobs and travel giant Expedia. At the time, a national carrier couldn't follow through with promises. Here are Chris and Todd.

Christopher: Welcome, Todd Murren, director of SpringNet. We're really excited to have you on the show today.

Todd: Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.

Christopher: You are the director of SpringNet, which is offering broadband internet connection-type services in Missouri. Can you tell us a little bit about your city and the area around it?

Todd: Certainly. Certainly. We're located in southwest Missouri. A diversified economy, strong entrepreneurial spirit, heavy in education and medical. We're a mid-west city, so you have that mid-west thought process. A very strong chamber. That all lends very well to a very progressive innovative community.

Christopher: About how many people are in Springfield?

Todd: About 150,000. That's Springfield proper. There are bedroom communities and, if you include those, which, and this is a good point, this is slightly different than other municipal utilities. We actually have a service territory that is outside of the municipal incorporated area, outside of the city limits of Springfield, Missouri. Then, you're looking at a population of around 200,000.

Christopher: We see that similarly with a few of the municipal networks. Cedar Falls in Iowa.

This is Episode 13 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Curtis Dean the telecommunication services coordinator of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, joins the show to explain the importance of rural broadband. Listen to this episode here.

Lisa: Hello and welcome to the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. I'm Lisa Gonzalez with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and I'm also a writer from muninetworks.org. In episode 13 Christopher Mitchell speaks with Curtis Dean, the telecommunication services coordinator of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities. Curtis offers great insight into why so many community networks hail from Iowa and other parts of the Midwest. Curtis also shares the story of a local small business that was on the brink of closing in Spencer, Iowa. Thanks to a local network, and the ability to reach out to customers through online sales, Hanson Clothiers is once again thriving.

Christopher: Curtis, thank you for coming on the Community Broadband Bits broadcast.

Curtis: My pleasure, thanks.

Christopher: You are the telecommunication service coordinator of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities and so the first question is: Why does Iowa have so many municipal networks? There really are quite a few.

This is Episode 14 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. In this show, Bob Frankston describes the essence of the Internet and the importance of community-owned broadband network. Listen to this episode here.

Lisa Gonzalez: Hello and welcome to the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Lisa Gonzalez with he Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I also research and write for MuniNetworks.org. 

In our fourteenth episode, Christopher Mitchell interviews Bob Frankston. Bob has been involved in computer science and the telecommunications industry for over fifty years, and is heavily involved in the telecommunications infrastructure policy debate. Bob has won numerous awards and is a champion in the drive to expand connectivity. Bob and Christopher talk about the essence of the internet and how a simple change in perspective can open doors for communities seeking broadband self-reliance.

Chris Mitchell: Bob Frankston, thank you for joining us on Community Broadband Bits podcast.

Bob Frankston: Thank you for asking me.

Chris Mitchell: One of the things that I thought you could help us understand is, when we talk about the internet and we talk about our telecommunications, we often think about it in terms of going through a major corporation or through a local government. You think about how we can connect using the internet differently. Can you walk me through that?

Bob Frankston: Any new technology is viewed in terms of the old. Cars originally cost us carriages. New trains switched to diesel, we had all the towers, people kept thinking of things the same way. Our metaphors for the internet go back to the telegraph lines, which ran along the railroad tracks. In fact, the FCC was modeled on the interstate commerce commission, as if everything was a telegram message units. There's another tradition that occurred totally independently, when we wanted to connected our computers we just used whatever copper radio wires to exchange packets until you got lost or re-transmitted. There was no network as such. 

This is Episode 15 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Chris interviews Geoff Daily, the Executive Director of FiberCorps. Listen to this episode here.

Lisa: Welcome to the Community Broadband Bits Podcast episode 15. This is Lisa Gonzalez with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I research and write for the institute and for muninetworks.org. Today, Christopher Mitchell interviews Geoff Daily, the Executive Director of FiberCorps located in Lafayette, Louisiana. We've covered Lafayette's Municipal Fiber Network extensively. Geoff's non-profit works to bring businesses and organizations together, and to help them find innovative ways to use the network collaboratively. Here are Geoff and Chris.

Christopher: Geoff Daily, thank you for joining me on the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. You are the Executive Director or FiberCorps. Why don't you start by just telling me a little bit about why you moved to Lafayette, to start FiberCorps?

This is Episode 16 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. JD Lester and Larry Gates of Chanute, Kansas describe how the gigabit network contributes to the economy and the quality of life. Listen to this episode here.

Lisa Gonzales: Hello and welcome to episode 16 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Lisa Gonzales with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance where our research contributes to our website muninetworks.org. In our sixteenth episode, Christopher Mitchell interviews JD Lester and Larry Gates of Chanute, Kansas. We just released an in depth report on the incredible municipal network in Chanute and how the community developed this gigabit network without any borrowing or bonding.

Lester, the City Manager, and Gates, the Director of Utilities, join Christopher to talk about how the network contributes to the economy and the quality of life. They discuss their future plans for this incredible asset. 

Here are Christopher, JD, and Larry.

Chris Mitchell: This is Chris Mitchell. I'm on the line with the City Manager of Chanute, JD Lester, and the Director of Utilities, Larry Gates. 

Thank you both for joining me on this Community Broadband Bits Podcast. 

Larry Gates: Our Pleasure.

Chris Mitchell: I'm very excited. We're talking on the day that we're releasing a case study looking at how Chanute has been able to build a very impressive wired and wireless network. I thought we could start by describing Chanute to people who haven't been there. What is it like on the ground?

This is Episode 17 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Joe Knapp, IT director for Sandy, Oregon, describes a unique idea for fiber deployment for SandyNet. Listen to this episode here.

Lisa: Hello. This is episode 17 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Lisa Gonzalez with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and muninetworks.org. Today, Christopher Mitchell talks with Joe Knapp, the IT director for the city of Sandy in Oregon. Joe describes how SandyNet began using fiber as a way to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of the community. Joe also discusses SandyNet's new project that uses sewer and stormwater infrastructure as a pathway for new fiber installation. Here are Christopher and Joe.

Christopher: I am here with Joe Knapp, the IT director for the city of Sandy, Oregon. We were going to talk a little bit about what his community has done and is planning on doing to make sure that everyone has access to good broadband. So welcome to the show, Joe.

Joe: Thank you.

Christopher: Joe, you've been in Sandy, running a network for quite some time. Why don't you start by telling us a little bit about Sandy. Where are you located? What's it like?

Joe: We're in Oregon, just about 30 miles east of Portland. Sandy's known as the gateway to Mt. Hood. We're situated basically right between Portland and Mt. Hood. It's a great location. We're 30 to 40 minutes from all the wonderful amenities of the bit city of Portland, and then we're also 30 or 40 minutes from three different ski resorts on Mt. Hood and all sorts of outdoor recreation activities up there.

Christopher: The last time I was in Sandy ... I've been through it a couple of times ... Hood to Coast was going on. Fantastic race.

Joe: It's an interesting time of year. I think we get something on the order of 50,000 come through this town on that weekend. It's pretty interesting.