This is the transcript for episode 421 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Ernesto Falcon and Steve Blum about the state of broadband in California and current legislation. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Steve Blum: There's similar numbers when you go down the list. I mean, it's a total of $4.3 million to the people on those two committees over their careers from the sector. So it's a megabuck industry.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 421 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today on the podcast, we welcome Ernesto Falcon and Steve Blum.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Ernesto is Senior Legislative Council for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a powerhouse nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in a digital world.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Steve Blum is President of Tellus Venture Associates, which provides management and business development guidance for companies working in telecommunications. You can find him at tellusventure.com.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: In this episode, Christopher, Ernesto and Steve talk about what's going on with broadband in California, and current legislation looking to make sure California broadband subsidies result in high quality networks that don't leave people behind. They talk about a new bill crafted to stop that effort, as well as the role of campaign donations and T-Mobile merger conditions on the future of rural broadband in the state.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: A quick note: In the episode when Christopher mentions the CPUC, he's talking about the California Public Utilities Commission.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Now here's Christopher talking with Ernesto Falcon and Steve Blum.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

This is the transcript for episode 420 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher talks to Deborah Simpier of Althea about their efforts to provide resources and tools to build community wireless networks. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Deborah Simpier: Going to someone's house, setting up a family with 60, 70 megabits per second and at a rate that they can afford, it's really just life-changing.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 420 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today on the podcast, we welcome Deborah Simpier, CEO of Althea. Althea is a company offering services and software to make operating community networks easier. We talk about their approach, including the unique way they route traffic across the network based on changing costs and latencies. Althea networks are starting across the country as well as across the planet, in Africa and South America. Now here's Christopher talking with Deborah Simpier.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Christopher Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in St. Paul, Minnesota. Today I'm speaking with Deborah Simpier, the CEO of Althea. Welcome to the show, Deborah.

Deborah Simpier: Thanks so much for having me.

Christopher Mitchell: I'm excited to talk about this approach, which is very interesting. I know I see it popping up in my Twitter feed among people that follow this show and follow our writings. It's something that I know Jane Coffin and others are very excited about an Internet society in terms of how Althea is creating new opportunities in wireless networking, in particular. If we start off really quickly, what is the sort of 30-second pitch for what is Althea?

This is the transcript for episode 420 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher talks to Deborah Simpier of Althea about their efforts to provide resources and tools to build community wireless networks. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Deborah Simpier: Going to someone's house, setting up a family with 60, 70 megabits per second and at a rate that they can afford, it's really just life-changing.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 420 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today on the podcast, we welcome Deborah Simpier, CEO of Althea. Althea is a company offering services and software to make operating community networks easier. We talk about their approach, including the unique way they route traffic across the network based on changing costs and latencies. Althea networks are starting across the country as well as across the planet, in Africa and South America. Now here's Christopher talking with Deborah Simpier.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Christopher Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in St. Paul, Minnesota. Today I'm speaking with Deborah Simpier, the CEO of Althea. Welcome to the show, Deborah.

Deborah Simpier: Thanks so much for having me.

Christopher Mitchell: I'm excited to talk about this approach, which is very interesting. I know I see it popping up in my Twitter feed among people that follow this show and follow our writings. It's something that I know Jane Coffin and others are very excited about an Internet society in terms of how Althea is creating new opportunities in wireless networking, in particular. If we start off really quickly, what is the sort of 30-second pitch for what is Althea?

This is the transcript for North Carolina bonus episode 9 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher talks to Doug Dawson of CCG Consulting about various broadband issues currently in the news and how they have an effect in North Carolina. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Doug Dawson: People in the rural areas are not working from home because they can't. They can't lock onto a school server. They can't lock onto a business server. We're taking these things for granted in the urban areas. Just since 2017, that gap has doubled in that short of a period of time. It's getting so drastically different that the Internet in those two places is not the same thing anymore.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: We're bringing you another episode in our special community broadband bits podcast series, Why North Carolina Broadband Matters. I'm Ry Marcattilio-McCracken with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis, Minnesota. North Carolina Broadband Matters is a North Carolina nonprofit. Their mission to attract, support, and champion universal availability of affordable, reliable, high capacity Internet access. The group has created the North Carolina chapter of CLIC, the Coalition for Local Internet Choice. ILSR is working with North Carolina Broadband Matters to produce this series, focusing on issues, affecting people in North Carolina that also impact folks in other regions.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: We're joined today by Doug Dawson, president of CCG Consulting, a veteran advisor to small public and private telecommunications carriers, and an experienced, thoughtful voice in the broadband space. During their discussion, Christopher and Doug give the various levels of government across the United states a report card for their connectivity efforts during the pandemic, and how the Coronavirus has brought into focus the two digital divides facing our communities today. They talk about what the broadband gap looks like between rural and urban areas, and the problem of adoption versus access for North Carolina communities with connectivity obstacles.

This is the transcript for episode 419 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Brad Honold from Coon Rapids Municipal Utilities in Iowa. They discuss the city's long history of offering telecommunications services, its upgrade to fiber infrastructure, and its community engagement practices. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Brad Honold: They're our owners, they're our customers, they're our partners. We live with them, we go to church with them and they're the ones that are going to end up paying the bill so you better ask them if they're going to take your service before you start it.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 419 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Ryan Marcattilio-McCracken here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today, Christopher speaks with Brad Honold, general manager at Coon Rapids Municipal Utilities in West Central Iowa. Coon Rapids started with the cable TV system almost 40 years ago and remains today, one of the smallest municipal fiber networks, especially of those that offer cable TV packages. Christopher and Brad talk about the evolution of the communications utility over the last four decades, from cable all the way to fiber today. They discuss the importance of the network, taking community concerns seriously, including engaging the community in discussions about what is needed. Now here's Christopher talking with Brad Honold.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Today I'm speaking with Brad Honold, the general manager at Coon Rapids Municipal Utilities in Coon Rapids, Iowa. Welcome to the show.

Brad Honold: Thank you for having me.

Christopher Mitchell: Let me ask you first, I'm going to ask you in a second how we know your network has been worth the investment, but first, Coon Rapids. What part of Iowa is that in and what's the community like?

This is the transcript for episode 418 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, our guest Isfandiyar (Asfi) Shaheen turns the tables and interviews usual host, Christopher Mitchell, about his background and experiences. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Isfandiyar Shaheen: Can you now tell, having seen and interviewed over close to 400 people, which ones are going to work? Can you give us a sense of what is the Chris Mitchell smell test?

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 418 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today, Christopher talks with Isfandiyar Shaheen also known as Asfi. Asfi is the founder and CEO of NetEquity Networks. Asfi has been on the podcast before, he and Christopher talked on episode 351 about the spillover effect of fiber networks in areas like public works and agriculture. They talked about how high bandwidth connections can reduce municipal labor overhead, allow companies to do predictive maintenance on expensive machines and give farmers way more information about how their crops are doing in the field. Asfi is one of the great minds thinking about bold new strategies to expand high quality Internet access across the globe. We asked him to interview Christopher because Christopher has a big ego, unfortunately in his excitement to be interviewed by Asfi, Christopher messed up the recording quality by using a USB hub that introduced some noise. We hope it's not too bad.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Christopher promises he won't do it again. Asfi asks Christopher about his childhood, the state of broadband coverage and policy today, and the Christopher Mitchell smell test for new networks. Now here's Christopher talking with Asfi.

This is the transcript for episode 417 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Deb Socia and Geoff Millener from the Enterprise Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They discuss how the Center is working to promote digital inclusion and access to telehealth during the pandemic. Listen to the episode or read the transcript below.

Deb Socia: And so when we can give somebody a tablet or a computer and either help them sign up for low-cost access or provide them with a Wi-Fi hotspot, whatever it is, when we can do that, we can really have an impact.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 417, the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken here with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today, Christopher talks with Deb Socia and Geoff Millener. Deb is the president and CEO of the Enterprise Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And Geoff is the Senior Program and Operations Officer there. Christopher talks with Deb and Geoff about their work to help Chattanooga achieve digital inclusion by working with churches and other organizations to ensure people can continue their faith traditions. They discuss improving connections between people in the telehealth and telemental health services they need. A quick note, due to some recording difficulties in this episode, the audio quality is not up to our normal standards. We apologize and hope you enjoy. Now, here's Christopher talking with Deb Socia and Geoff Millener.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where we are all working from home still. Today, I'm returning with one of my favorite guests, my favorite people of all times, Deb Socia, who is now the president and CEO of the Enterprise Center and Enterprise and it could be called Enterprise in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Welcome to the show.

Deb Socia: Thanks Chris. Good to see you.

This is the transcript for episode 416 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. For this episode, Christopher interviews John Bowcut about the municipal broadband network owned by Spanish Fork, Utah. The pair discuss the network's 20-year-long history, upgrading from cable to fiber optics, and Utah's restrictions on community broadband. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

John Bowcut: We have built our success on that sense of community. Everything we do, every time we open our mouth, we hope we talk about that sense of community and what our network contributes to that sense of community.

Jess Del Fiacco: Welcome to episode 416 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Jess Del Fiacco, communications manager here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Jess Del Fiacco: Today, Christopher talks with John Bowcut, director of information systems and network director for Spanish Fork, Utah. Spanish Fork's network is one of the best municipal broadband success stories. It's now 20 years old and more than 80% of community members take at least one service from it. The network is also debt free, and it's been almost completely upgraded from cable to gigabit fiber.

Jess Del Fiacco: Christopher and John discuss how a Utah law stopped a lot of communities from building fiber networks, and they note what a missed opportunity that has been. They also talk about how to market community broadband networks by making them a true community enterprise. Now here's Christopher talking with John Bowcut.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Only I'm still coming from my new office and my home in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Christopher Mitchell: Today, I'm talking to someone we haven't checked in on too long, but a multiple previous guest, John Bowcut the director of information systems and the Spanish Fork community network director out of Spanish Fork, Utah.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome back to the show, John.

This is the transcript for episode 415 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews lawyers Ken Fellman and Geoff Wilson to learn how broadband monopolies got an anti-local authority law passed in Colorado in 2005. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Ken Fellman: We hate this bill. We are local government people, we believe in local control, we believe that local communities ought to be in charge of their own destiny.

Jess Del Fiacco: Welcome to episode 415 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Jess Del Fiacco, Communications Manager here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today Christopher talks with Ken Fellman and Geoff Wilson. They discuss how Qwest, now called CenturyLink, used their influence to get a bill that limits municipal networks adopted in Colorado. At the time, Ken and Geoff did what they could to change the bill to make it less restrictive. They helped to remove the limitations that would have stopped all municipal networks, like what we saw happen in North Carolina. Ken and Geoff also tell Christopher about what has happened in the state since then and how changes, over time, have resulted in the bill being less harmful than it was in the early years. Now, here's Christopher talking with Ken Fellman and Geoff Wilson.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which is located in Minneapolis, as well as several other cities. I'm coming to you from Saint Paul, Minnesota today. And I'm going to speak with Ken Fellman, a partner with the Denver law firm, Kissinger & Fellman. Ken's been representing local government in Colorado and throughout the country for over 35 years. Welcome to the show, Ken.

Ken Fellman: Thank you.

Christopher Mitchell: And I'm also welcoming Geoff Wilson, who is a special counsel at Murray Dahl Beery & Renaud, and who has worked at the Colorado Municipal League on these issues, where he was the general counsel. Welcome to the show, Geoff.

Geoff Wilson: Thank you. Pleased to be here.

This is the transcript for episode 414 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher talks to Scott Rasmussen, an organizer with the nonprofit, volunteer-run community network NYC Mesh about why NYC Mesh is a good model to serve low income people in NYC. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Scott Rasmussen: I think at a fundamental level it's about community control, community self determination, and our ability to own our own means of communication.

Jess Del Fiacco: Welcome to Episode 414 at the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Jess Del Fiacco, communications manager here at the Institute for Local Self Reliance. Today, Christopher talks with Scott Rasmussen of NYC Mesh. NYC Mesh is a volunteer driven, high quality, wireless network that stretches across three boroughs of New York City. Scott explains that much of New York doesn't have a good Internet access and talks about why NYC Mesh is a good model for expanding Internet access to low income populations. Scott also notes how excited people are to finally have an affordable community option and how inspired people get about these issues when they realize they can build their own network. Now, here's Christopher talking with Scott Rasmussen of NYC Mesh.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self Reliance and I'm here talking with Scott Rasmussen, an organizer with NYC Mesh. Welcome to the show, Scott.

Scott Rasmussen: Thanks so much for having me, Chris.

Christopher Mitchell: I'm excited to learn more about what's going on in New York City with this Mesh project, but the first thing I wanted to ask you is, you're an interesting guy, you got a lot of opportunities to do different things, why are you such a fan of breathable fabric?