Minneapolis Star Tribune – May 23, 2012 Minnesota spends more than $20 billion a year on energy — primarily importing polluting fossil fuels — and the state’s utilities typically lobby against decreasing our dependency. This hampers our economy and harms our environment. Fortunately, cities don’t have to rely on the Legislature to stand up for more-efficient … Read More
In the long run, there’s no avoiding energy storage for a 100% renewable energy society. The two major sources of renewable power are wind and sun, and they are either fickle or reliably not available at night. The problem is that the simplest energy storage option for electricity is batteries, and this image from Wikipedia (hat … Read More
Asheville Citizen-Times, May 20, 2012 Once upon a time, Internet enthusiasts made the following comparison: the Internet is to 21st-century economies what navigable waterways and roads were to 19th and 20th-century economies. But what if our rivers and highways were controlled by a private cartel which set tolls and dictated the make and model of our … Read More
Florida Times-Union, May 17, 2012 There are a few key principles to remember about energy: As more of the world moves to the middle class, energy needs will grow enormously. “The absolute numbers are staggering,” writes Daniel Yergin, author of “The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World.” He provides deep background on … Read More
SaveTheInternet.com, May 17, 2012 True or false: The fastest broadband connections in the country come from Comcast, Time Warner Cable and other big telecom companies. The answer: A big, fat FALSE. A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) shows that local governments build the fastest, most innovative broadband networks in the country. “Broadband … Read More
ILSR’s series of workshops, supported by the Community Foundation of Dubuque and the Four Mounds Foundation, in 2008 led to the scope of work for this technical report. The report was completed by Huls Environmental Management, LLC. under the direction of the Dubuque Office of Sustainability.
Weekday Show – KOUW Radio, May 8, 2012 ILSR’s broadband program director, Christopher Mitchell, is interviewed on Seattle’s KUOW radio about the city of Seattle decision to back off of their public broadband program. The City of Seattle quietly pulled the plug last week on an ambitious plan to build a city–sponsored broadband network. In doing … Read More
Nation’s Cities Weekly, May 7, 2012 Some of the fastest broadband networks are being built by local governments, according to a recent report titled “Broadband at the Speed of Light” from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and the Benton Foundation. Providing service to less populated areas can prove to be unprofitable for the private sector, so … Read More
BoingBoing.net, May 4, 2012 Christopher sez, “We just released a 90 second animated video that explains why communities build their own broadband networks, often in competition with big cable. For those who want all the details, we just released a massive 75 page white paper examining 3 community fiber networks in depth – Chattanooga, Tennessee; Lafayette, … Read More
