We recently came across a news report from Knoxville’s WBIR. The video touches on how the city has gone from a town that used to rely on the choo-choo to a metropolitan wonder that flies over fiber optic cables. Walter Cronkite called Chattanooga the “dirtiest city in America” but the network is transforming it into a … Read More
In Cuyahoga County, OneCommunity is leading the effort of upgrade the County’s networking ability. With a special focus on improving pubic safety, the project is estimated to save the county $10 million over the next 5 years. From the OneCommunity blog: The project provides high-bandwidth connectivity and secure video conferencing to more than 60 county offices … Read More
Last year, we reported on the failed SB 135, which would have eliminated the “carrier of last resort” requirement in the state. The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Paul Hornback would have let AT&T decide who could receive basic telephone service and would have limited consumer protections. Last year’s bill did not become law, but a … Read More
Once again, the Georgia General Assembly is considering a bill that would devastate local communities’ right to build their own telecommunications networks. ILSR is monitoring this House Bill 282 as it moves through through the Senate and House. The bill, misleadingly called the “Municipal Broadband Investment Act,” creates barriers to any municipal network in areas that … Read More
In 2011, MSNBC reported on Thomasville, Georgia. The small community beat the odds to nourish a vibrant downtown. At the time, local independent businesses in the U.S. disappeared as quaint main streets lost mom and pop ventures to the economy. Such was not the case with Thomasville. MSNBC’s report, a little over 2 minutes and embedded … Read More
Susan Crawford sat down with Bill Moyers to talk about Internet access in America. The two touch on net neutrality, the digital divide, and how access is now a critical component to our economic development. In the words of Bill Moyers, “This is pretty strong stuff.” Bill and Susan also talk about how we have come … Read More
A collaboration between local Idaho and Wyoming counties, the town of Rexburg, Idaho, and Brigham Young University will be exploring the possibility of a community owned fiber optic network. Significant business interest in the project has contributed to the decision to move forward with a feasibility study. According to a Standard Journal article, Design Nine has … Read More
The Community Broadband Bits Podcast recently published episode #32, a talk with Harold Feld of Public Knowledge. Harold is Senior Vice President of the organization which focuses on advocating for digital rights. Harold also authors Tales of the Sausage Factory, a blog dedicated to telecom policy, software, science, technology and writing. In the February 5th podcast, … Read More
Customers of Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU), in Iowa, have recently been treated to an increase in fiber Internet service speeds with no increase in price. We have reported on CFU for several years with news on its upgrades and expansions to unserved areas. The most popular CFU home service, 12/1 Mbps, is now at 16/8 Mbps. … Read More
