On the first of May 1974 Neil Seldman, Gil Friend and David Morris self-consciously incorporated the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. We thought it made for a suitable birthing day. A little history might be in order. Traditionally May Day marked the beginning of spring. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the workers. No work was done and … Read More
Telecompetitor, May 1, 2013 If you believe that Google, with their Google Fiber initiative, intended to raise awareness about gigabit FTTP networks and persuade other ISPs to move in that direction, it appears to be working. The latest to join the movement is CenturyLink, who announced today that they willbring a symmetrical gigabit FTTP network to … Read More
The New Republic, April 30, 2013 Telecom regulators don’t usually have public followings, except perhaps among other telecom regulators. But as soon as rumors began circulating that Julius Genachowski planned to resign as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), petitions appeared on sites like BoingBoing, Reddit, and Daily Kos calling on President Barack Obama to … Read More
Foreign Policy, April 29, 2013 After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Americans were quick to give much of the credit to the economic system of the West. The centralization and monopolization of the Soviet regime, so the thinking went, had stifled enterprise, choked creativity, and stripped wealth from vital systems. The magic formula? Democracy combined … Read More
The Tennessean, April 28, 2013 In the Internet stone-age, the mid-1990s, Congress acted to encourage innovation and foster the development of the World Wide Web with policies designed to ease the regulatory burden on what is essentially a borderless business. One of the most effective policies in that encouragement was a moratorium on the requirement for … Read More
The New York Times, April 27, 2013 Anita Demetropoulos, a Maine shopkeeper, figured she would never see the day when her most relentless competitor, Amazon, would be forced to collect sales tax. Now that Congress seems ready to do that, she is no longer sure it matters. Even in losing, the e-commerce powerhouse is triumphant. It … Read More
Howard County, April 22, 2013 Howard County Executive Ken Ulman opened a state-of-the art composting operation today that will allow the County to double its curbside food scrap collection to 10,000 households, the largest in Maryland. The facility will operate at the Alpha Ridge Landfill in Marriottsville, diverting up to 400 tons of material a year … Read More
Columbia Patch, April 22, 2013 It’s easy to think nothing of throwing carrot or potato peels into the trash or down the garbage disposal. They quickly decompose. But Howard County announced on Monday that residents can participate in an expanded pilot program that composts food scrap and yard waste. A new composting facility at the Alpha … Read More
Fierce Telecom, April 10, 2013 In a state where municipal broadband is largely unwelcome–thanks to a Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL)-supported bill pushed through in 2011–Wilson, N.C., is notable in providing residents with 10 to 100 Mbps symmetrical speeds via its fiber to the home network. Lit in 2009, the city’s network … Read More
