The Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, serving a five county rural region, plans to begin offering gigabit service in its territory by the end of 2014. The cooperative has formed Bolt Fiber Optic Services to offer connectivity to approximately 32,000 homes and businesses. According to Light Reading, the infrastructure is funded with a $90 million loan from the … Read More
This week, Lisa and I discuss the Coalition for Local Internet Choice, CLIC, that was announced last week. This is a short episode that aims to answer some of the common questions about CLIC, including why we felt it was necessary to create this coalition now. You can still sign up to become a member of … Read More
Public Knowledge, The Utility Reform Network (TURN), and a long list of other public interest groups, recently filed a letter with the FCC urging the agency to launch an investigation. Specifically, the alliance asks the FCC to look into reports that Verizon is forcing customers to move from copper lines to fiber IP-based service. From the … Read More
As both AT&T and Comcast seek to increase their market power by buying rivals instead of competing, Barry Lynn reminds us of our history of fighting such consolidated power. From Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction. In the modern era in the United States, efficiency was a favorite defense by industrial autocrats … Read More
In a June 10 Official FCC Blog post, Chairman Tom Wheeler’s words show continued resolve to restore local decision-making to communities that want to evaluate their own investments and partnerships. This is the latest in a series of public statements indicating the agency is ready to assert authority and remove barriers to community networks. Wheeler writes: … Read More
If you missed Chris in D.C. at the New America Foundation on May 28th, you can still catch the action via the archived presentation. Chris joined Joanne Hovis, Will Aycock, and Catharine Rice to discuss “Localism Over Consolidation: An Exploration of Public Broadband Options.” New America Foundation writes: Today, more and more communities are thinking of … Read More
On Tuesday June 17th, Chris will be participating in a conversation hosted by the Media Consortium as part of its Media Policy Reporting and Education Program (MPREP). You are invited to sit in on what is sure to be a spirited discussion on community networks and the lack of competition in the cable industry. What: Community Fiber … Read More
We are excited to announce a new effort to restore and preserve local decision-making authority when it comes to public private partnerships and Internet infrastructure investment. The Coalition for Local Internet Choice, CLIC, will work to ensure communities can make these decisions for themselves. Mission statement: The Coalition for Local Internet Choice – CLIC – represents … Read More
Following up on Lisa’s in-depth story on Monticello, Illinois, we asked Vic Zimmerman to join us for episode 102 of the Community Broadband Bits. We talk about how rural Monticello started by reaching out to the existing service providers, only to be stalled for months and then years. Eventually they realized they would have to take … Read More
