Minnpost, May 2, 2014 WASHINGTON — Like all plans should, this one started on the back of a napkin. In the early 2000s, Scott County wanted to broaden the availability of high-speed broadband Internet for its government buildings. County officials decided to build their own fiber optic broadband network and connect to the Internet for cheap. … Read More
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is prepared to roll back restrictions that prevent local governments from deciding if a municipal network would be a wise investment. At the Cable Show Industry conference in Los Angeles, Wheeler told cable industry leaders the FCC will wield its powers to reduce state barriers on municipal networks. Wheeler spoke before the … Read More
Christopher Mitchell recently spoke with Ian Masters on the Background Briefing show from KPFK-FM in Los Angeles. Masters connected with Chris to discuss the increasing importance of community networks in light of recent court decisions: Network Neutrality and the court’s interpretation of section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. From the Background Briefing website: Then finally we … Read More
The American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) brings the 2014 Go Local, Grow Local Conference to downtown Minneapolis May 8 – 11. Christopher Mitchell will speak at the conference on Friday, May 9, at 3:45 central. Chris will speak on creating local environments that help entrepreneurs thrive, including community networks. AMIBA began in 1997 in Boulder, Colorado. … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2014 CONTACT: Rebecca Toews 612-808-0689 Rebecca@archive.ilsr.org MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is excited to hear FCC Chairman Wheeler intends to remove barriers to community owned networks. Today at the NCTA conference, Wheeler said, “… if municipal governments—the same ones that granted cable franchises—want to pursue it, they shouldn’t … Read More
Stop and think for a second. Would you regard the electricity grid and water system as an abysmal failure or success? If you are lobbying for cable companies in DC, you apparently think they are monumental failures. Michael Powell, former Chairman of the FCC must be dizzy after his trip through the revolving door on his … Read More
The Media Action Grassroots Network (MAG-Net) recently hosted a Community Cohort Call titled Tech In The City: A Conversation About Community Broadband Access. Chris Mitchell, Andrea Figueroa Martinez, John St. Julien from Lafayette, and other community broadband advocates discuss the current state of U.S. broadband infrastructure. Chris offers perspective on monopolistic behavior from current mega providers … Read More
This week we are welcoming Scott Bradner, a long time doer, writer, and thinker on Internet matters. Thanks to a listener request, we had already recorded an interview last week discussing peering before the news broke that the FCC would be allowing paid prioritization peering arrangements, which many have said represents the end of network neutrality. … Read More
Netflix has continued to publish monthly rankings of ISPs average speed in delivering Netflix video content to subscribers. Though they first published data about the largest, national ISPs like Comcast, AT&T, and the link, they have an expanded list with many more ISPs. I recognize two municipal networks on the expanded list of 60 ISPs. For … Read More
