More communities are today considering how they can improve Internet access in their community than at any other time. Having a gigabit is quickly becoming the standard – not because we all need 1,000 Mbps but because we know that everything we want to do is possible on a gigabit connection. Video games aren’t going to … Read More
On February 13, KKFI Community Radio from Kansas City, Missouri, interviewed ILSR’s Chris Mitchell and Todd O’Boyle from Common Cause. Tom Klammer, host of the “Tell Somebody” show covered Kansas legislation SB 304 aimed at preventing municipalities from investing in their own broadband networks. Chris and Todd co-authored our 2013 case study, The Empire Lobbies Back: How National … Read More
The OpenCape Network launched about eight months ago to bring better middle mile connectivity to Cape Cod. Reporter Sean Gonsalves explored other possibilities for the 350-mile infrastructure in a recent Cape Cod Online article. Gonsalves spoke with OpenCape CEO Dan Vorthems. The network was funded with $32 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants … Read More
Colorado communities continue to seek to restore local authority for telecommunications. In April’s election, elected officials of Montrose will ask voters to approve a measure that gives the municipality the right to establish a telecommunications utility. Centennial, a Denver suburb, approved a ballot initiative last fall to use city fiber resources as a way to provide … Read More
Yet again, lobbyists from AT&T, Windstream, and Cincinnati Bell are lobbying state elected officials under the false guise of improving communications in Kentucky. In a Richmond Register opinion piece, Mimi Pickering from the Rural Broadband Policy Group revealed the practical consequences of Senate Bill 99. Republican Senator Paul Hornback is once again the lead sponsor on the … Read More
Idaho Falls Post Register, February 19, 2014 When it comes to fiber optics, the city of Ammon is pursuing a high-reward, low-risk strategy. Christopher Mitchell, program director for the Institute for Local Self Reliance, a nonprofit tracking more than 400 municipal fiber networks, said he is impressed with Ammon’s effort. “They are definitely succeeding. When you … Read More
We are supportive of the announcement today from the Federal Communications Commission. We salute the FCC for beginning to examine how state level barriers against municipal networks deter investment in the networks both communities and the nation desperately need. From the statement: The Commission will look for opportunities to enhance Internet access competition. One obvious candidate … Read More
The Nation, February 19, 2014 Yesterday Mayor Bill de Blasio picked another Bloomberg administration veteran, Emily Lloyd, to head the Department of Environmental Protection. It was another perfectly smart, sound, safe choice of an effective policymaker. It also was, like many of de Blasio’s personnel picks, at odds with the message of sweeping change that he … Read More
Westminster’s FTTP pilot project continues to blossom. We recently heard from Dr. Robert Wack, one of the local leaders of the project. Engineering, the first phase, is almost completed with bids for construction soon to be solicited. Even before any fiber is in the ground, Westminster is feeling the positive economic development effects from the network. … Read More
