Recently, we covered the city-owned fiber optic network in Princeton, Illinois. The network has been serving city facilities, schools, libraries, and businesses since late 2003. The network contributes to economic development by delivering high capacity telecommunications services at affordable prices to local businesses. The City built and owns the network but services are delivered by a private … Read More
I quickly read the just-released Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age, and came away quite excited by Susan Crawford’s new book. Susan Crawford has been supportive of community owned networks and a loud voice against the poor policies that have allowed a few massive cable and telephone companies to … Read More
Cottage Grove, Oregon, is on the cusp of adding up to 250 new jobs with the aid of its fiber optic network. A recent Register-Guard.com article by Serena Markstrom details the potential project between the City and First Call Resolution. The company is interested in expanding to a Cottage Grove shopping strip. While the space is … Read More
From the “A Pox on Both Your Houses” files, Verizon is squaring off against greedy landlords in New York City as it tries to fix lines damaged by Superstorm Sandy. In short, Verizon needs access to the common areas of the multi-dwelling units (MDU or industry-speak for apartments) to fix or upgrade the lines. Verizon is … Read More
High Speed Geek, January 9, 2013 Gigabit internet is awesome. And elusive. Gigabit ethernet speed is equal to 1,000,000,000 bits per second or 1,000 Mbps. For comparison: “fast ethernet” is considered to be 100 Mbps, which is still much faster than standard internet service that’s normally 10 Mbps (like the kind you’d get from Time Warner … Read More
If we want to protect the open Internet and expand access to fast, affordable, and reliable connections, we need to organize. There are few better ways to organize or get inspired than in-person events with great speakers and time to chat with others. I will be at both Freedom to Connect and the National Conference for … Read More
If you think the United States cannot afford to take a fiber optic cable to just about every home in the country, you might be surprised to find out that we have already paid for it. We just haven’t received it. Our first podcast guest in 2013, Bruce Kushnick of the New Networks Institute, explains the … Read More
FreePress, January 8, 2013 Here’s a fun experiment: Grab the next person you see and tell her you’re about to talk about tech policy (you know, to prepare her). If she hasn’t screamed, pulled out all of her hair or fled the room, tell her you’re about to take a voyage to strange lands where laws … Read More
When the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill written by the cable and telephone industry (with help from ALEC), they probably didn’t expect AT&T to turn around and slash its local workforce. And yet, that is what AT&T has done: “Hey North Carolina, thanks for that monopoly, hope you don’t mind if we move a … Read More
