The conservative, eminently pro-capitalist publication The Economist understands why community broadband is important. “The Need for Speed” discusses Kansas City and Chattanooga — two of the best broadband networks in the nation. But while others have become stuck on the wrong question — “what can you do with a gig,” The Economist recognized what is important. This … Read More
In April, we reported on Spring construction of fiber installation by the Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SMBS) in the Jackson area. This is a stimulus-funded expansion growing out of the community-owned WindomNet. The original plan was to have construction completed in Jackson by the end of August, but the job was 97% completed in July freeing … Read More
You are surrounded by the radio waves of local television signals. They are available to you for free if you put up an antenna, but there was no easy way to take that free signal and then stream it to all your digital devices. Now there is. Aereo, available only in New York presently, combines an antenna … Read More
We reported on Dunellon, Florida, last year – time for a refresher and an update. You may recall that Dunnellon is a small community with only about 1,900 people in 2004, located in the north central part of the state. The City of Dunnellon watched as surrounding communities gained jobs and people, while its phosphate mining … Read More
A major difference between Main Street and Wall Street is that we view Comcast’s lack of competition as a major problem. The prospect of Comcast increasing our rates year after year makes us want to scream. Prepare to scream. Or throw things. The Lafayette Pro-Fiber Blog alerted us to a piercingly honest analysis from Wall Street. … Read More
For the 7th Community Broadband Bits podcast, we talk with Mary Beth Henry from Portland, Oregon. Mary Beth is the Director of the Portland Office for Community Technology and Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission, as well as a past president of NATOA. Our discussion covers the long struggle to ensure local businesses and residents had a … Read More
We have watched in growing horror as AT&T and other telco lobbyists have gone from state to state gutting telecommunications oversight. In several states, you no longer have an absolute right to a telephone – the companies can refuse to serve you if they so choose. We tip our hat to Phil Dampier at Stop the … Read More
For those who missed it, a Wall Street Journal op-ed ignited a geektroversy by claiming the federal government did not invent the Internet. First, some history. Then an explanation of why we should care. A guy named Crovitz kicked off the fight with his poorly researched op-ed: It’s an urban legend that the government launched the … Read More
When communities are trying to figure out how to pay for networks, they sometimes fail to explore some logical places. A recent article on Telecompetitor gives us an estimate for revenues from inserting ads in cable television programming. Before the economic downturn, a typical small video service provider could expect between $1.25 and $2.00 a month … Read More
