Christopher Mitchell recently spoke with Marcie Sillman on Seattle public radio KUOW‘s Weekday. Christopher and Marcie talked on May 8, 2012 about recent developments in local and national broadband including the April 29th end to Seattle’s free Wi-Fi network. Christopher and Marcie spent some time on challenges and strategies involved in building a community network. The … Read More
Christopher Mitchell recently presented at the Broadband Communities Summit 12 in Dallas, Texas. The two-day event, April 24th and 25th, brought together experts from all over the world to discuss the policy and economic challenges and achievements in broadband. Christopher discussed the new ILSR Report, Broadband at the Speed of Light, and presented information on the … Read More
Weekday Show – KOUW Radio, May 8, 2012 ILSR’s broadband program director, Christopher Mitchell, is interviewed on Seattle’s KUOW radio about the city of Seattle decision to back off of their public broadband program. The City of Seattle quietly pulled the plug last week on an ambitious plan to build a city–sponsored broadband network. In doing … Read More
In 2005, Seattle started offering free Wi-Fi to several neighborhoods, hoping to increase usage among businesses, residents, and passers-by. While the effort was hailed by some, and criticized by others, it was an experiment in community broadband. An experiment that ended on April 29th. The City still considered the free Wi-Fi a pilot project, even though … Read More
We told you how Chanute, Kansas, was using their community network to serve local businesses. Now we want to share a story about how the community network helped bring a new business to Chanute. Chanute, who is named after Octave Chanute an aviation pioneer, adopts the motto “A Tadition of Innovation.” Chanute has proven that they … Read More
Nation’s Cities Weekly, May 7, 2012 Some of the fastest broadband networks are being built by local governments, according to a recent report titled “Broadband at the Speed of Light” from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and the Benton Foundation. Providing service to less populated areas can prove to be unprofitable for the private sector, so … Read More
Our own Christopher Mitchell will be speaking at two upcoming events on broadband and the future of the Internet. First, Christopher will be at F2C: Freedom to Connect in Washington, D.C., on May 21-22nd. Christopher will be speaking on May 22nd on the “Fight for Community Broadband” Panel along with other notables from the Free Press, … Read More
According to the 2010 Census, North Dakota is 48th in population in the country and the 17th most expansive. Such a geography is not appealing to any entity, commercial or otherwise, who might consider building fiber-to-the-home in North Dakota. There are more populated cities, as in all states, but human density in North Dakota is the … Read More
BoingBoing.net, May 4, 2012 Christopher sez, “We just released a 90 second animated video that explains why communities build their own broadband networks, often in competition with big cable. For those who want all the details, we just released a massive 75 page white paper examining 3 community fiber networks in depth – Chattanooga, Tennessee; Lafayette, … Read More
