ILSR’s forward-thinking, bottom-up solutions have never been more needed. Please help us expand our impact in 2017 by making a donation to ILSR. As we head into a turbulent era of government, the values and goals of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) remain steadfast. Every day we help communities tap into their own power to … Read More
Amazon, the rapidly expanding company founded by Jeff Bezos in 1995, is undermining competition and reshaping the U.S. economy in ways that curtail opportunities for small businesses, reduce jobs and wages, limit product diversity and the choices available to consumers, and harm the economic and fiscal underpinnings of communities, according to a new report released today by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR).
The report, Amazon’s Stranglehold: How the Company’s Tightening Grip is Stifling Competition, Eroding Jobs, and Threatening Communities, presents new data; draws on interviews with dozens of manufacturers, retailers, labor experts, and others; and synthesizes a broad body of previous reporting and scholarship. It’s available at https://ilsr.org/amazon-stranglehold.… Read More
Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and author of Monopoly Power and the Decline of Small Business: The Case for Restoring America’s Once Robust Antitrust Policies, issued the following statement today in response to Hillary Clinton’s economic policy speech in Ohio, in which she discussed growing corporate concentration and its impact on small business, and called for stronger antitrust measures.… Read More
EPA special interest group proposal flies in the face of science, as well as White House mandates for reduced greenhouse gas emissions.… Read More
On May 1st, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) celebrated its 42nd birthday by giving ourselves a present: a new video explaining our approach.… Read More
The cost of leasing commercial space is soaring in many cities, threatening the future of independent businesses, finds a report released today from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The report examines what’s causing commercial rents to skyrocket and explores six broad policy strategies that elected officials and community leaders are proposing to address it.… Read More
21ST CENTURY FARMS REQUIRE 21ST CENTURY CONNECTIVITY. Denied Access by telephone and cable companies, they created a new model. Winthrop, MN — A new trend is emerging in rural communities throughout the United States: Fiber-to-the-Farm. Tired of waiting for real Internet access from big companies, farmers are building it themselves. Communities in and around Minnesota’s rural … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2016 CONTACT: Rebecca Toews, rebecca@ILSR.org, (612)808-0689 Campaign Finance Questions Arise Over Controversial Internet Bill After cutting a sizable donation to the Missouri Republican Party, AT&T’s bill to limit broadband competition from community networks is moving through the house. Just months after AT&T cut a $20,000 check to the House Republican Campaign Committee, Representative Lyndall Fraker … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22, 2016 CONTACT: Rebecca Toews, rebecca@ILSR.org, (612)808-0689 Google Fiber’s Dark Fiber Announcement Will Change How Cities Build Networks This morning, Huntsville, Alabama put a nail in the coffin of telephone and cable monopolies. The city is building a dark fiber network for any ISP to use– and Google Fiber was the first to … Read More
