Community Broadband Media Roundup - December 16

Colorado

Residents react to broadband roll out by Jessica Jenkins, TrailGazette 

Fort Collins has already won with Connexion broadband by Patrick Burns, Coloradoan  

 

Georgia 

Georgia authorizes electric cooperatives to deliver rural broadband, Benton Institute for Broadband and Society 

“FCC maps, which use data submitted by current service providers, have been grossly overstating the areas considered “served” by broadband providers. Why are the FCC maps important? Simply put, federal funds for rural broadband have been distributed using the FCC’s flawed maps. It’s no wonder that rural broadband access is such a mess. Thankfully, Georgia is leading the way nationally in defining the broadband problem with new, accurate maps.”

 

Kentucky 

One of the poorest, most desperate regions in Appalachia is experiencing an economic miracle thanks to fiber run by a New Deal-era co-op by Mitch Wagner, Boingboing

 

Maine

MaineCF’s community broadband program awards $100,000 in grants, CentralMaine.com

 

Maryland 

Choptank electric looking to bring broadband service to rural communities by Cate Douglass, WBOC TV

Broadband in rural Maryland? How Eastern Shore could get new provider by Lucas Gonzalez, Delmarva Now 

 

North Dakota  

Rural broadband leads way to a ‘connected society’ in places like Inkster, ND by Sam Easter, The Dickinson Press

“Midway’s classrooms are an example of the benefits local communities reap from a high-speed Internet connection. But it’s far from the only way that the Internet – often considered as important as roads or electricity – have become to modern communities. There are implications for healthcare, which increasingly relies on telemedicine, and for business development concerns. There are smart farming applications and unmanned aircraft implications. The list goes on.”

 

North Carolina 

Expanding to Wilson, RIot aims to support tech startup growth east of the Triangle by Shannon Cuthrell, WRAL TechWire

 

Ohio

County announces broadband campaign by Samantha Field, Observer Dispatch

 

South Carolina 

USDA invests $8.1 million in rural broadband for South Carolina families, USDA

 

South Dakota

USDA invests $9.5  million in rural broadband for South Dakota families, USDA

 

Tennessee 

Forked Deer Electric Cooperatives brings fiber to unserved areas with AXOS, Broadband Communities Magazine  

 

West Virginia 

Rural broadband in West Virginia: Building on successes of 2019 by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, The Exponent Telegram

 

General

How the FCC lets your ISP paint a rosy picture of Internet speeds by Makena Kelly, The Verge

“According to the WSJ, companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast have worked to influence the reports and have used a variety of tactics over the years to boost their numbers. In doing so, the FCC’s reporting system could be showing connection speeds that are far faster than what customers actually get.”

Rural electric co-ops deliver broadband, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

Two years later, broadband providers are still taking advantage of an Internet without net neutrality protections by Lindsay Stern, Public Knowledge 

Smart cities require smart infrastructure by James Carlini, International Policy Digest