Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 12

California

Bill to expand broadband access in tribal communities passes house by Jesus Reyes, KESQ - California News Service

The Tribal Broadband Deployment Act would direct the Federal Communications Commission to improve broadband access in tribal lands within 30 months, according to the office of Ruiz, who authored the bill.

The legislation also seeks an evaluation of broadband coverage in Indian country and solutions to address the "digital divide'' that Ruiz said exists in those communities.

L.A. councilman proposes new department to improve broadband internet access by LA Times City News Service

 

Colorado

The community discusses broadband at forum by Zach Clemens, Estes Park Trail Gazette

Boulder looks to Fort Collins in starting its own broadband network by Nick Coltrain, The Coloradoan

Fort Collins' broadband effort is earning attention in Buffs country.

Representatives from the city of Boulder are planning to visit with Fort Collins officials Tuesday to discuss the city's efforts to make municipal broadband a reality in the Choice City.

 

Georgia

Is Bad FCC Data Holding Back Georgia’s Rural Internet Push? by Tyler Jett, Chattanooga Times Free Press (Government Technology)

 

Kentucky

Rural Communities Take Broadband Into Their Own Hands by Benny Becker, National Public Radio

Massachusetts

Group forms to pressure city on broadband, saying ‘no alternative’ to municipal inaction by Marc Levy, Cambridge Day

A lobbying group has formed to pressure Cambridge into taking the next steps on investing in city-owned fiber for high-speed broadband Internet, members of a steering committee said in a press release today.

The group, Upgrade Cambridge, “intends to use the classic tools of grassroots organizing – meetings, leaflets, petitions and canvassing – as well as technological methods to mobilize residents,” according to the release, explaining that it was born out of frustration over the city’s lack of response to the findings of a municipal Broadband Task Force formed by the city manager in 2014.

Editorial: New broadband manager seems like a better fit for Greenfield by Greenfield Recorder

TMLP extending fiber-optic internet service to homes by Jordan Deschenes, Taunton Gazette

 

Michigan

Rural Washtenaw County communities fight to bring broadband internet online by Sarah Rigg, Second Wave Media

Sharon Township supervisor Peter Psarouthakis can see fiber optic cable running along the road 30 feet from his home, but he can't take advantage of the broadband internet access it provides. That's because Frontier Communications, the company that ran the cable through the township, won't serve small rural communities like Sharon Township.

But the township, which lies between Manchester and Grass Lake, isn't alone. Getting broadband service to rural areas of Washtenaw County is a problem that many townships and villages face, and they are implementing a variety of strategies to address the lack of service.

Why Low-Income Communities Are Building Their Own Internet Networks by Eillie Anzilotti, Fast Company

In that respect, EII is similar to networks like NYC Mesh, a community-based internet service provider in New York City–the type of which is growing in popularity in the wake of the FCC’s December decision to roll back net neutrality protections, because community members decide the terms of the service. But EII is as much about education and community advancement as it is about internet service.

“Internet is often a top-down model and the information of where the tech goes and how it works doesn’t get transferred, so you keep people in the dark,” Nucera says. “We wanted to combine high-level wireless with high-level organizing.”

 

New York

Community broadband forum should be emulated statewide by Sun Community News Editorial Board

 

North Carolina

North Carolina Community Welcomes Broadband Expansion by Micki Bare, Government Technology

The largest fiber optic network in the state has reached into Randolph County, providing more broadband access to organizations and citizens, and adding another piece to the infrastructure puzzle.

MCNC, the nonprofit owner and operator of the N.C. Research and Education Network (NCREN), celebrated the completion of its Central Carolina Fiber Project with an event Tuesday at Randolph Community College.

The fiber network reaches from Greensboro to Hamlet, running directly through the center of Randolph County and connecting 22 Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs), all of which now have direct connections on MCNC-maintained fiber network facilities.

Avery County Chamber of Commerce Receives Grant to Expand and Improve Internet Access by Nathan Ham, High Country Press

 

Tennessee

Bill to deregulate broadband killed by Steve Marion, Jefferson City Standard Bearer

Erwin, Tn: Evolving from Railroads to Fiber Optic Cables by Sean Doyle, Smart Growth America

 

Vermont

Town Meeting Day: Central Vermont looks to form fiber optic district by Elizabeth Gribkoff, VT Digger

 

Washington

Washington state’s net neutrality law is the beginning of a big headache for Internet providers by Brian Fung, Washington Post

Owning fiber, town considering broadband expansion by Scott Hunter, Grand Coulee Star

Washington state enacts net neutrality law, in clash with FCC by Klint Finley, Wired

Process to determine future of Click inches forward by Steven Dunkelberger, Tacoma Weekly

 

West Virginia

WV broadband council mulls combining federal, state data on internet access by Max Garland, West Virginia Gazette Mail

 

Wyoming

ISPs Buy a Wyoming Bill That Blocks Community Broadband by Karl Bode, DSL Reports

This is how big cable companies make sure they never face real competition by Chris Mills, BGR

The vast majority of Americans have no choice when it comes to home internet. By and large, a handful of cable companies have the nation divided up into a series of regional monopolies, giving the illusion of competition but no actual incentive to lower prices or offer good customer service. Realizing this, local municipalities have increasingly warmed to the idea of local, publicly-owned internet providers as an alternative to big telecom companies.

Where municipal internet has taken off, it’s overwhelmingly been loved by residents — which, of course, means that telecoms companies have to nip this potential threat in the bud. A truly incredible example of how telecoms companies use state-level politics to kill off the threat happened recently in Wyoming, where telecom lobbyists took a bill that would have given state grants to local communities to get high-speed internet, and used it instead to block public broadband.

 

General

Citizen engagement key to the success of Smart Cities by Guy Daniels, TelecomTV

“Dig Once” rule requiring fiber deployment is finally set to become US law by Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica

Congress is looking to bring fiber internet to you faster with the Dig Once bill by Lulu Chang, Digital Trends

No, AT&T hasn't created internet fast lanes. But… by Marguerite Reardon, CNET

Cities argue 5G internet rollout laws violate property rights by Carey L. Biron, Christian Science Monitor

5G is in Danger of Being Oversold by Stacey Higginbothumn, IEEE Spectrum