Community Broadband Media Roundup - November 4

Arizona

Slow broadband speeds challenge Tohono O'odham Community College, Arizona Public Media 

Colorado 

Loveland breaks ground on city-owned broadband utility, Herald Publicist 

Five years in, Longmont’s NextLight stands as national model by John Marinelli, Times-Call 

Iowa

Municipal broadband utilities can succeed, provide competition by Chris Mitchell, The Messenger 

Broadband vote is Tuesday in Fort Dodge by Bill Shea, The Messenger 

Massachusetts 

Weymouth joins Quincy in considering municipal Internet by Jessica Trufant, The Patriot Ledger 

Michigan

New tool developed to help improve high-speed Internet access in Northeast Michigan, Cheboygan Daily Tribune 

Missouri 

Crucial need for rural broadband creates inequities in Missouri by Abigail Shaw, Missourian 

New Hampshire

Multi-town ‘communication districts’ could be part of a new push for broadband in rural N.H. by David Brooks, Concord Monitor

New York

Madison County pushes survey of broadband access and quality, Rome Sentinel 

North Carolina

Rural broadband grant program gets a $5 million boost by Liora Engel-Smith, North Carolina Health News 

Digital divide persists in NC despite broadband availability; task force seeks to drive up usage by Chantal Allam, WRAL TechWire

Broadband access ‘a win for rural North Carolina’ by Maxim Tamarov, Sun Journal 

Ohio

Rural businesses in Ohio face limited broadband access, WOHIO

South Dakota 

The digital divide between rural and urban America still needs work, RFD TV 

Tennessee

County Commission eyes fiber-optic Internet options by Brian Justice, Herald Chronicle 

Texas

High-speed Internet still rare in parts of rural Texas by Travis Bubenik, Courthouse News

In Monahans, which lies in the heart of the nation’s largest and most active oilfield, energy companies hoping to set up a local office have had to move elsewhere because of the area’s lagging Internet capabilities, Burnett said.

“You’re losing families,” she said in an interview. “You’re losing good quality, high-paying jobs, families that are going to come to your community, that are going to be good stewards to the community.”

Big Country Politics: Broadband access in rural America, Big Country Homepage

General

Could the 2020 Census Help Bridge the Digital Divide? By Zack Quaintance, GovTech 

They must essentially perform digital equity work in the name of the Census. It’s a heavy lift, to be sure, but many say there is a silver lining — digital equity work for the Census can be executed in a way that has a lasting impact on underserved communities for years to come. 

Comcast fights Google’s encrypted-DNS plan but promises not to spy on users by Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica

Jonathan Sallet on the need to reset U.S. broadband policy, Benton Institute 

The 10 ways life would be different without broadband by Justin Rohrlich, Quartz

Broadband for America’s Future: A Vision for the 2020s, Jonathan Sallet, Benton Institute