Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 10

Colorado

Breckenridge to vote on broadband ballot measure by Kailyn Lamb, Summit Daily News

Massachusetts

Wellesley Municipal Light Plant seeking commercial customers to test broadband Internet service by The Swellesley Report

Broadband coming to Ashfield by Diane Broncaccio, Greenfield Recorder

New York

Gigabit Internet: 5 things to know by Jordan Fenster, Lohud Journal News

Gigabit: Why Westchester and not the Big Apple? by Avram A. Billig & Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, Lohud Journal News

Beneath the dense metropolis of New York City is a "rat's nest" of utility wires, according to Christopher Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Digging around these wires to install new cables is both costly and could lead to unintended outages. "If you're Verizon, there's a big incentive to have this kind of rat's nest because you already have your space," said Mitchell. Less densely packed communities are able to cut costs dramatically by using utility poles, which Mitchell cites as being around 10 times cheaper than digging.

North Carolina

Public housing broadband coming to North Carolina community by Olivia Neeley, GovTech

Pinetops loses high-speed Internet by Lindell John Kay, Rocky Mount Telegram

High-speed internet could have jump started Pinetops’ real estate market, Carmon said, adding that with homes valued around $78,000 and the option of faster internet speeds, Pinetops could have become a bedroom community for nearby Greenville. The town could have offered low-cost, affordable housing to city professionals like doctors and lawyers.

Oklahoma

City approves $18,000 fiber survey by Melinda Stotts, Miami News-Record

Internet service sometimes shaky in rural communities by Rachael Van Horn, Woodward News

Tennessee

EPB says pubic demand will help change muni broadband laws by Sean Buckley, FierceTelecom

EPB says that while it is still limited by Tennessee law to selling 1 Gbps FTTH service within its defined borders, the municipal fiber provider for Chattanooga is confident that growing demand for higher speed broadband could drive a change to current legislation. 

Despite the legal barrier, the service provider continues to get requests from nearby towns to get their broadband service.

Weak broadband access slows rural Tennessee's economy by Jamie McGee, The Tennessean

What's the best way to demonstrate high-speed Internet? Rock and roll by Dave Flessner and Tim Omarzu, GovTech

General

FCC proposal: Internet providers must ask to share your data by Tali Arbel, Seattle Times

Making the most of wireless Internet access by Todd O'Boyle, Medium

Yesterday's Internet isn't good enough for tomorrow's cities by Carly Berwick, NextCity