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Time Warner Pushes Moratorium in North Carolina
Time Warner continues to fight for monopoly protections in North Carolina with legislation to hamstring municipalities, preventing them from building the essential broadband infrastructure they need.
Cable Cos, Wi-Fi, and Limiting Competition
David Pogue, a NY Times Tech columnist, recently wrote about a partnership between cable companies to share Wi-Fi access points:
I, a Cablevision customer, can now use all of Time Warner’s and Comcast’s hot spots in these three states.
North Carolina Considers Pro-Monopoly, Anti-Competition Broadband Bill
Stop the Cap! sounded the alarm that North Carolina is once again considering a bill to prevent competition by effectively banning communities from building their own networks.
What is Wrong With This - Lancaster Edition
From an article in the local paper about Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Google Gigabit Application:
Brogan said that if Lancaster is selected, it would not run afoul of the state Telecommunications Act.
FCC and Network Neutrality - A Quick Take
A quick reaction to the court decision that the FCC cannot currently prevent Comcast from telling subscribers where they can and cannot go on the Internet: This is what happens when private companies own infrastructure.
Comcast owns the pipes so it makes the rules.
Free UTOPIA Podcast - Discussion with Todd Marriott
Jesse Harris interviews Todd Marriott, Executive Director of UTOPIA about the network, its relationships with the member cities, and their round two application for broadband stimulus funds.
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Audio Interview: Future of Telecom in Minnesota
Last week, I spoke with Jeff Pesek and Peter Fleck of Tech.mn about telecom and broadband in Minnesota.
Salisbury FTTH Network Picks a Name: Fibrant
The folks in Salisbury, North Carolina, have picked a name for their new FTTH network, Fibrant.
Video Pitches UTOPIA to Google for Gigabit Network
As part of his pitch to Google to partner with UTOPIA in Google's gigabit network experiment, Jesse Harris gives some of the history of the UTOPIA project.
Letters to the Editor in Chattanooga Boost Local Public Network
Recent letters in the Chattanoogan reflect frustration with the cable incumbent, Comcast, and the ease of switching to the publicly owned EPB Fiber network. This is one of them:
My Comcast exit was very easy. Step one: Make appointment to have EPB Fiber service installed.
We Need Fewer Stunts and More Infrastructure
Mike Schuster absolutely gets it right in his dismissal of public relations stunts to attract Google's Gigabit network:
Bear in mind, these stunts aren't even guaranteed short-term fixes -- they're one-in-a-million half-court shots.
FairPoint Continues Fight Against Competition in Maine
Light Reading took an in-depth look at FairPoint's anti-competition, anti-public ownership lobbying in Maine, where it is fighting a stimulus award to a consortium that includes a public entity.
On Opposite Coasts, People Organize for Broadband
I added these links to our link section in the right column, but wanted to note them explicitly.
Colorado's Least Populous County Wires Itself
Ran across this interesting story out of Silverton, Colorado - where Qwest has refused to provide a reliable telecommunications connection to the least populous county in Colorado.
Stop the Cap's History of Electrification
Stop the Cap has an interesting series looking back at the history of electrification in the U.S.
Highlights of Reactions to National Broadband Plan
Just a few short snippets, no real commentary from me today...
Tracy Rosenberg wrote Single Payer Broadband at the Huffington Post, noting:
Cities and states all over the country have been looking at the possibility of public networks.
Seattle Looks to Lafayette for Broadband Advice
Seattle, which was recently getting some tips from Tacoma, has now turned to Lafayette for more advice on building a publicly owned FTTH network.
WindomNet Covered by Local Fox Affiliate
In Mankato, the local Fox station covered the stimulus grants that will allow WindomNet to expand and offer services to nearby rural communities.
Free UTOPIA Podcast - Discussion with Provider Brigham.Net
Jesse Harris continues his monthly podcast show with an interview of Ken Sutton from Brigham.Net - a service provider from Brigham City that recently started offering services on the UTOPIA network.
Brigham.Net has developed a very loyal customer base -- an impressive feat as it was dependent on leasing loops from Qwest, its biggest competitor.