Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
Katie Kienbaum
Before joining ILSR, Katie conducted outreach to members of rural electric cooperatives in western North Carolina. She holds a degree in economics and environmental studies from the University of Pittsburgh.
Stories by this author
Upcoming Rural Assembly Events Spotlight Critical Need for Better Rural and Tribal Broadband During Pandemic
The Rural Assembly is hosting two livestreamed events on Internet access in rural and Native communities during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The first event, scheduled for Thursday, April 16 at 4 p.m. ET, will explore how people in rural areas and on tribal lands are accessing broadband and the impacts of limited connectivity. Speakers at the second session, on Friday, April 22 at 4 p.m. ET, will discuss how federal policymakers and other government officials are addressing the lack of reliable rural broadband and what more needs to be done.
Cullman Electric Cooperative to Grow Connectivity in Rural Alabama With Sprout Fiber Internet
Alabama-based Cullman Electric Cooperative recently launched its new Fiber-to-the-Home network Sprout Fiber Internet, reported the Cullman Times.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 346
This is the podcast for episode 346 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. In this episode, Christopher speaks with Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the Minnesota Telecommunications Alliance and vice president and COO of Christensen Communications, a small telephone company and Internet access provider in Madelia, Minnesota.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 364
This is the transcript for episode 364 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. For this episdoe, Christopher speaks with David Young, former Fiber Infrastructure and Right-of-Way Manager for the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. They discuss the city's conduit network, its partnership with Allo, and how the broadband infrastructure is creating new opportunities for Lincoln.
Dallas Morning News Covers Mont Belvieu’s Trailblazing MB Link Network
We last wrote about MB Link, the municipal fiber network in Mont Belvieu, Texas, in October 2018.
Electric Co-ops Request Expedited Rural Broadband Subsidies From FCC
Earlier this month, more than 70 electric cooperatives joined consulting firm Conexon in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to speed up planned rural broadband funds in response to the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
ILSR Recognized in Broadband Communities Magazine's FTTH Top 100
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s (ILSR’s) Community Broadband Networks initiative is honored to be recognized as one of the top 100 Fiber-the-the-Home (FTTH) leaders by Broadband Communities magazine.
More Arkansas Residents Soon to Have Access to Gig Speeds, Thanks to Their Local Co-op
Residents of northern Arkansas will soon be able to obtain high-speed Internet access through their local electric cooperative. North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) recently received approval from its Board of Directors to expand its residential broadband pilot program, NEXT, Powered by NAEC.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 348
This is the transcript for episode 348 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. In this episode, Christopher speaks with author and researcher David Weinberger. Their conversation touches on many topics, including the importance of the Internet, how the concept of knowledge has changed throughout time, and the promise of machine learning.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 366
This is the transcript for episode 366 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This episode originally ran as episode 77 of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Building Local Power podcast.