CPUC office building with state seal above doorway

California Regulators To Include Broadband Affordability Requirements In Verizon Frontier Merger Approval

By

on Sep 18, 2025

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is poised to include new broadband affordability requirements as part of the state’s looming approval of Verizon’s massive $20 billion merger with Frontier Communications, even as some consumer advocacy groups worry the changes may not go quite far enough to hold Verizon accountable.

In Our View: Trump Administration Doubles Down on Pulling Investment Away from Rural Internet Access

By

Christopher Mitchell

on Sep 9, 2025

NTIA, the federal office administering the largest single investment to expand Internet access across the nation, appears to once again be changing the BEAD program in ways that would only force states to further reduce investment in rural areas.

A grounds eye view looking up at an old apartment building with old wiring running along the outside of the building

Massachusetts To Spend $31.5 Million On Broadband, Modernizing MDUs

By

Karl Bode

on Aug 27, 2025

The first installment of an ongoing series we are calling Connected Complex looks at how states, local communities, and Internet service providers are working to address the often complex challenges involved in bringing high-speed Internet access to multi-dwelling units.

An African American woman wearing a denim outfit holds a card in her hand that reads: trust is a must for us

Countdown to Next Building for Digital Equity Event: Moving at the Speed of Trust

By

Sean Gonsalves

on Sep 24, 2025

Slated for October 1 at 3 pm EST, the next B4DE virtual gathering will spotlight local strategies for digital equity and explore why it’s necessary for frontline digital inclusion practitioners to be “Moving at the Speed of Trust.”

Latest Podcast

How Rural America Gets Left Behind - Episode 660 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

Jonathan Chambers joins us to talk fiber, satellites, and the messy truth of federal broadband policy—and why evidence, not politics, should drive how we connect rural America.

Vermont’s Otter Creek CUD Finished Fiber Build $3 Million Under Budget

By

Karl Bode

on Sep 22, 2025

Vermont’s Otter Creek Communications Union District not only recently finished its major fiber deployment, CUD leaders say the project came in significantly under budget, saving Vermont state leaders more than $3 million in taxpayer dollars.

Thumb Electric Cooperative Hits 4,000th Fiber Customer Milestone

By

Karl Bode

on Sep 5, 2025

Michigan-based Thumb Electric Cooperative says its ongoing fiber deployment has hit a new milestone: its 4000th connected broadband subscriber.

Graphic illustration of movie theater with red seats and red curtains. The movie screen is blank with spotlights aimed at it. The air is filled with popcorn snow

Community Broadband Film Series Returns, Hosted by ILSR and AAPB

By

Sean Gonsalves

on Aug 21, 2025

The second installment in the ongoing Community Broadband Film Series spotlights “Rocketeers: The UTOPIA Fiber Story” – an eye-opening documentary that tells the story of how a publicly-owned fiber network has ignited local Internet choice and competition across dozens of cities.

Connect This! Show

Fiber Acquisitions and the New BEAD Numbers Are In | Episode 120 of the Connect This! Show

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about the Starship launch success, T-Mobile buying USI Fiber, the new BEAD numbers, the AT&T/Echostar spectrum deal, and more.

Latest Stories

'Twas the Night Before Muni Fiber: An Adaptation

By on Dec 23, 2015

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the team at MuniNetworks.org 2015 12 Twas the Night Before Muni-500.png

Another Coop Story: Wiatel Wires Western Iowa

By on Dec 22, 2015

Iowa, known across the country for its agriculture, is known in other circles for its exciting community broadband projects. Earlier this year President Obama visited Cedar Falls to praise its municipal network and to support other efforts to improve rural high-speed Internet access.

Pioneer Press Op-Ed: Competition and Community Savings

By on Dec 19, 2015

The Pioneer Press published this op-ed about Minnesota high speed Internet access and availability on December 3, 2015.

Christopher Mitchell: Competition and community savings

Wilson Moves to Expand Greenlight Network to Neighboring Town

By on Dec 16, 2015

Thanks to a new interlocal agreement, the City of Wilson, North Carolina will soon expand its Greenlight community broadband network to the nearby Town of Pi

Conduit Brings Connectivity in Lincoln, Nebraska

By on Dec 16, 2015

Lincoln, Nebraska, population 269,000, is making the most of a tough situation to improve connectivity and increase telecommunications competition; the city is doing it with conduit.

Community Broadband Media Roundup - December 18

By on Dec 15, 2015

California

Santa Cruz forges 'homegrown' fiber optic Internet partnership by Jessica A. York, Santa Cruz Sentinel

Op-ed: Spanish Fork Proves Utah Law is Counter-Productive

By on Dec 15, 2015

The Salt Lake Tribune published this op-ed championing local investment in Internet infrastructure on December 11, 2015.

Op-ed: Spanish Fork’s success shows municipal Internet networks work

By Christopher Mitchell

Collaborating to Light Up Opportunities in New York

By on Dec 15, 2015

"We have fiber in the ground that is currently dark...It's a resource we have that other communities want," said Rochester, New York, Mayor Lovely Warren at a November press conference.

Speedy Holiday Gift in Tullahoma

By on Dec 12, 2015

Tullahoma Utilities Board LightTUBe customers are once again receiving a special holiday gift via the municipal fiber network. As of December 5th, subscribers got a boost in speeds with no boost in price.

From the LightTUBe Facebook page:

Flipping the Switch in Santa Fe

By on Dec 11, 2015

In May, Chris introduced you to Sean Moody from Santa Fe's Economic Development Division, to explain how the community was investing in a new fiber link to better serve the local

PILOTing Positive in Tennessee

By on Dec 11, 2015

As the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reviews the FCC's February decision to scale back state anti-muni laws in Tennessee, at least two munis in the Volunte

Island Community Builds Their Own Network: Coverage in Ars and Video From The Scene

By on Dec 10, 2015

Island living has its perks - the roar of the waves, the fresh breeze, the beauty of an ocean sunset - but good Internet access is usually not one of them.

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Reports

To Improve Broadband Deployment, Enhanced Data Collection Is Key

A new report from Pew Research Center provides a review of available federal sources of broadband data and gaps and issues with those data. Within the report, Pew also examines the implications of these gaps on public policy and offers potential solutions to address them.

New Ideas in Competition Policy

By Ry Marcattilio

A new report out from Vanderbilt University's Policy Accelerator re-emphasizes some of the important steps federal government agencies could take to make sure that upcoming Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding is used as efficiently and equitably as possible.

Native Nations and Federal Telecom Policy Failures: Lessons from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

By Jessica Auer on Aug 5, 2024

A new report published today by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) reveals how the sovereignty of Tribal Nations and their own efforts to solve connectivity challenges on Tribal lands can be undermined by the poor design and maze of bureaucracy associated with some federal broadband programs. Even as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration takes over administration of the largest federal funding programs and re-situates Tribal closer to where they belong, the FCC continues its long-standing practice of scant engagement and infrequent consultation, complicating the terrain and stymieing Tribal efforts to close the digital divide in Indian Country.

Neighborly Networks - Vermont's Approach to Community Broadband

By Ry Marcattilio on Jun 4, 2024

In partnership with the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, today ILSR releases a new report examining how the state of Vermont is supercharging its telecommunications infrastructure efforts to reach the unconnected by investing in community broadband-driven efforts. Today, there are ten CUDs covering 216 towns across the state, and Vermont’s leaders have put the lion’s share of public funds behind the communications union district model.

Increased Wellness and Economic Return of Universal Broadband Infrastructure: A Telehealth Case Study of Ten Southern Rural Counties

By Ry Marcattilio on Apr 26, 2023

In a new report, published in partnership with the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative (SRBWI), the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) Community Broadband Networks Initiative examines the link between high-speed Internet infrastructure, access to healthcare, and the economic implications involved. It shows the even small communities that commit to universal, affordable, reliable service can avoid millions in healthcare costs, recouping financing in short order and leading to healthier populations.

The Problem(s) of Broadband in America

By Sean Gonsalves on Jul 7, 2021

In a new policy brief, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance looks to provide clarity for policy-makers by exploring the real challenges of America’s connectivity crisis. The brief aims to clear up a common misunderstanding of exactly where the digital divide is located.

Shopping for Broadband: Failed Federal Policy Creates Murky Marketplace

By Emma Gautier on Nov 11, 2021

A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) examines Internet Service Providers’ (ISPs) transparency — or lack thereof — around the Internet service packages they offer. Shopping for Broadband: Failed Federal Policy Creates Murky Marketplace finds that locally-controlled broadband networks are the most transparent around key service details. Large ISPs, on the other hand, are more likely to make information like upload speed and pricing difficult or impossible to find.

Six Community Broadband Networks Demonstrate Diversity of Approaches to Connectivity Challenges

By Sean Gonsalves on Jul 26, 2021

There are more than 600 wireline municipal broadband networks operating across the United States today. And while the ongoing discussion about our information infrastructure by Congress has placed a renewed emphasis on publicly owned endeavors to improving Internet access, the reality is that cities around the country have been successfully demonstrating the wide variety of successful approaches for decades.

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