Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
Berkshire Eagle - February 4, 2017
Written by Larry Parnass & Patricia LeBoeuf
The Colorado Senate Business, Labor, & Technology Committee will soon consider the proposed repeal of the state’s restriction on municipal networks. Under current state law, known as SB 152, local governments are not permitted to pursue a municipal network without first holding a referendum.
Folks in Ammon, Idaho, are now getting choice, speed, and affordability from their new municipal Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network. Home owners are making the switch and waving "bye-bye" to the burdens of a broken market for the benefits of publicly owned infrastructure.
High Demand
Republican Delegates in the Virginia House Labor and Commerce Committee advanced HB 2108 yesterday, despite opposition from constituents,
Next Century Cities and Google Fiber are taking applications for the 2017 Digital Inclusion Leadership Awards. The deadline is Friday, February 10, 2017.
From the award announcement:
Mount Washington has selected a firm to handle the design and construction services for its planned Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network.
Mount Washington
The next time you’re attending a city council meeting, a local broadband initiative committee meeting, or just chatting with neighbors about better local connectivity, take a few copies of our Why Local Solutions? fact sheet.
Friends of Municipal Broadband are asking citizens who want the state to improve connectivity in Virginia to attend a hearing of the House Commerce and Labor Committee tomorrow, Feb. 2nd. They want Virginians to speak out against HB 2108, affectionately known as “Byron’s Bad Broadband Bill.”
Laurinburg, North Carolina, is considering opening its fiber-optic network to private providers.
The 2017 Mountain Connect Broadband Development Conference is set for May 22-24 at the Keystone Resort & Conference Center in Colorado. This year’s theme is Building Sustainable Communities through Smart Networks and you can now register online.
Some of the topics to be discussed at the conference:
Even after constituent calls and emails, and a threat from Governor McAuliffe to veto her bad broadband bill, Del. Kathy Byron is trying to shove through her anti-competitive HB 2108. The legislation will prove fatal for local telecommunications authority if it passes.
Colorado
One town's quest to join tech revolution - and what it says about digital inequality by Kyle Spencer, Christian Science Monitor
As bills in Virginia and Missouri state legislatures are up for review this year, take a few minutes to listen to Christopher Mitchell and Lisa Gonzalez discuss state preemption, past, present, and future in episode 10 of the Building Local Power podcast.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam doesn’t want the public’s money to pay for publicly owned Internet infrastructure. He has no problem, however, writing a $45 million check backed by taxpayers and payable to the likes of AT&T in Tennessee.
"A Little Song, A Little Dance, A Little Seltzer Down Your Pants"
Glenwood Springs recently released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) as it looks for firms to help them develop broadband planning.
Our newest fact sheet, More than just Facebook, provides an overview on how Internet access and fast, affordable, reliable connectivity reaches most aspects of our lives.
Governor Terry McAuliffe is one of a many voices that are speaking out against Del. Kathy Byron’s Bad Broadband Bill, reports the Roanoke Times.
As SB 186 sits patiently in committee, advocates of better broadband from the private and public sectors are banding together to share their thoughts on the bill. They believe that the bill will stifle attempts to improve connectivity throughout the state.
Local officials in Columbia County, Georgia, wanted better public safety communications, synchronized traffic signals, and better connectivity for government facilities. They decided the best strategy was a publicly owned network and their decision is creating opportunities they hadn't anticipated.
Date: January 25th, 2017
Contact:
Christopher Mitchell
612-545-5185
