Christopher Mitchell Discusses Community Networks on Rural America Radio
On Friday March 18, Luisa Handem of Rural America Radio and RuMBA (Rural Mobile & Broadband Alliance) interviewed me.
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Op-Ed Praises UTOPIA for Helping Utah
Kane Loader, the City Manager for Midvale and Chair of the UTOPIA board, penned a recent op-ed explaining why UTOPIA is important to readers. UTOPIA is a trailblazer in the US open access fiber-optic network space.
Clearwire Validates Skepticism About Wireless as Last-Mile Solution
Clearwire, which brags that it built the first 4G network in the country, is under assault from its customers.
Customers began complaining in mid-2010 that Clearwire had begun to throttle their home Internet connections, sometimes as slow as 256Kbps.
Examining Virginia's Broadband Problems
The Roanoke Times recently published an extensive story about broadband, covering everything from what it is to why it is needed and who doesn't have it.
Ask Me Questions on Rural America Radio Friday
I just joined the community at RuMBA - the Rural Mobile & Broadband Alliance - and will be appearing on Rural America Radio to discuss rural broadband issues on Friday, March 18. You can call in with questions. Details from Rural America Radio here:
Network Neutrality Opponents Totally Out of Touch With Reality
Public Knowledge produced and released this video revealing the increasing divide between reality and what opponents of network neutrality claim.
Minnesota Cable Companies Fight to Stop Rural Lake County From Getting Broadband
Lake County's County-wide FTTH network has encountered more than its fair share of troubles but residents are excited at the prospect of having broadband access to the Internet.
Chanute, Kansas, Publicly Owned Fiber-Optic Network Serves Area Businesses
I continue to find it odd that more communities with publicly owned networks do not create official videos or other promotional material that is readily accessible on the Internet. Videos discussing fiber-optic investments continue to be the exception to the rule.
Comparing Broadband Services: Salisbury Fibrant and Wilson Greenlight to Incumbents in North Carolina
This is a video we have wanted to do for a long time. With H 129 threatening community networks across the state, we finished it.
Asheville Opposes Rep Avila's Attempt to Enshrine Time Warner Cable Monopoly
The continuing saga of H129/S87 in North Carolina has proved at least one thing, Time Warner Cable knows how to pull the puppet strings.
FairPoint Undermining Broadband Access in Vermont
In an op-ed, Tom Evslin discusses FairPoint and their opposition to a middle mile stimulus grant that would improve broadband access around the state. FairPoint had taken over Verizon's New England lines a few years ago.
Salisbury's Fibrant Making A Difference in Area Schools
Salisbury's Fibrant network in North Carolina was recently praised in a letter to the editor of a local paper for improving the educational tools in schools.
Rockingham County, NC, Passes Resolution Against Bill to Limit Community Networks
Rockingham County has joined Raleigh in officially passing a resolution against legislation to cripple community networks in the state.
Bill to Limit Broadband Competition in North Carolina Heads to House Finance Committee Next Week
On Wednesday, the bill to effectively ban community networks in North Carolina was passed out of the House Public Utilities Committee and will
Protect FCC Authority to Ensure an Open Internet
Despite the FCC's lack of interest (or rather, Chairman G's lack of interest) in actually defending Network Neutrality and protecting the open Internet, we must defend the right of the FCC to ensure an Open Internet. Such is life...
Natural Monopoly in North Carolina: The Need for Community Networks and Competition
As the North Carolina Legislature considers HB129 and S87 to greatly limit community broadband networks (we analyzed the bill here), it is worth taking a step back to understand why companies like Time Warner Cable provide broadband that is unreliable and comparatively
Opposition Builds to TWC Bill in NC - Private Companies Weigh In Against Bill
A coalition of private companies, including Alcatel-Lucent, American Public Power Association, Atlantic-Engineering, the Fiber to the Home Council, Google, Intel, OnTrac, Telecommunications Industry Association, and Utilities Telecom Council, have released a letter opposing HB129/S87 in North Carolina.
A Few Loose Ends...
Too few posts on the blog this week - apologies.
Continuing Push to Stop North Carolina Monopoly Protection Act
As part of the effort to stop the bill that will codify Time Warner Cable's monopoly in North Carolina, we published a press release today (previous coverage of
Wisconsin Returns Stimulus Funds to NTIA, Award Was Going to AT&T Anyway
The story about Wisconsin becoming the first state to return broadband stimulus funds has circulated quite quickly over recent days.