What will we be talking about that the National Conference for Media Reform in Denver, April 5-7 of 2013? Lots of things, but let’s make sure Community Networks are on the agenda! The National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR) is a great gathering of enthusiastic people who want to build a better media that reflect the … Read More
Sandy has run a wireless network for over eight years and has just announced a partnership with i3 to bring FTTH to everyone using i3’s technology to run trunk fiber lines through existing waste water and storm water pipes. We previously wrote about Sandy here. Joe Knapp, the IT Director for the city of Sandy and … Read More
Following the release of our case study on Chanute, Kansas, we have an interview with City Manager JD Lester and Director of Utilities Larry Gates for our 16th podcast — Community Broadband Bits. JD Lester and Larry Gates discuss Chanute’s network and its impact on their rural community. As detailed in the case study, Chanute built … Read More
Doc Searls is a terrific thinker who “gets” the Internet. He was one of several responsible for The Cluetrain Manifesto and his most recent book – The Intention Economy is on my short list of to-read books.
Chanute first built a vision, then a network. The fiber network connects schools and other community anchor institutions with gigabit networks. The wireless network serves public safety. Soon, both may serve everyone. The “Hub of southeast Kansas” is a small town where schools have gigabit connections, the City operates a 10Gbps fiber-optic broadband ring, and several … Read More
Geoff Daily is an old friend of ours at Community Broadband Networks and he joins us for our 15th installment of the Community Broadband Bits audio show. He created a nonprofit organization, FiberCorps in Lafayette, Louisiana, to maximize usage of the LUS Fiber network owned by the community. Geoff and I discuss the importance of early … Read More
The LUS Fiber network owned by the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, was profiled in this nine minute video from the FTTH Council Conference. LUS Fiber has been an inspiring network – overcoming tremendous opposition from Cox cable and AT&T (formerly BellSouth). It has long offered what I consider to be the best deal in broadband in … Read More
Our fourteenth episode of Community Broadband Bits is an interview with Bob Frankston, who has made many important contributions to the development of both computers an telecommunications. His bio is here, but this is his present passion: My current interest is moving beyond the 19th century concept of telecom to community owned infrastructure. This would add … Read More
Curtis Dean, the Telecommunications Services Coordinator for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, joins us for our 13th Community Broadband Bits podcast. Curtis explains why Iowa has so many municipal utilities and why 28 of them offer some form of telecommunications service. We talk about why making sure everyone in rural areas has access to affordable, … Read More
