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About Christopher

Christopher Mitchell is the Director of the Telecommunications as Commons Initiative with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. He runs MuniNetworks.org as part of ILSR's effort to ensure broadband networks are directly accountable to the communities that depend upon them. More

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community-broadband-bits-25-dewayne-hendricks-returns
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Dec 11, 2012

Community Broadband Bits 25 – Dewayne Hendricks Returns

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-bits-25-dewayne-hendricks-returns

Dewayne Hendricks has returned for his second appearance on the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, continuing our discussion about the potential for wireless technologies to improve how we access the Internet. We recommend listening to his first appearance in episode 18 before this one. Here, we take up the old wired vs. wireless debate, but quickly… Continue reading

lafayette-republicans-and-democrats-joined-forces-for-fiber
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Dec 10, 2012

Lafayette Republicans and Democrats Joined Forces for Fiber

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/lafayette-republicans-and-democrats-joined-forces-fiber

Earlier this year, we published a case study that examined the LUS Fiber network and its origins. In it, we noted that both Republicans and Democrats backed the plan but here we focus on their resolutions in support. Back in early 2005, Lafayette was preparing for a referendum on whether the city owned utility should… Continue reading

Wilson Gives Greenlight to Fast Internet
Article, Resource filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | 1 Comment | Updated on Dec 5, 2012

Report: Community Network Leads North Carolina to Fast Internet Future

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/wilson-fiber-greenlight/

Following the collapse of key industries, a town of 50,000 in eastern North Carolina had to make a hard choice. It wanted to support existing businesses and attract new ones but the cable and telephone companies were not interested in upgrading their networks for cutting edge capacity. So Wilson decided to build its own fiber… Continue reading

charter-losing-money-cuts-customer-support
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Dec 5, 2012

Charter Losing Money, Cuts Customer Support

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/charter-losing-money-cuts-customer-support

A Stop the Cap! story about Charter cutting customer service positions makes a point we make too rarely. Not that customer service from the national cable and telephone companies is terrible and getting worse, but that some are constantly struggling to make a profit. Investors don’t think too highly of the company either. Charter reported… Continue reading

community-broadband-bits-24-dr-browder-of-bristol-tennessee
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Dec 4, 2012

Community Broadband Bits 24 – Dr Browder of Bristol, Tennessee

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-bits-24-dr-browder-bristol-tennessee

Dr Browder runs Bristol Tennessee Essential Services, the municipal utility on the southern side of Bristol’s Virginia border. For our 24th Community Broadband Bits podcast, he tells us how they built a FTTH network and how it has helped the community. Like so many others, they started by seeking to ensure maximum reliability of the… Continue reading

rural-california-farms-need-fiber-to-be-fertile
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Dec 3, 2012

Rural California Farms Need Fiber to be Fertile

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/rural-california-farms-need-fiber-be-fertile

In yet another reminder that fiber optics and wireless are complementary, not substitutes, we just read about rural California farms needing better telecommunications that the big companies have refused to provide. This article offers a good introduction to why farms need access to the Internet. Modern farming takes advantage of gains in communications technology –… Continue reading

saltlaketribune
ILSR Press Room filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Dec 2, 2012

UTOPIA: World-class Broadband, Sky-high Debt

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/utopia-world-class-broadband-sky-high-debt/

The Salt Lake Tribune, December 2, 2012 Both public and private fiber-optic networks commonly borrow heavily as they build infrastructure and develop a viable subscriber base, several industry observers said. “When you build a network like this, it takes a minimum of several years of spending a lot of money before you start to get… Continue reading

we-cant-shop-our-way-to-a-better-economy
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Nov 27, 2012

We Can’t Shop Our Way to a Better Economy

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/we-cant-shop-our-way-better-economy

Our colleague at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Stacy Mitchell (too brilliant to be a relation of mine), recently gave an incredible presentation that focuses on some of the threats to our economy and how we can build stronger, more resilient communities. She doesn’t discuss broadband explicitly, but much of her critique of the largest… Continue reading

community-broadband-bits-23-harold-feld-from-public-knowledge
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Nov 27, 2012

Community Broadband Bits 23 – Harold Feld from Public Knowledge

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-bits-23-harold-feld-public-knowledge

One hundred years after Teddy Roosevelt and AT&T agreed to the Kingsbury Commitment, Harold Feld joins us on Community Broadband Bits podcast to explain what the Kingsbury Commitment was and why it matters. In short, AT&T wants to change the way telecommunications networks are regulated and Harold is one of our best allies on this… Continue reading

raleigh-plans-hobbled-by-state-ban-on-municipal-networks
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Nov 26, 2012

Raleigh Plans Hobbled by State Ban on Municipal Networks

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/raleigh-plans-hobbled-state-ban-municipal-networks

A recent article and video from Government Technology highlights the ambitious plans of Raleigh to harness the Internet to improve its attractiveness to forward-looking companies. Unfortunately, Time Warner Cable convinced North Carolina’s legislature that communities could not be trusted with the decision over whether it was a wise decision to invest in telecommunications networks. So… Continue reading