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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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pioneerpress
ILSR Press Room filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Oct 1, 2012

High Fiber Debate

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

St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 1, 2012 The streets have yet to be ripped up, the trenches yet to be dug, for a proposed $14 million ultrafast fiber-optic underground broadband network in Ramsey County.  The county has long said the network would be exclusively for government use. Facilities without fiber connectivity, like the county workhouse,… Continue reading

lafayettes-community-fiber-video-discusses-local-benefits-from-network
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 27, 2012

Lafayette’s Community Fiber Video Discusses Local Benefits From Network

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/lafayettes-community-fiber-video-discusses-local-benefits-network

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… Continue reading

community-broadband-bits-14-bob-frankston
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 26, 2012

Community Broadband Bits 14 – Bob Frankston

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-bits-14-bob-frankston

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… Continue reading

CountyNews_logo
ILSR Press Room filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 24, 2012

Rural Counties’ Broadband Projects Face Uncertainty

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/rural-counties-broadband-projects-face-uncertainty/

County News, September 24, 2012 The success of two South Carolina counties’ plans to provide broadband access to rural areas could be in jeopardy because of a new state law that severely restricts public broadband projects. It also essentially bans new ones. … Oconee County was awarded $9.6 million for a so-called “middle-mile” project to… Continue reading

theatlanticcities
ILSR Press Room filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 24, 2012

Is Broadband for All Even Possible?

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

Atlantic Cities, September 24, 2012 More than 20 wireless routers sit on rooftops in Washington, D.C.’s Bloomingdale neighborhood. About a mile away in Mt. Pleasant, eight such routers have already been installed, with plans for an expansion into neighboring Columbia Heights. In each neighborhood, the routers form the basis of a community mesh network—wireless networks… Continue reading

community-broadband-bits-13-curtis-dean-of-iowa-association-of-municipal-utilities
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 18, 2012

Community Broadband Bits 13 – Curtis Dean of Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-bits-13-curtis-dean-iowa-association-municipal-utilities

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… Continue reading

community-broadband-bits-12-todd-murren-with-springnet-missouri
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 11, 2012

Community Broadband Bits 12 – Todd Murren with SpringNet, Missouri

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-bits-12-todd-murren-springnet-missouri

The 12th episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast features an interview with Todd Murren of SpringNet, in Springfield Missouri. SpringNet delivers blazing broadband over Ethernet to businesses in the community. We talk about Missouri’s strong restrictions on local authority around broadband and the history of SpringNet. We also discuss how SpringNet has led to… Continue reading

americanindependent
ILSR Press Room filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 10, 2012

Big telecom pushes de-regulation bill in California

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/big-telecom-pushes-de-regulation-bill-california/

The American Independent, September 10, 2012 California could be the latest state to enact a law that dramatically curbs regulatory oversight of telecommunications services in the state, handing a significant victory to the industry players that have lobbied for the bill’s passage.  On its face, SB 1161 seems simple enough. The text of the bill… Continue reading

community-broadband-bits-11-steve-reneker-of-riverside-california
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Sep 4, 2012

Community Broadband Bits 11 – Steve Reneker of Riverside California

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-bits-11-steve-reneker-riverside-california

In our 11th episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, we interview Steve Reneker — the Chief Innovation Officer & Executive Director of SmartRiverside — of Riverside, California. We discuss why Riverside built its own wired and wireless networks and how it is using them to improve the efficiency of local government operations and increase… Continue reading

ramsey-county-and-saint-paul-under-fire-for-network-plan
Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Aug 28, 2012

Ramsey County and Saint Paul Under Fire for Network Plan

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/ramsey-county-and-saint-paul-under-fire-network-plan

If you were judging solely from the reaction of Comcast, you could be faulted for thinking Ramsey County and the city of Saint Paul were making a bold, if risky, investment to bring real broadband to local businesses and citizens in Minnesota’s capital. But you would be wrong. Very wrong. The City and the County… Continue reading