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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 11, 2012

Wisconsin To Stop Doing Cost-Benefit Studies Because They Find Public Is Better

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/wisconsin-stop-cost-benefit-studies-find-public/

Back in 2005,  Wisconsin state agencies were found to be spending more contracting out for services than if they were done by existing public employees.  In response the legislature, with bipartisan support, passed a bill requiring agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before privatizing large public contracts. By far the biggest state government outsourcer was… Continue reading

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 11, 2012

Net Metering a Cost to Utilities, or a Benefit?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/net-metering-cost-utilities-benefit-2/

Utilities often claim that allowing customers to run their meter backward (by generating electricity on-site, e.g. from rooftop solar) can affect their bottom line because these customers don’t pay enough to cover the cost of maintaining the grid.  In at least one case, however, a utility’s cost-benefit analysis of net metering was turned on its… Continue reading

Article filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Apr 11, 2012

Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services’ Construction Moves Forward

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/southwest-minnesota-broadband-services-construction-moves-forward

Good news for folks in Jackson, Wilder, and Bingham Lake in Southwest Minnesota! Your local broadband options are about to get much better. Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SMBS) just announced that construction is advancing on the new network. The 125-mile fiber ring is expected to be completed by September, 2012. If you live in their… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 10, 2012

The Data Says That Privatization is Worse

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

The next time a privateer tells you how awful government is and how wonderful private corporations are, send him a copy of In the Public Interest’s one pager, Five Myths About Privatization.  Complete with footnoted sources, it is a refreshing rejoinder to the non-footnoted narrative that has regrettably come to define the American zeitgeist. For… Continue reading

Article filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | No Comments | Updated on Apr 10, 2012

Digital Divide Event in St Paul on April 18

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/digital-divide-event-st-paul-april-18

For people in St Paul and the surrounding communities, I will be presenting at an event about the digital divide sponsored by the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. The details are below, but the key detail is that you have to RSVP (no fee for admission). As the Internet and other information technologies have transformed our… Continue reading

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Featured Article, ILSR Press Room filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 10, 2012

Post Offices: Too Important To Be Stamped Out

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

Star Tribune, April 9, 2012 In this piece in the Star Tribune David Morris speaks out on the need to stop the tidal wave of post office closings that will occur when the Post Office’s self-imposed moratorium ends in mid May. Last year, 3,600 communities, about 90 in Minnesota, were notified that they’ll probably lose… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | 1 Comment | Updated on Apr 10, 2012

Why Voter Photo ID Is Wrongheaded In One Page

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/voter-photo-id-wrongheaded-page/

This one page flyer from the ACLU cuts to the heart of the issue. For example, “Despite a massive investigation by voter ID proponents, there were only 160 voter eligibility violation cases filed in 2011, and only 140 convictions. All of which were felons voting before they were eligible. 2,700,000 votes were cast in 2010… Continue reading

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Featured Article, Resource filed under Broadband | Written by Christopher | 21 Comments | Updated on Apr 9, 2012

Broadband at the Speed of Light

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

The fastest networks in the nation are built by local governments, a new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Benton Foundation reveals Chattanooga, Tennessee, is well known for being the first community with citywide access to a “gig,” or the fastest residential connections to the Internet available nationally. Less known are Bristol, Virginia,… Continue reading

Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Apr 6, 2012

Data Finds Arizona Private Prisons Are Poor Investment. Arizona Responds By No Longer Collecting Data

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/data-finds-arizona-private-prisons-poor-investment-arizona-responds-longer-collecting-data/

Since 1987, Arizona’s Department of Corrections has been legislatively mandated to produce cost and quality reviews for its private prisons, in part to judge how they compare with state-run facilities. The data on costs were collected, but in recent years, it took a lawsuit by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for the Department of… Continue reading

Article filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Apr 6, 2012

Lafayette Says "Hi" to 1 Gig

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/lafayette-says-hi-1-gig

LUS Fiber now offers its business subscribers the current ultimate in broadband speeds. An April 5th press release from LUS Fiber reports that business customers of the state’s only community-owned ftth network now have access to 1 gig symmetrical internet connections. The ability to offer such fast speeds in both directions is a big draw… Continue reading