Bellevue Patch, July 19, 2012 Stores of differing types and sizes affect the entire business ecology from local stores. Local consumers still can vote with their feet and wallets.   Following up on the latest store openings in Bellevue I found a stark contrast on how different stores handle publicity. Hedge & Vine, the boutique furniture… Continue reading

About a month ago, we launched our new podcast series – Community Broadband Bits!   Each episode is a 10-15 minute interview with key people in the fascinating world of community broadband networks.   You can subscribe via iTunes or stream it directly from our companion web site – Muninetworks.org Here is a list of the… Continue reading

The Line, July 18, 2012 Here’s the pop quiz for today–If you wanted to use your garage for a high-tech startup, one that was going to require a gig of connectivity, where would be the best possible place for that garage to be located? Silicon Valley? Raleigh-Durham’s Research Triangle? The Twin Cities? Wrong, wrong and… Continue reading

San Francisco Bay Guardian, July 10, 2012 Shopping malls filled with national chain stores and restaurants are in many respects the antithesis of San Francisco. They’re the bane of any metropolis that strives to be unique and authentic. And those just happen to be qualities that make tourism this city’s number one industry.  The logic… Continue reading

Poynter, July 5, 2012 Come September when changes at The Times-Picayune take effect, not only will New Orleans become the largest city without a daily newspaper, its residents will likely become some of the most disconnected in the country.  New Orleans lags behind the rest of the U.S. when it comes to broadband Internet service… Continue reading

The Huffington Post, July 3, 2012 In 2010, two counties in South Carolina, Orangeburg and Oconee, received federal funding to deliver broadband Internet to residents without access.  The projects were the first of their kind in South Carolina.  Now, they may also be the last. Last week, South Carolina passed a law that imposes new… Continue reading

Seattle Met Magazine, June 26, 2012 For years Seattle has welched on its promise to build a municipal broadband network. We may have Tacoma to blame—and thank—for that. For Seattleites desperately in need of a break on their Internet bill, it had to be a drag to discover in early May that their last best… Continue reading

Blandin Foundation, June 23, 2012 Chris Mitchell, with Institute for Local Self Reliance, has started a podcast series talking with folks who are involved with community networks. This week he spoke with Linda Kramer with the Marketing Committee of the Sibley-Renville Fiber Project in rural Minnesota’s Sibley County. The interview is a good introduction to… Continue reading