Rhode Island’s First Municipal Broadband Network Goes Live on Block Island

By

on May 25, 2023

After decades of frustration, Block Island residents are finally getting access to affordable, next-generation broadband, as BroadbandBI becomes the state's first municipal broadband network.

Quincy, MA Moves Full Speed Ahead On City Owned Open Access Fiber Plan

By

Karl Bode

on May 18, 2023

Quincy, Massachusetts is moving full speed ahead on a long-percolating plan to bring faster and more reliable broadband to a community long neglected by regional telecom monopolies.

NTIA Says State Muni-Bans Won’t Delay BEAD Funding

By

Karl Bode

on May 16, 2023

The NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) insists that the 17 state laws that hamper nationwide community broadband deployments won’t delay a massive looming infusion of infrastructure broadband subsidies. But one industry group isn’t so sure.

After Years of Talk, Cambridge, MA is Now Taking Serious Look at Municipal Broadband

By

Sean Gonsalves

on May 30, 2023

With a new supportive city manager in office, Cambridge city leaders have released a recently published feasibility study that says a financially sustainable citywide fiber network would require “a significant public contribution" of between $150 and $200 million.

Latest Podcast

Filling in Connectivity Gaps with Open Access Fiber - Episode 554 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

This week on the podcast, Christopher speaks with Keith Quarles, President and CFO of A2D, a fiber-based, open access competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC). Chris and Keith discuss A2D’s business model, which focuses on filling in the gaps – serving communities where connectivity is unaffordable or the incumbent has chosen not to upgrade its infrastructure. Keith explains how many gaps still exist, even after the influx of federal funding for broadband. A2D takes a creative approach to building out fiber backbones in these pockets, which involves connecting existing ecosystems like municipalities, school systems, and electric membership corporations (Georgia’s equivalent of electric cooperatives).

Washington Communities See Millions In New Rural Broadband Grants

By

Karl Bode

on May 23, 2023

The Port Of Whitman County is one of several rural Washington communities set to nab another major infusion of broadband grants courtesy of federal Covid disaster relief.

Register Now For Upcoming Building For Digital Equity Event

By

Sean Gonsalves

on May 18, 2023

Our next Building for Digital Equity event is only weeks away. Have you registered yet? Sponsored by UTOPIA Fiber, the June 7 virtual gathering will feature engaging debates on the hottest topics in broadband.

Colorado Repeal Of Community Broadband Ban A Turning Point Decades In The Making

By

Karl Bode

on May 11, 2023

Colorado state leaders have voted to eliminate long-criticized state barriers to municipal broadband networks. Community broadband advocates hope it will be a beacon for other states eager to bring more reliable and affordable high-speed Internet service to a market long dominated by monopoly providers.

Connect This! Show

Recent Broadband News | Episode 72 of the Connect This! Show

Join us Friday, May 26, at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. They'll chat about Gigapower, Anna Gomez' nomination to the FCC, and more.

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Lewis County Pushes Forward with Open Access Fiber Plan

By

Karl Bode

on Mar 13, 2023

Lewis County, Washington and the Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) are making progress with their plan to deploy an open access fiber network that should dramatically boost broadband competition—and lower prices—county wide by 2026.

Summit County, Ohio Building $75 Million, 125-Mile Fiber Ring

By

Karl Bode

on Mar 10, 2023

Summit County, Ohio says it’s making progress on a $75 million, 125-mile fiber-optic ring made possible courtesy of American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Our New Building for Digital Equity Podcast Debuts Today

By

Sean Gonsalves

on Mar 9, 2023

Our new podcast series – Building for Digital Equity – debuts today with an insightful conversation with Margaret “Meg” Kaufer, President of the STEM Alliance in Westchester County, New York.

NYC Co-op Told To Pull Free Service From Affordable Housing After City’s Reversal On Open Access Fiber

By

Karl Bode

on Mar 7, 2023

New York City has scrapped its plan to build a promising open access fiber network. Not only did that stark reversal leave many partner ISPs high and dry after years of planning, some local community-run ISPs now say the city is forcing them to remove existing free service to affordable housing developments.

IN OUR VIEW: City Cast Provides Good Lessons for Covering Broadband

By

Christopher Mitchell

on Mar 6, 2023

City Cast Las Vegas recently aired back-to-back podcast episodes about Internet access in the region. We wanted to share why we think these are well done and should serve as good lessons for others covering these issues.

NDIA Hosts Largest Ever Net Inclusion Gathering

By

Sean Gonsalves

on Mar 2, 2023

Digital equity advocates rode into San Antonio, Texas for Net Inclusion 2023 to kick-off the largest gathering of the annual conference to date.

Our Affordable Connectivity Program Dashboard is Back and Better Than Ever

By

Ry Marcattilio

on Feb 28, 2023

Last August, we launched the first version of our Affordable Connectivity Program dashboard. Now, two versions later, we're back with a 2.0 version of the dashboard. It still tracks everything it did before, but adds a mobile version, a Congressional District Map, and a more nuanced, complete predictive model to calculate how long the fund will last.

Watch Net Inclusion 2023 Live with Us

By

Ry Marcattilio

on Feb 24, 2023

Net Inclusion 2023 begins tomorrow in sunny San Antonio, Texas. Join us to watch panels and breakout sessions planned for the all the diverse challenges and opportunities that make up the arena of digital equity and inclusion today, from skills training, to device access, to cost, to use in higher education, medicine, and aging in place.

A Very Special Connect This! Show | Episode 65 of the Connect This! Show

By

Ry Marcattilio

on Feb 24, 2023

Join us on Wednesday, March 1st at 7:30pm ET for a very special episode of the show, live from Net Inclusion 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) will be joined by Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), Angela Siefer (National Digital Inclusion Alliance), Autumn Evans (City of Detroit), and ILSR's DeAnne Cuellar, and in front of a live audience at The Friendly Spot Icehouse.

Making Waves in Baltimore with Community-Driven Connectivity

Project Waves Director of Engineering Devin Weaver

By

Sean Gonsalves

on Feb 23, 2023

Profile on the people behind Project Waves, a non-profit organization founded in 2018 to bring broadband to mostly low-income households in Baltimore City.

$63 Million in USDA ReConnect Funds Head to Rural Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Mississippi

By

Ann Treacy

on Feb 22, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced it has awarded $63 million through its ReConnect Program to expand access to high-speed Internet service in rural parts of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Mississippi.

Open Access Conduit in West Des Moines, Iowa Brings Google Fiber, Choice to City Residents

By

Karl Bode

on Feb 21, 2023

West Des Moines, Iowa is making steady progress on a $60 million open access fiber-optic conduit system to expedite the delivery of affordable fiber citywide.

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Reports

Increased Wellness and Economic Return of Universal Broadband Infrastructure: A Telehealth Case Study of Ten Southern Rural Counties

By Ry Marcattilio on Apr 26, 2023

In a new report, published in partnership with the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative (SRBWI), the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) Community Broadband Networks Initiative examines the link between high-speed Internet infrastructure, access to healthcare, and the economic implications involved. It shows the even small communities that commit to universal, affordable, reliable service can avoid millions in healthcare costs, recouping financing in short order and leading to healthier populations.

The Problem(s) of Broadband in America

By Sean Gonsalves on Jul 7, 2021

In a new policy brief, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance looks to provide clarity for policy-makers by exploring the real challenges of America’s connectivity crisis. The brief aims to clear up a common misunderstanding of exactly where the digital divide is located.

Shopping for Broadband: Failed Federal Policy Creates Murky Marketplace

By Emma Gautier on Nov 11, 2021

A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) examines Internet Service Providers’ (ISPs) transparency — or lack thereof — around the Internet service packages they offer. Shopping for Broadband: Failed Federal Policy Creates Murky Marketplace finds that locally-controlled broadband networks are the most transparent around key service details. Large ISPs, on the other hand, are more likely to make information like upload speed and pricing difficult or impossible to find.

Six Community Broadband Networks Demonstrate Diversity of Approaches to Connectivity Challenges

By Sean Gonsalves on Jul 26, 2021

There are more than 600 wireline municipal broadband networks operating across the United States today. And while the ongoing discussion about our information infrastructure by Congress has placed a renewed emphasis on publicly owned endeavors to improving Internet access, the reality is that cities around the country have been successfully demonstrating the wide variety of successful approaches for decades.

Minnesota Broadband: Land of 10,000 Connectivity Solutions

By Ry Marcattilio-McCracken on Jul 29, 2021

In a new report, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance showcases the diverse range of approaches communities and local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have taken to expand affordable, high-quality Internet access in Minnesota. It includes a series of case studies that detail how communities are meeting the connectivity challenges of a broken marketplace shaped by large monopoly service providers.

Building Indigenous Future Zones: Four Tribal Broadband Case Studies

By H. Trostle on Feb 4, 2021

The rate of connectivity in Indian Country lags behind the rest of the country. As of December 2018, only 60% percent of Tribal lands in the lower 48 states had high-speed Internet access. A new case study report</a> from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance delves into the experiences of four Native Nations — the Coeur d’Alene, the Nez Perce, the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe, and the St. Regis Mohawk — as they constructed their own Internet service providers.

Wilson Hits a Fiber-to-the-Home Run with Greenlight Municipal Broadband Network

By Ry Marcattilio-McCracken on Dec 7, 2020

Built in 2008 with an eye toward the future and operated with local priorities in mind, Greenlight has a long track record of putting people first. In a new case study, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance explores the wide-ranging community benefits of Greenlight, the city-owned fiber-to-the-home network in Wilson, North Carolina, over the last 12 years.

Profiles of Monopoly: Big Cable and Telecom

By H. Trostle on Aug 12, 2020

The report explores the extent of monopoly control by the largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across the United States, and finds that most Americans have little choice when it comes to broadband where they live. In this version, we updated the maps and other information in the report with the most recent broadband deployment data from the Federal Communications Commission.

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