Community Broadband Bits Podcast

Community Broadband Bits is a weekly audio show hosted by Community Broadband Networks Initiative Director Christopher Mitchell featuring interviews with people building community networks or otherwise involved with Internet policy. You can listen to episodes below or download via Apple, Google, or Spotify. Alternatively if you know what to do with it, copy the feed here.

We also produce a semi-regular video show called Connect This! that has its own site. Find other podcasts from ILSR here.

We also have an index of all episodes and links to transcripts. Keep up with new developments by subscribing to our one-email-per-week list sharing new stories and resources. We’d love to hear your feedback! Email us.

Predictions for 2026: CBN Edition - Episode 673 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Chris Mitchell is joined by CBN colleagues to share bold predictions on BEAD delays, municipal broadband momentum, and the growing influence of fixed wireless, satellites, and AI

Broadband Reality Check: BEAD, Competition, and What Comes Next - Episode 672 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Chris Mitchell sits down with Doug Dawson to cut through the hype, unpack growing uncertainty around federal policy, and explain what communities and providers should realistically expect as 2026 unfolds

2026 Predictions with Blair Levin- Episode 671 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Chris Mitchell and Blair Levin look back at predictions and policy delays from 2025, unpack the growing influence of satellites and tariffs, and explore how power, politics, and markets are redefining the future of connectivity in 2026 and beyond

Year in Review 2025 - Episode 670 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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In this year-end roundtable, the Community Broadband Networks team looks back at their 2025 predictions—and reckons with what actually happened.

Telecom's Plumbing Problem: Routing, Regulation, and What Comes Next - Episode 669 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

Community Broadband Bits
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Richard Shockey joins Chris Mitchell to explain how the collapse of the PSTN, weak federal oversight, and a messy transition to all-IP networks threaten everything from 911 reliability to rural connectivity.

The Berkshires Broadband Movement: How 19 Small Towns Built Their Own Fiber Future - Episode 668 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Chris Mitchell, Jess Auer, and David Kulp tell the inside story of how community determination transformed Internet access across Western Massachusetts.

Building Broadband from the Ground Up - Episode 667 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Mauricio Rodriguez joins Chris to talk about permitting challenges, land negotiations, environmental surprises, and why setting standards and hiring the right people early is key to actually getting fiber in the ground.

The Satellite Solution That Won’t Scale - Episode 666 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Sascha Meinrath joins Chris to unpack how BEAD funding is drifting toward satellite solutions that can’t scale—and why misleading speed data, space congestion, and political pressure could derail real broadband progress

Speed Tests and Why BEAD Keeps Getting Messier - Episode 665 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Doug Dawson joins Chris to break down the latest shakeups in broadband policy, from ISPs gaming the data to NTIA’s controversial BEAD changes and what it all means for communities trying to connect.

Follow the Money: Comcast, Starlink, and the BEAD Backslide - Episode 664 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Chris Mitchell, Karl Bode, and Sean Gonsalves break down the politics, corruption, and power plays shaping the broadband landscape—and what it all means for communities fighting for real Internet choice