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.

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

After BEAD: The Future of Broadband and Accountability - Episode 663 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Chris Mitchell and Jordan Pittman dig into what federal broadband funding missed, why affordability still looms as the biggest barrier, and how communities can keep pushing for real accountability and digital equity.

Don’t Break the Internet - Episode 662 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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Mike Masnick of Techdirt joins us to unpack the myths around Section 230, how reform efforts could backfire, and why protecting free speech online requires more nuance than most policymakers are willing to give.

Free Speech, AI Slop, and Media Power - Episode 661 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

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In this episode of the podcast, Chris speaks with Karl Bode and Jordan Pittman to dig into free speech, media consolidation, and the flood of low-quality “AI slop” shaping how we experience the Internet today.