Community Broadband Media Roundup - April 11

Colorado

Colorado towns keep voting down state ban on municipal broadband by Karl Bode, DSL Reports

9 Colorado cities vote Tuesday on municipal broadband Internet; pot also on local ballots by Mark Harden, Denver Business Journal

County to study broadband possibility by Saja Hindi, Loveland Report Herald

Forty-four Colorado cities and counties joined several others last November to allow their local governments to offer broadband Internet, including Loveland, and Larimer County officials want to give their voters that same opportunity. Nine other Colorado cities also asked voters for that option Tuesday. Senate Bill 152, passed in 2005, prevents local governments from engaging directly or indirectly in broadband service unless voters repeal it locally.

"This ballot initiative is just to restore the county's ability to facilitate the provision of these services in partnership with a public or private entity or through the county itself," said Drew Davis, a business analyst with Larimer County Public Works.

Minnesota

Minnesota's biggest budget issues; statewide broadband debate by TPT Almanac At the Capital

Mississippi

More Internet options can lead to greater growth by Ron Guajardo, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

Ohio

City of Fairlawn passes ordiances authorizing FairlawnGig Broadband project by City of Fairlawn, Ohio; Business Wire

Tennessee

Is EPB good for Chattanooga? by Dave Flessner, Times Free Press

"Businesses and investors from all over the country are going to Chattanooga because of its 10-gig service," said Christopher Mitchell, director of community broadband networks for the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which studies and advocates for municipal broadband.

Annoyed Tennessee local builds his own gigabit network by Karl Bode, DSL Reports

"Over the past few years, I've had very little confidence in the majority of our state legislators supporting rural broadband expansion which, in essence, is stifling our children in getting a quality education and creating an unfair disadvantage for existing business growth along with our overall economic development efforts."