Community Broadband Media Roundup - April 4

California

Government, Google to help San Francisco improve its Internet connectivity by Jason Axelrod, American City & County Magazine

Michigan

Business depends on high-speed Internet by Sarah Lucas, Traverse City Record Eagle

New York

County, federal government to collaborate on local broadband deployments by Phil Goldstein, State Tech Magazine

In an interview with StateTech, Terrell said NACo “really wants to play the role of a facilitator and make sure that county governments have a seat at the table” as more local governments pursue improved broadband access. NACo wants to serve as a conduit between the federal and local governments, he said. NACo will work with NTIA in the next few weeks to create a webinar for county leaders to inform them about the Community Connectivity Initiative and how to work with NTIA directly.

North Carolina

RFP issues as part of Triad Regional Broadband initiative by City of Greensboro, North Carolina

Tennessee

Thunder Thornton finds way to bring "gig" to mountaintop development at Kimball by The Chattanoogan

Mr. Thornton said he was successful by going just across state lines to work and connect with North Alabama Electric Cooperative, along with assistance from Tennessee-based Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative, and eventually bringing “the Gig” up 2,000 feet in elevation to Jasper Highlands’ mountaintop residents. 

Developer bypasses restrictions on rural Internet expansion by Chloe Morrison, Nooga.com

Utah

Google Fiber to launch in Salt Lake City by year's end by Karl Bode, DSL Reports

General

The future of owning the Internet by Nathan Schneider, Vice

Many of us have no real choice: It's either spotty service from a gigantic monopoly or nothing. The fee structure reads like a ransom note; customer support makes the seeker feel like the one bound and gagged in a car trunk. We usually think of consumer choice as a matter of isolated individuals transacting with faceless companies and trying to do so cleverly; too rarely do we consider the choices we can create for one another.

Courts get broadband service issue by Brian Graves, Cleveland Daily Banner

Zero-rating by major ISPs "threatens open Internet," advocates tell FCC by Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica

Zero-rating plans, which exempt certain content from monthly data caps, "enable ISPs to pick winners and losers online or create new tolls for websites and applications," said a letter sent to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. "As a result, they present a serious threat to the Open Internet: they distort competition, thwart innovation, threaten free speech, and restrict consumer choice—all harms the rules were meant to prevent."

Broadband subsidies important but more data needed to inform FCC policy decisions by Eszter Hargittai, Huffington Post

FCC privacy proposal troubles broadband Internet providers by John K. Higgins, E-Commerce Times

Lifeline vote could help millions of poor families get online by Tanzina Vega, WPTZ News

This bill would make it easier to deal with Internet and Cable TV providers by Ethan Woolf-Mann, Time Money