Community Broadband Media Roundup - November 27

Colorado

More questions and answers on county's broadband project by The Herald Times

Minnesota

Local telecom companies receive broadband grants, local projects supported by Nancy Madsen, Mankato Free Press

15 rural areas picked to benefit from $11M in broadband Internet funding by Adam Uren, Bring Me the News

New York

City of Rochester, Monroe County unite to improve fiber ring by Nate Dougherty, Rochester Business Journal

Tennessee

EPB, state attorey general clash over FCC rule on municipal broadband by Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Washington

Seattle mulls building its own Gigabit fiber network by Karl Bode, DSL Reports

"No" vote isn't stopping push for municipal broadband in Seattle by Josh Cohen, Next City

Upgrade Seattle, a grassroots campaign fighting for municipal broadband, says this is actually a big step forward on their long road to public Internet.

“It was wonderful to just further the conversation with council and the media,” says Sabrina Roach, one of Upgrade’s volunteer organizers. “We were able to make the case for why Seattle needs municipal broadband.”

That case, according to Upgrade, is that existing Internet service providers — Comcast, CenturyLink and WAVE — are prohibitively expensive for some (and just regular expensive for many others) and don’t cover all areas of the city. The combination exacerbates the digital divide between wealthy and poor in an era when Internet access is a life necessity.

 

West Virginia

W. Va. must invest in broadband infrastructure by The Exponent Telegram Editorial Board

General

Internet giants come out in support of municipal broadband by Chris Morran, Consumerist

In response to that lawsuit, big-time Silicon Valley trade group the Internet Association, has filed an amicus brief [PDF] in support of the FCC and muni broadband expansion in general.

“Access to the Internet is today the modern equivalent to access to railroads, electricity, highways, and telephony in previous eras,” reads the brief. “And just as the federal government recognized and executed its role in encouraging, promoting, and facilitating universal access to those services, the federal government today similarly recognizes its role in promoting and facilitating access to broadband services.”

Markey backs FCC municipal broadband preemption by John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable

Broadband for the people, built by the people by John Turi, EnGadget

Levers to intensify broadband competion - Part 1: Spectrum by Blair Levin, Benton Foundation