New Resource Alert: Rising Tide of Municipal Broadband Networks Fact Sheet

By

on Apr 17, 2024

As the municipal broadband movement continues to gain momentum, here is a new fact sheet that highlights the dramatic surge in the building of publicly-owned, locally controlled high-speed Internet infrastructure. We also unveil a new map of municipal broadband networks across U.S.

RantanenTown Ranch Turns Into Broadband Playground For Tribal Broadband Bootcamp 11

By

Jessica Auer

on Apr 15, 2024

Photo-filled look at the many days of prep and three days of immersive programming that went into creating Tribal Broadband Bootcamp 11 at RantanenTown Ranch.

Caution Ahead: RDOF and BEAD Collision Course

By

Karl Bode

on Apr 8, 2024

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund has been plagued with problems since its inception, putting both current and future broadband funding opportunities at risk. Altice is the latest to announce it would be defaulting on 18 census block groups in Louisiana.

USDA ReConnect Amps Up Broadband Funding to Tribal Nations

By

Jessica Auer

on Apr 22, 2024

Colorado River Indian Tribe was among a handful of Tribes that received substantial funding awards from the USDA ReConnect Grant Program, a reminder that Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is not the be-all-end-all of funding for Tribal broadband.

Latest Podcast

Debunking Municipal Broadband Myths - Episode 596 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast

In this latest episode of the podcast, Chris and Sean explore the arguments against municipal broadband, addressing claims made by opponents and highlighting success stories of community-owned networks. They emphasize the importance of local autonomy in broadband decisions, advocating for solutions that meet each community's needs.

Ruston, Louisiana Gives Up, Will Sell City-Owned Fiber Network

By

Karl Bode

on Apr 22, 2024

Ruston, Louisiana officials say they’re throwing in the towel, and will be selling a city-owned fiber network that has existed for the better part of 15 years.

Anti Muni Broadband Budget Amendment Gets Nixed in New York

By

Sean Gonsalves

on Apr 19, 2024

Advocates for better Internet access are breathing a sigh of relief in New York as the State Assembly nixed a budget bill amendment that would have undermined the state’s municipal broadband grant program.

Broadband Bills To Enhance Local Autonomy Thwarted By Wisconsin State Senate

By

Staff

on Apr 18, 2024

In a setback to efforts aimed at enhancing broadband access across Wisconsin, the state Senate this week dealt a blow to three key bills aimed at improving various aspects of broadband provision.

Connect This! Show

Middle-Mile Madness | Episode 93 of the Connect This! Show

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program represents a generational investment in new infrastructure, and will no doubt bring new fiber connections to millions of households around the country. Is the current state of middle mile in the United States ready? Join us Friday, April 12th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and a special guest Doug Maglothin (Diamond State Networks) to tackle the often-neglected pathways that connects our cities and towns back to the core networks that make up the Internet.

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After Gutting the Gulf, BP Funds Pave Path to Better Broadband

By on Oct 21, 2015

Communities along Mississippi's Gulf coast have recently suffered through disasters both natural and not, from Hurricane Katrina to BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout and aftermath. But they are investing some of the relief funds into infrastructure of the future to help recover.

$117,000 Broadband Service Disaster From Charter

By on Oct 20, 2015

Shocking horror stories about incumbent ISPs reaching new lows for poor service are now so common that they have become routine.

Nonprofit Bozeman Fiber Secures Funding From Eight Local Banks

By on Oct 19, 2015

Good news from Montana! Bozeman Fiber has secured funding to begin construction of a 23-mile open access community fiber network. Through an impressive partnership among eight local banks, Bozeman Fiber secured $3.85 million.

Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 16

By on Oct 19, 2015

Community Broadband News By State

Colorado

Gardner pushes broadband bill in Senate by Charlie Ashby, The Daily Sentinel

LeverettNet Meets Demand for Better Connectivity in MA

By on Oct 16, 2015

On October 2nd, a group of residents, business owners, and educators met with elected officials to celebrate the early success of LeverettNet. The municipal gigabit fiber network now serves 650 of 800 households in the Massachusetts town of 1,800.

EPB Turns Up The Speed To 10 Gigs

By on Oct 15, 2015

Chattanooga's EPB Fiber Optics now offers 10 gigabit Internet service to all households and businesses in its service area. The ultra-fast service is available for $299 per month with free installation, no contracts, and no cancellation fees, announced community leaders at a press conference on October 15th.

Businesses in Fort Collins, Colorado, Advocate for Local Authority

By on Oct 15, 2015

As the city of Fort Collins prepares for a November ballot issue seeking to reclaim local telecommunications authority, local business leaders are articulating their support.

School District Will Cut Connectivity Costs 85% With Public Fiber in Iowa

By on Oct 14, 2015

Plans for a fiber network collaboration between the city, school district, and county will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in Stormlake, Iowa. The school district recently voted to take advantage of significant savings for connectivity by switching to the publicly owned infrastrucutre as soon as the network is ready.

Tiny Mount Washington Pursues Muni in Massachusetts

By on Oct 12, 2015

Mount Washington's 167 residents will not let their small size defeat their big plans for a municipal fiber network. The community is seeking permission from the state legislature to finance, own, and operate a municipal Internet network.

Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 10

By on Oct 12, 2015

Community Broadband News By State

Colorado

Vote ‘yes’ on broadband by Jon Quinn, Steamboat Today

POTs and PANs Explores Conduit

By on Oct 10, 2015

In a recent POTs and PANs post from the owner and president of CCG consulting, Doug Dawson helps to demystify the process cable installation experts use to run fiber optic cables through conduit.

Chicago Alderman Advocates Public Fiber For Municipal Savings

By on Oct 9, 2015

At a Chicago City Council meeting this month, a newly elected alderman proposed the city stop relying on incumbent ISPs and start using its existing fiber network for connectivity.

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Reports

Increased Wellness and Economic Return of Universal Broadband Infrastructure: A Telehealth Case Study of Ten Southern Rural Counties

By Ry Marcattilio on Apr 26, 2023

In a new report, published in partnership with the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative (SRBWI), the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) Community Broadband Networks Initiative examines the link between high-speed Internet infrastructure, access to healthcare, and the economic implications involved. It shows the even small communities that commit to universal, affordable, reliable service can avoid millions in healthcare costs, recouping financing in short order and leading to healthier populations.

The Problem(s) of Broadband in America

By Sean Gonsalves on Jul 7, 2021

In a new policy brief, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance looks to provide clarity for policy-makers by exploring the real challenges of America’s connectivity crisis. The brief aims to clear up a common misunderstanding of exactly where the digital divide is located.

Shopping for Broadband: Failed Federal Policy Creates Murky Marketplace

By Emma Gautier on Nov 11, 2021

A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) examines Internet Service Providers’ (ISPs) transparency — or lack thereof — around the Internet service packages they offer. Shopping for Broadband: Failed Federal Policy Creates Murky Marketplace finds that locally-controlled broadband networks are the most transparent around key service details. Large ISPs, on the other hand, are more likely to make information like upload speed and pricing difficult or impossible to find.

Six Community Broadband Networks Demonstrate Diversity of Approaches to Connectivity Challenges

By Sean Gonsalves on Jul 26, 2021

There are more than 600 wireline municipal broadband networks operating across the United States today. And while the ongoing discussion about our information infrastructure by Congress has placed a renewed emphasis on publicly owned endeavors to improving Internet access, the reality is that cities around the country have been successfully demonstrating the wide variety of successful approaches for decades.

Minnesota Broadband: Land of 10,000 Connectivity Solutions

By Ry Marcattilio-McCracken on Jul 29, 2021

In a new report, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance showcases the diverse range of approaches communities and local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have taken to expand affordable, high-quality Internet access in Minnesota. It includes a series of case studies that detail how communities are meeting the connectivity challenges of a broken marketplace shaped by large monopoly service providers.

Building Indigenous Future Zones: Four Tribal Broadband Case Studies

By H. Trostle on Feb 4, 2021

The rate of connectivity in Indian Country lags behind the rest of the country. As of December 2018, only 60% percent of Tribal lands in the lower 48 states had high-speed Internet access. A new case study report</a> from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance delves into the experiences of four Native Nations — the Coeur d’Alene, the Nez Perce, the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe, and the St. Regis Mohawk — as they constructed their own Internet service providers.

Wilson Hits a Fiber-to-the-Home Run with Greenlight Municipal Broadband Network

By Ry Marcattilio-McCracken on Dec 7, 2020

Built in 2008 with an eye toward the future and operated with local priorities in mind, Greenlight has a long track record of putting people first. In a new case study, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance explores the wide-ranging community benefits of Greenlight, the city-owned fiber-to-the-home network in Wilson, North Carolina, over the last 12 years.

Profiles of Monopoly: Big Cable and Telecom

By H. Trostle on Aug 12, 2020

The report explores the extent of monopoly control by the largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across the United States, and finds that most Americans have little choice when it comes to broadband where they live. In this version, we updated the maps and other information in the report with the most recent broadband deployment data from the Federal Communications Commission.

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