News

Brigham City Develops Alternative Method to Finance Publicly Owned FTTH

on Mar 11, 2010

The good folks at Broadband Properties Magazine recently ran an article I wrote about Brigham City's use of a new financing model for FTTH networks.

University of Louisiana on Lafayette Network

Christopher Mitchell

on Mar 5, 2010

Joe Abraham, from the University of Louisiana, recently addressed the LUS Fiber network in Lafayette. This is possibly the fastest and most affordable network in the entire country. Apparently, Joe has been asked by friends if they should switch to the new municipally owned network.

Minnesota Providers Push for Draconian Limits on Public Networks in Minnesota

Christopher Mitchell

on Mar 4, 2010

Minnesota is one of the eighteen states that have enacted specific barriers to prevent the public sector from building networks (protecting incumbents from any competition).

More History on Longmont Fiber Ring in Colorado

Christopher Mitchell

on Mar 1, 2010

The Longmont Times-Call continues its coverage of the community network struggles of a Colorado community.

Oklahoma City Network Offers Unique Research Opportunities

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 28, 2010

Though it may not be a major selling point for communities considering building a network, they can offer tremendous research potential. Local communities are more approachable for researchers and more likely to form mutually beneficial partnerships.

New Hampshire - Fast Roads Open Access Network

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 26, 2010

Folks in New Hampshire are fed up with the private carriers ignoring them and have started an initiative to build their own fiber-optic open access network. Looks like the site is pretty new, so check back for details.

Stimulus - Private Companies Won

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 25, 2010

Last summer, I predicted the NTIA's rules for the broadband stimulus would disadvantage the public sector and tilt the playing field toward the private sector.

Thoughts on the Google Fiber Initiative

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 24, 2010

Readers undoubtedly know that Google has proposed a limited fiber-to-the-home open access network rollout that will offer gigabit speeds.

The Economist Profiles Bristol Virginia Utilites Network

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 23, 2010

In a recent issue, the Economist profiled BVU - the first municipally-owned triple-play fiber-to-the-home network in the U.S. Evidently, the Economist thinks Bristol an unlikely spot to find a full fiber-to-the-home network, but some of the best networks in the U.S.

Lafayette Fiber Network Ahead of Schedule

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 22, 2010

Good news out of Louisiana - the LUS Fiber deployment in Lafayette is running considerably ahead of schedule.

WindomNet to Expand with RUS Grant

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 18, 2010

Finally, a broadband stimulus project that we can get excited about. RUS has announced a grant to expand the publicly owned WindomNet in southwestern Minnesota. Windom was originally built to bring broadband to a small community that Qwest didn't think ready for DSL.

Salisbury FTTH Network to Launch by End of Summer

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 17, 2010

The Salisbury, North Carolina, municipal fiber-to-the-home network is set to start offering services this summer.

Telephony Podcast Interviews Jackson Energy Authority

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 15, 2010

Carol Wilson speaks with Jackson's Michael Johnston about JEA's triple-play network in Tennessee. As far as I can tell, this interview took place in September, 2009. Johnston reports that the publicly owned network passes 30,000 residences and about 5,000 businesses.

Wired Road Plans Expansion, Adds Service Provider

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 12, 2010

The Wired Road, a community-owned open access network in rural Virginia, has added an additional wired service provider and announced expansion plans. This is a network in Grayson and Carroll counties as well as the city of Galax. Services on the Wired Road are provided exclusively by independent service providers, not the network owners.

New Hampshire Bill Would Allow Communities to Build Networks

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 10, 2010

The Design Nine blog alerted me to a bill in New Hampshire that would modify state law to allow communities to build publicly owned networks. It appears they may currently invest in a network in unserved areas -- though few places are entirely unserved.

Chaska.Net Profiled in Local Paper

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 10, 2010

I've often wondered what it would look like if a reporter wrote about a Wi-Fi network without any ideological baggage to slam it. Now you can see - Mollee Francisco wrote a lengthy and fair article for a local paper in Chaska, a suburb of Minneapolis.

Dover, Ohio, Contemplates Publicly Owned Network

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 9, 2010

Dover, a city of over 12,000 in Eastern Ohio south of Canton, has been considering a publicly owned fiber to the home network for years to complement its water and electric muni utilities.

Folks in Maine Resent FairPoint's Lobbying Against Broadband Awards

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 8, 2010

As Karl Bode recently asked, "Should Fairpoint Really Be Giving Broadband Advice?" They have been lobbying against other stimulus projects in Maine that could allow FairPoint subscribers to actually get service that works and puts communities first. Given FairPoint's horrendous track record in New England since taking over Verizon's run-dow

Christopher Mitchell Interview on FreeUTOPIA Podcast

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 8, 2010

I was the guest on Jesse Harris' February Podcast about the UTOPIA network in Utah.

Comcast, NBC Merger Bad for Community Networks

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 7, 2010

I am not going to spend a lot of time on this, because if it isn't in the proverbial weeds for the focus of this site, it is pretty close. But the merger between Comcast and NBC would be bad news for publicly owned networks. Comcast is already a massive company that has huge advantages due to its scale.