In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined again by Doug Dawson and Sean Gonsalves for a fast-moving discussion of the latest developments reshaping the broadband landscape. 

The trio unpacks a wave of major telecom mergers, including AT&T’s acquisition of Lumen assets and Frontier’s consolidation, and what growing market power means for prices, competition, and consumers.

They dig into new research from Chattanooga showing the long-term economic and community benefits of municipal fiber, alongside a major California Public Utilities Commission study revealing how lack of competition drives higher broadband prices—especially for low-income households. 

Doug explains how ISPs increasingly use neighborhood-by-neighborhood pricing tactics, leaving long-time customers paying the most for the slowest speeds.

The conversation also revisits Starlink’s controversial demands to rewrite BEAD program rules, the uncertain future of non-deployment funds, and why satellite solutions continue to fall short of their promises. 

Rounding out the episode, the group explores emerging pressures from AI-driven bandwidth demands, consolidation in wholesale fiber markets, and troubling legal trends that raise questions about accountability, regulation, and consumer protections.

This show is 51 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by Doug Adams, head of Broadband Marketers and writer at Broadband.io, and Karl Bode for a wide-ranging discussion on recent developments reshaping federal broadband policy.

The conversation centers on Starlink’s latest efforts to reshape BEAD program requirements through confidential riders sent to state broadband offices—requests that would dramatically reduce accountability, alter performance standards, and deliver large sums of public funding upfront. 

Doug breaks down what states are being asked to accept, why NTIA has reportedly warned states not to sign on, and how these demands differ from the obligations placed on fiber and fixed wireless providers.

Chris and Karl place the moment in historical context, comparing it to past telecom subsidy failures and raising concerns about affordability, capacity limits, consumer protections, and long-term resilience. 

The discussion also touches on broader themes: the erosion of federal oversight, the future of municipal broadband, how ARPA funds are still quietly delivering results in states like New York, and why community-driven fiber networks may once again become the fallback as federal promises falter.

The episode closes with reflections on accountability, public trust, and the real-world impacts of policy decisions on rural communities.

This show is 50 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

In the first episode of the new year, Chris is joined once again by Blair Levin to unpack what 2025 delivered and what 2026 may hold for broadband, media, and technology policy.

The two revisit last year’s predictions on tariffs, deportations, BEAD implementation delays, and federal broadband investment, assessing where expectations aligned with reality — and where they didn’t. 

The conversation also explores deeper structural issues facing the broadband ecosystem: the growing affordability crisis after the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program, the long-term implications for universal service, and the emerging tension between fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite competition. 

Looking beyond broadband, the episode tackles the rising backlash against Big Tech and AI, the expansion of online gambling, consolidation in media ownership, and what Blair calls the shift from free markets to a “market for political affection.” 

The discussion closes with reflections on what it will take to rebuild trust, competition, and accountability in an era where policy, power, and technology are more intertwined than ever.

This show is 51 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by longtime guest Sascha Meinrath of Penn State University to unravel what's really happening with the BEAD program—and why federal officials are quietly rewriting the rules behind closed doors. 

Sascha explains how BEAD funding is being diverted away from states and into satellite providers like SpaceX, despite overwhelming data that current Starlink capacity already fails to deliver broadband speeds for most users. 

They also unpack misleading speed test metrics, the dangers of ignoring physics in satellite planning, and the looming risk of space congestion. 

With policy negligence threatening rural investment, economic development, and even national infrastructure, Sascha issues a stark reminder: when science is sidelined, communities pay the price.

This show is 49 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print.

Topics include:

• A new report from ILSR on 19 small towns in Massachusetts building public partnerships and new fiber networks.
• Massive AWS and Cloudflare outages impacting large parts of the Internet.
• The new broadband usage report from OpenVault.
• 18 states so far have finally gotten NTIA approval after redoing most of the work from last summer, with the result being fewer homes will be passed by the BEAD program and, of those, a smaller proportion will get fiber than under Biden.
• The latest attempt to hamstring any state regulation of AI by tying BEAD approval to the measure.

Join us live on November 20th at 3pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by Karl Bode and Sean Gonsalves to unpack three major broadband stories shaping the moment: 

California’s new law giving tenants the right to opt out of monopolistic bulk billing deals, Comcast’s latest play to cozy up to Washington power, and how the federal “benefit of the bargain” shift is gutting BEAD and funneling billions toward Starlink. 

The trio discusses how these developments expose deeper issues of corruption, enforcement, and the growing divide between corporate priorities and community broadband needs.

This show is 28 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

In this episode of the podcast, Chris and ILSR’s Jordan Pittman sit down for a candid, post-retreat conversation about what comes after the BEAD program.

They dig into the gaps left behind by federal broadband mapping, why millions of Americans will still be unconnected or unable to afford service, and how short-term policymaking risks leaving rural communities behind.

The pair also unpack the challenges with Starlink’s limitations, the false promise of corporate “efficiency,” and why public investment—and accountability—remain key to real digital equity.

This show is 39 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.