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In Minneapolis, a small and privately owned ISP has been steadily building fiber across the city and developing a stunning reputation for great customer service, low and predictable pricing, and generally being a great company to do business with. Co-founder Travis Carter of US Internet joins us for episode 194 of the Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast.
We discuss their approach to building networks, especially their philosophy around customer service and just how poorly some of US Internet's competitors treat their customers. As a small firm that is carving out its own path in a world of giants, its experiences are important lessons and points of consideration for community networks.
We also discuss how US Internet interacts with local governments. Though the company has high praise for Minneapolis, it discusses where some of the challenges have been in navigating local government zoning and permitting. Travis also offers some advice based on how smart investments and a well-organized approach to leasing fiber have helped US Internet to begin expanding in suburb Saint Louis Park.
USI coverage map is available here. For more information on USI's pricing, see their website for
Fiber-to-the-Home and
telephone service.
We plan to have Travis back on in the future again, so if you have questions you would like us to ask, please tell us!
Read the transcript from this show here.
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Thanks to
Kathleen Martin for the music, licensed using Creative Commons. The song is "Player vs. Player."