[Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 12/8

Tue Dec 8 06:58:29 PST 2015

*Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for
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Local Internet Improvement Districts in New Hampshire - Community Broadband
Bits Podcast 179
<http://muninetworks.org/content/local-internet-improvement-districts-new-hampshire-community-broadband-bits-podcast-179>
Tue, December 01, 2015 | Posted by christopher
<http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/local-internet-improvement-districts-new-hampshire-community-broadband-bits-podcast-179>

Local governments in New Hampshire are quite limited in how they can use
public financing to invest in fiber optic networks, but Hanover
<http://www.hanovernh.org/> is exploring an approach to create voluntary
special assessment districts that would finance open access
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term625> fiber optic networks. Town
Manager Julia Griffin joins us for Community Broadband Bit
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term3>s Episode 179 to explain their
plans.

Though New Hampshire does not have any explicit barriers against municipal
networks, the state has not authorized local governments to bond for them,
which has certainly limited local authority to ensure high quality Internet
access.

But Hanover is one of several communities around the country that is
exploring special assessment districts (sometimes called local improvement
districts) that would allow residents and local businesses to opt into an
assessment that would finance construction and allow them to pay it off
over many years. This approach is well suited to Hanover, which has access
to the Fast Roads open access network
<http://www.newhampshirefastroads.net/>.

... Listen to the Show here
<http://muninetworks.org/content/local-internet-improvement-districts-new-hampshire-community-broadband-bits-podcast-179>
... Read the transcript from this episode here
<http://muninetworks.org/content/transcript-community-broadband-bits-episode-179>
 ...

Fairlawn, Ohio Pursuing Design Plan for Muni Broadband Utility
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fairlawn-ohio-pursuing-design-plan-muni-broadband-utility-0>
Mon, November 30, 2015 | Posted by Scott
<http://muninetworks.org/users/scott>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fairlawn-ohio-pursuing-design-plan-muni-broadband-utility-0>

Fairlawn, Ohio <http://www.cityoffairlawn.com/> this fall took a “huge step
forward” toward launching its own high-speed municipal broadband utility.

The City Council recently approved
<http://www.akron.com/akron-ohio-community-news.asp?aID=27939> hiring a
consultant to design and establish the business model for building
“FairlawnGig,” a municipal broadband network. At completion, the city
envisions the new utility will provide the community with comprehensive
Wi-Fi <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term29> connectivity and
Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13>)
service for businesses and residents.

*Faster Internet speeds  *

“It will be a fiber network that will give one gig (i.e. gigabit per second
or Gbps <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term14>) of service, which is
1,000 times what people have right now,” City Deputy Service Director Ernie
Staten said in an Akron.com news report
<http://www.akron.com/akron-ohio-community-news.asp?aID=27939>.

... Read our Full Coverage Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fairlawn-ohio-pursuing-design-plan-muni-broadband-utility-0>

Madison, Wisconsin Pilot: Fiber In The Fall
<http://muninetworks.org/content/madison-wisconsin-pilot-fiber-fall>
Thu, December 03, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/madison-wisconsin-pilot-fiber-fall>

Four low-income neighborhoods in Madison will soon have access to fast,
reliable, affordable Internet access, thanks to a municipal
fiber-to-the-home (FTTH <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13>) pilot
program.

*Fast, Affordable, Reliable...Soon!*

According to a recent Cap Times article
<http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/madison-moving-forward-on-fiber-to-the-home-internet-pilot/article_f0beaad3-00a2-5679-a3f2-23094d258314.html>,
installation will begin in the spring of 2016; community leaders anticipate
the network will start serving residents in the fall. The cost of the pilot
is estimated at $512,000. The original plan was to offer the pilot in two
areas, but in the City Council recently approved
<http://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/documents/packet_037.pdf> an amendment
to the city budget to cover the cost of expanding the pilot. Funds for the
construction will come from the city's capital budget.

... More Details from This Fascinating Pilot Approach Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/madison-wisconsin-pilot-fiber-fall>
“Crazy Fast” Connectivity Expands in Westminster, Maryland
<http://muninetworks.org/content/%E2%80%9Ccrazy-fast%E2%80%9D-connectivity-expands-westminster-maryland>
Tue, December 01, 2015 | Posted by ternste
<http://muninetworks.org/users/ternste>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/%E2%80%9Ccrazy-fast%E2%80%9D-connectivity-expands-westminster-maryland>

Gigabit Internet access will soon be reaching more residents in
Westminster. The high-speed municipal fiber-to-the-home (FTTH
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13>) network in Maryland will soon
add more than 2,000 new homes
<http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/ph-cc-westminster-fiber-second-phase-20151024-story.html>
to
the network map
<http://westminster-md.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=f813f2806d2a494c91291cde1b1babfd&extent=-77.0571,39.5412,-76.8923,39.6150>
.

*The Incredible Expanding Network*

The network is a product of a public-private partnership
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/public-private-partnerships-reality-check>
with
telecommunications companyTing.
<https://ting.com/blog/internet/westminster/> The expansion provides more
evidence of the continuing success of the network in this city of just
under 19,000 people about 35 miles northwest of Baltimore.

The network was originally planned as a pilot project
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/westminster-maryland-move-forward-fiber-pilot-projects>
confined
to small, select areas of Westminster, but high demand
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/westminsters-fiber-project-drawing-business-new-york-city-maryland>
prompted
community leaders to broaden the reach
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/westminster-marylands-fiber-pilot-project-grows>
of
the project. Eventually, Westminster budgeted for citywide infrastructure
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/westminster-budgets-open-access-fiber-network>
.

... Read the Rest of this Story Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/%E2%80%9Ccrazy-fast%E2%80%9D-connectivity-expands-westminster-maryland>

TN For Fiber's New Video On Family Life In Bradley County
<http://muninetworks.org/content/tn-fibers-new-video-family-life-bradley-county>
Wed, December 02, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/tn-fibers-new-video-family-life-bradley-county>

In a new video, Tennessee Fiber Optic Communities
<https://vimeo.com/user40968953> profiles what it is like for a family
living in Bradley County, just outside of the reach of Chattanooga's EPB
Fiber Optic network. Debbie Williams describes how she and her family
struggle with a long list of issues most of us associate with the bygone
era of dial-up Internet.

Watch this video and you will realize how families just outside of
statutory limitations of EPB Fiber are living a different life than
families served by the network. No one should have to deal with these kinds
of problems. As Debbie puts it, "It's just wrong."

... Watch the Video Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/tn-fibers-new-video-family-life-bradley-county>

Montana Coop Turns Up the Speed: 16 Counties, 23,000 Square Miles
<http://muninetworks.org/content/montana-coop-turns-speed-16-counties-23000-square-miles>
Fri, December 04, 2015 | Posted by hannah
<http://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/montana-coop-turns-speed-16-counties-23000-square-miles>

Montana may have high speed limits on roads, but this Montana coop’s
network will let you surf the web even faster. Triangle Communications
<http://www.itstriangle.com/about-us> received analmost $30 million
<http://www.kfbb.com/story/29611365/local-communications-company-awarded-30-million-for-fiber-optic-cables>
loan
from the USDA to provide rural Central Montana with high-speed Internet
access.

Triangle Communications will finish upgrading its aging copper network - a
technology mostly used for telephone - to a fiber network that can support
both telephone and high-speed Internet. The loan comes from the USDA’s
initiative, announced in July, promising $85 million to improve
connectivity in rural areas. The Triangle Communications coop is upgrading
its entire system spanning 16 counties (that’s more than 23,000 square
miles from the Canadian to the Wyoming border!).

... More on This Rural Cooperative Approach Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/montana-coop-turns-speed-16-counties-23000-square-miles>

No Love Lost Between North Carolina A.G. And State Barrier
<http://muninetworks.org/content/no-love-lost-between-north-carolina-ag-and-state-barrier>
Sat, December 05, 2015 | Posted by ternste
<http://muninetworks.org/users/ternste>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/no-love-lost-between-north-carolina-ag-and-state-barrier>

The State of North Carolina is currently awaiting a decision from the U.S.
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals as the court considers the FCC's February
decision to roll back state barriers. North Carolina Attorney General Roy
Cooper's office is heading up the state's appeal, but is his heart in it?

Cooper is running
<https://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/elections/cooper-launches-bid-governor-3010379>
for
governor and, in a recent interview
<http://www.wilsontimes.com/News/Feature/Story/38938021---Cooper-reaches-out-to-Wilson-residents>,
expressed his views about H129
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/digging-h129-another-bill-nc-limit-local-authority-and-broadband-competition>,
the focus of the appeal in North Carolina [emphasis ours]:

The Legislature has passed a lot of *bad laws*, but it is the job of the
attorney general to defend state laws...And I wish the governor and the
General Assembly would stop passing so many*bad laws* that create
litigation. We’ve seen that in many instances. This is another situation
where the attorney general’s office is duty bound to defend state law.

... A Few More Details on This Story Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/no-love-lost-between-north-carolina-ag-and-state-barrier>

Community Broadband Media Roundup - November 27
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-27>
Tue, December 01, 2015 | Posted by Nick <http://muninetworks.org/users/nick>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-27>

*Colorado*

More questions and answers on county's broadband project
<http://www.theheraldtimes.com/more-questions-and-answers-on-countys-broadband-project/rio-blanco-county/?mc_cid=03c7c42841&mc_eid=2910c7b52b>
by
The Herald Times

*Minnesota*

Local telecom companies receive broadband grants, local projects supported
<http://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/business/local-telecom-companies-receive-broadband-grants-local-projects-supported/article_f8d246b6-8fa2-11e5-b67a-030d08bbfe0f.html>
by
Nancy Madsen, Mankato Free Press

15 rural areas picked to benefit from $11M in broadband Internet funding
<http://bringmethenews.com/2015/11/20/15-rural-areas-picked-to-benefit-from-11m-in-broadband-internet-funding/>
by
Adam Uren, Bring Me the News

... Read the Full Community Broadband Media Roundup here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-27>

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