[Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 11/18

[Christopher Mitchell]

 *Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for
Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom.  Send
feedback.  Forward Widely.*

*We have just learned that Wally Bowen, a community wireless network
pioneer, inspiration, and genuinely caring mentor to so many of us, has
passed away. He will live forever in our hearts.*


Maine Model for Muni Fiber - Dark and Open - Community Broadband Bits
Episode 176
<http://muninetworks.org/content/maine-model-muni-fiber-dark-and-open-community-broadband-bits-episode-176>
Wed, November 11, 2015 | Posted by christopher
<http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/maine-model-muni-fiber-dark-and-open-community-broadband-bits-episode-176>

An interesting confluence in events in Maine have resulted in what some are
calling the "Maine model" of fiber optic networks that are available to
multiple Internet Service Providers to encourage competition and high
quality services. The CEO of GWI <http://www.gwi.net/>, Fletcher Kittredge,
joins us this week to explain this model and where it is currently being
implemented.

GWI is a local firm, rooted in Maine and focused on delivering high quality
services with great customer support. It is working with Rockport
(which wewrote
about here
<http://muninetworks.org/content/rockport-builds-maine%E2%80%99s-first-municipal-network>
 and podcasted on here
<http://muninetworks.org/content/first-muni-fiber-net-maine-community-broadband-bits-episode-115>)
and Islesboro (podcast here
<http://muninetworks.org/content/maine-island-stranded-without-fiber-community-broadband-bits-podcast-155>)
as well as others.

Fletcher starts by telling us more about Maine's Three Ring Binder network
<http://www.mainefiberco.com/> and then goes on describe the dark fiber
model, benefits of that approach, and how he thinks about public vs private
ownership of the open access
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term625> physical
assets.

... Listen to the Show Here
<http://muninetworks.org/content/maine-model-muni-fiber-dark-and-open-community-broadband-bits-episode-176>
... Read the transcript from this episode here
<http://muninetworks.org/content/transcript-community-broadband-bits-episode-176>
 ...

Baltimore City Council Ponders Options for Moving Muni Fiber Forward
<http://muninetworks.org/content/baltimore-city-council-ponders-options-moving-muni-fiber-forward>
Mon, November 09, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/baltimore-city-council-ponders-options-moving-muni-fiber-forward>

Baltimore's City Council has decided it's time to move forward with a plan
for city-owned fiber and they are putting pen to paper to get the ball
rolling.

Since 2010, we have covered Baltimore's efforts
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/baltimore-ponders-muni-fiber-network> to
improve connectivity for businesses and residents. For a time, they
expected FiOs <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term11> from Verizon but
when the provider announced it would not be expanding
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/five-cities-denounce-verizoncomcast-spectrum-deal>
its
network, Baltimore began to explore a Plan B.

Plan B included a publicly owned option
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/baltimore-once-again-considering-publicly-owned-options>,
possibly making use of fiber assets already had in place. Mayor Stephanie
Rawlings-Blake has supported
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/baltimore-mayor-you-cant-grow-jobs-slow-internet>
taking
steps to improve connectivity for Baltimore's economy, education, and
general livability. A crowd funding initiative
<http://www.crowdfiber.com/campaigns/baltimore-broadband-coalition> from
the Baltimore Broadband Coalition has raised over $20,000 and the community
has commissioned several studies. Baltimore even has a city broadband czar.

... Read our Full Coverage Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/baltimore-city-council-ponders-options-moving-muni-fiber-forward>

SandyNet Goes Gig: A Model for Anytown, USA
<http://muninetworks.org/reports/sandynet-goes-gig-model-anytown-usa>
Publication Date:
 November 9, 2015
Author(s):
 Hannah Trostle
 Christopher Mitchell
<http://muninetworks.org/reports/sandynet-goes-gig-model-anytown-usa>

Many of the most beautiful communities in the United States are in remote
areas where incumbent cable and telephone companies have decided not to
offer modern, high-quality Internet connectivity. Sandy, Oregon, is one of
them. Some 10,000 people live there among the lush green forests and
beautiful vistas of the “Gateway to Mount Hood,” 25 miles east of
Portland. *But
Sandy decided to build its own gigabit fiber optic system and now has one
of the most advanced, affordable networks in the nation.*

A new report by The Institute for Local Self-Reliance
<https://ilsr.org/sandynet-goes-gig-a-model-for-anytown-usa/> details the
rise of SandyNet, Sandy's publicly owned high-speed Internet service. "SandyNet
Goes Gig: A Model for Anytown USA"
<https://ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/sandynet-2015.pdf> charts the
growth of this community network.

... Read our Full Report Here
<https://ilsr.org/sandynet-goes-gig-a-model-for-anytown-usa/> ... Watch Our
Sandy Video Here
<http://muninetworks.org/content/gig-city-sandy-home-60-gig> ...

Another Washington Coastal City Considers Community Network
<http://muninetworks.org/content/another-washington-coastal-city-considers-community-network>
Mon, November 09, 2015 | Posted by hannah
<http://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/another-washington-coastal-city-considers-community-network>

Out on the coast of the great state of Washington, community networks are
making waves. Orcas Island residents recently made headlines
<http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/11/how-a-group-of-neighbors-created-their-own-internet-service/>
with
their homegrown wireless network, and Mount Vernon’s fiber network
previously appeared in the New York Times
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/technology/personaltech/for-the-tech-savvy-with-a-need-for-speed-a-limited-choice-of-towns-with-fiber.html?_r=0>.
Now, the city of Anacortes is considering its options.

*Anacortes: Fiber-to-the-Home?*

The city is negotiating with an engineering firm to develop a fiber network
that best provides connectivity for the 16,000 residents. The engineering
firm is expected to present to the city council next on November 16th.

... Read the Rest Here, Including an Update From Mount Vernon ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/another-washington-coastal-city-considers-community-network>

How Lobbyists in Utah Put Taxpayer Dollars at Risk to Protect Cable
Monopolies
<http://muninetworks.org/content/how-lobbyists-utah-put-taxpayer-dollars-risk-protect-cable-monopolies>
Wed, November 11, 2015 | Posted by christopher
<http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/how-lobbyists-utah-put-taxpayer-dollars-risk-protect-cable-monopolies>

Facing the threat of municipal broadband networks disrupting their cable
and telephone monpolies, big telecom lobbyists wrote a law to restrict
municipal networks under the guise of protecting taxpayers. Here's the
irony: the law put taxpayers at much greater risk even while restricting
their choice of Internet and cable providers.

Before *Business Week* became Bloomberg Business, Brendan Greely and Alison
Fitzgerald published a remarkable story entitled, "Pssst ... Wanna Buy a
Law?
<http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/magazine/pssst-wanna-buy-a-law-12012011.html>"
It offers chapter and verse on the role of cable and telephone incumbents
using theAmerican Legislative and Exchange Council (ALEC)
<http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed> to push Internet
anti-competition restrictions in many states.

We have been reflecting on these laws that discourage or bar municipal
broadband networks while drafting a brief for the 6th Circuit regarding the FCC
decision to strike down monopoly-protection statutes
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fcc-opinion-and-order-striking-down-local-authority-limits-tn-and-nc-highlights>
in
North Carolina and Tennessee. We realized that the Utah law isn't just
anti-competitive, it dramatically increased the risk to taxpayers from
building a municipal network in the state.

... Read this Fascinating Story Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/how-lobbyists-utah-put-taxpayer-dollars-risk-protect-cable-monopolies>

Grand Junction Asks "Fiber? Where?"
<http://muninetworks.org/content/grand-junction-asks-fiber-where>
Thu, November 12, 2015 | Posted by hannah
<http://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/grand-junction-asks-fiber-where>

While other communities in Colorado are just starting to reclaim local
control
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/let-it-be-local-43-colorado-communities-vote-better-broadband>over
their broadband futures, the city of Grand Junction has moved forward. In
April, the people overwhelmingly overturned SB 152
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/grand-junction-voters-we-want-local-authority>
–
the state law that prohibited them from pursuing the best broadband
solution for their community. Now Grand Junction is investigating its
options.

The city council and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) are in the
process of hiring a consulting firm to develop a broadband strategic plan
for the city of 60,000 and seat of Mesa County. One of the main tasks is to
determine where to locate the fiber backbone of the proposed municipal
network.

... Our Original Story Awaits You Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/grand-junction-asks-fiber-where>


Ting! Holly Springs, NC to Get a Gig
<http://muninetworks.org/content/ting-holly-springs-nc-get-gig>
Fri, November 13, 2015 | Posted by hannah
<http://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/ting-holly-springs-nc-get-gig>

While Google Fiber and AT&T focus on the large cities of the Research
Triangle of North Carolina, the small town of Holly Springs is pursuing a
third option.

Holly Springs will be the third town to see Ting’s “crazy fast fiber
Internet.” After a successful foray into the U.S. mobile service market,
the Toronto-based company Ting has started to provide Internet service by
partnering with local governments. Ting will offer 1 Gbps
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term14> in Holly Springs by building on
the town’s$1.5 million
<http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/techflash/2015/10/holly-springs-nc-ting-fiber-internet.html>
municipal
fiber network.

*Muni network restricted by state law*

Holly Springs, with a population of almost 30,000, has worked hard to
improve its connectivity. In mid-2014, they completed
<http://muninetworks.org/content/north-carolina-town-saves-public-dollars-its-own-network>
a
13-mile fiber Institutional network
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term15> (often called an “I-Net”) to
connect the municipal buildings and other public institutions, such as
schools and hospitals.

... Read the Rest Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/ting-holly-springs-nc-get-gig>

Hillary Clinton: Stop State Laws that Restrict Local Choice
<http://muninetworks.org/content/hillary-clinton-stop-state-laws-restrict-local-choice>
Sat, November 14, 2015 | Posted by ternste
<http://muninetworks.org/users/ternste>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/hillary-clinton-stop-state-laws-restrict-local-choice>

In a position piece
<http://qz.com/529303/hillary-clinton-being-pro-business-doesnt-mean-hanging-consumers-out-to-dry/>
released
in October, Hillary Clinton voiced strong support for local authority:

“Three-quarters of US households have at most one option for purchasing the
Internet service families now depend on for shopping, streaming, and doing
homework. When alternatives do emerge, however, as they have in places like
Kansas City, prices go down and speeds go up……Closing these loopholes and
protecting other standards of free and fair competition—like enforcing
strong net neutrality rules and preempting state laws that unfairly protect
incumbent businesses—will keep more money in consumers’ wallets, enable
startups to challenge the status quo, and allow small businesses to thrive.”

The effort to stop state laws that limit local choice on broadband
initiatives requires more political leaders to take a stand like the one
Mrs. Clinton takes here against local monopoly power in favor of fair
competition. Voters must become better informed about the insidious impact
of centralized corporate power on their local freedom and demand that
elected officials embrace policies to decentralize power.

... We Hope to See Other Presidential Seekers Adopt the Same Position ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/hillary-clinton-stop-state-laws-restrict-local-choice>

Community Broadband Media Roundup - November 13
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-13>
Mon, November 16, 2015 | Posted by rebecca
<http://muninetworks.org/users/rebecca>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-13>

*Colorado*

Colorado Residents Vote Overwhelmingly In Favor Of Municipal Broadband
<https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151104/11595932721/colorado-residents-vote-overwhelmingly-favor-municipal-broadband.shtml>
by
Karl Bode, TechDirt

Boulder, Colo., To Light Up Fiber Optic Network
<http://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/Boulder-Colo-To-Light-Up-Fiber-Optic-Network.html>
by
Alex Burness, GovTech

Boulder, Colo., Explores Benefits of Municipal Broadband
<http://www.statetechmagazine.com/article/2015/11/boulder-colo-explores-benefits-municipal-broadband>by
Julian Kimble, State Tech Magazine

*Maine*

Portland to pursue building municipal high-speed broadband network
<http://www.pressherald.com/2015/11/09/portland-to-pursue-building-of-a-municipal-high-speed-broadband-network/>by
Whit Richardson, Portland Press Herald, Maine Public Radio & Washington
Times

... Read our Full Community Broadband Media Roundup Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-13>

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