From mike790 at gmail.com Thu Oct 1 15:50:18 2015 From: mike790 at gmail.com (Mike Adams) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2015 15:50:18 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Water Project Conduit - FYI Message-ID: In response to a question on NextDoor, Stacey Winton responded to the question as to whether fiber was being installed during the water project "Mike - The City is installing 2 two-inch spare conduits in the trench along with the surface water transmission pipeline." Is this adequate? She also stated that the City is funding the water project through SRF, State Revolving Fund, at 1.6-1.7 % vs a 4% bond. -- Mike Adams -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rob at omsoft.com Thu Oct 1 16:43:57 2015 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2015 16:43:57 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Fwd: Water Project Conduit - FYI In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <560DC53D.9020101@omsoft.com> Thanks for this great info MA! I think it is a relief to everyone here that the message has gotten to the City that conduit is important. 2 inches is very adequate for the fiber deployment and could carry something ridiculous like 2048 pair of fiber. It's good to know about that financing mechanism too, as it might be brought to bear in our case. Plus! I met with the owner, VP, and Build Manager, all long time employees of this company: http://www.pacificutilityconstruction.com/ All live in Woodland and do fiber builds for big carriers infrastructure, and have for the past 15 years. They are a TREMENDOUS asset to this project, are interested, and support the concept. They are likely going to come and talk with us at some point about what they do, and the President has offered to come to a meeting we arrange for the city. They want to do a local project, and have 6 horizontal bore rigs presently and teams, I saw one on the prem. They mostly do little subdivisions and builds to cell towers, but they have the complete expierience and depth in the management team of 19 years of continuous leadership to help get this done correctly. We will see where this goes... Thanks RAN -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: [Davisgig] Water Project Conduit - FYI Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2015 15:50:18 -0700 From: Mike Adams To: davisgig at list.omsoft.com In response to a question on NextDoor, Stacey Winton responded to the question as to whether fiber was being installed during the water project "Mike - The City is installing 2 two-inch spare conduits in the trench along with the surface water transmission pipeline." Is this adequate? She also stated that the City is funding the water project through SRF, State Revolving Fund, at 1.6-1.7 % vs a 4% bond. -- Mike Adams -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ Please ref our wiki for details, documents and contacts: http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~help/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=start Davisgig mailing list Davisgig at list.omsoft.com http://list.omsoft.com/mailman/listinfo/davisgig From christopher at newrules.org Tue Oct 6 11:47:23 2015 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2015 13:47:23 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 10/6 Message-ID: *Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom. Send feedback. Forward Widely.* Spanish Fork Building Gig Fiber over Cable Network - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 170 Tue, September 29, 2015 | Posted by christopher The Spanish Fork Community Network has long been among the most successful community broadband projects. And now that the community has finished paying off the debt of the network, they are using the net income to upgrade to a fiber network that will be capable of delivering a symmetrical gigabit to anyone in town. John Bowcut, Director of Information Systems and SFCN Director, speaks with us again this week to explain how the project is doing and how they plan to upgrade to fiber. They are pursuing a unique upgrade to our knowledge -- they are building fiber over the coax and will operate both. Telephone and Internet access will run over the fiber and television over the cable. The network has paid back its debt and continues to generate impressive community savings. With a take rate of 80 percent of the community, the network saves a cumulative $3 million each year. That is a lot of money circulating in the city of 35,000 people. ... Listen to the Show Here ... Read the Transcript here ... Carrier Neutral Facilities Creates Big Savings in Steamboat Springs Tue, September 29, 2015 | Posted by hannah On July 6th and 7th, much of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, lost phone and Internet when a fiber line was cut, creating a public safety hazard. In order to aviod future massive outages and improve connectivity, Steamboat Springs has decided to develop a Carrier Neutral Location or CNL , much like a similar initiative in nearby Cortez. In July a CenturyLink fiber optic line was accidentally cut by construction crews, disrupting the 911 emergency system for about 3 hours . No calls were missed, but it is a terrifying reminder of how small towns are dependent on incumbent providers like CenturyLink for basic services. The community, located in the northwest corner of the state and home to about 12,000 people, is known as a popular ski destination in the winter months. Locations like Steamboat Springs have a natural beauty in the rugged terrain, but incumbent providers tend to see a poor return-on-investment rather than beauty. ... Read More About This Investment Here ... AnchorNETS Conference Nov. 16th - 17th in Mountainview, CA Tue, October 06, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) will present the first AnchorNETS Broadband Summit this November 16th & 17th in Mountainview, California. The event is designed to help leaders from anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals, and libraries connect and learn about solutions to help them achieve gigabit connectivity. The conference will be held at the Computer History Museum . Our own Christopher Mitchell will be there as well. *Keynote Speakers include:* - Evan Marwell, CEO & Founder, EductionSuperhighway - Catherine Sandoval, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) - Sunne Wright McPeak, CEO, California Emerging Technology Fund ... Read the Story to Learn More About this Event ... Op-Ed: Community Broadband Networks Drive NC Economy Thu, October 01, 2015 | Posted by rebecca *The Roanoke Daily Herald published this op-ed about local government action for broadband networks on September 25, 2015.* *We were responding to an earlier Op-Ed, available here . Christopher Mitchell wrote the following op-ed.* *Local governments should make broadband choices * Community broadband must be a local choice, a guest columnist writes. It is stunning any legislator can look at the constituents they serve in rural North Carolina and think, ??These people don?t need the same high quality Internet access now being delivered in Charlotte and the Triangle. They should be happy with whatever cable and telephone companies offer.? But that?s just what I think Representatives Jason Saine and Michael Wray are implying in their recent opinion piece on community broadband networks. ... Read our Full Op-Ed here ... New Video on Economic Development and High-Speed Connectivity in Tennessee Fri, October 02, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez Tennessee Fiber Optic Communities has released another quality video focused on restoring local telecommunications authority. This three minute feature describes the importance of high speed connectivity to local economic development. The video offers specific examples of businesses that relocated to places like Jackson and Chattanooga, comparing business connectivity in places with municipal networks to areas where high-speed connections from incumbents are costly and hard to come by. ... Watch the Video Here ... DC-Net Delivers Public Savings Wed, September 30, 2015 | Posted by hannah Washington, DC, continues to operate an incredibly successful municipal network. Created in 2007, the municipal government?s 57-mile fiber optic network, DC-Net , provides connectivity to government buildings and community anchor institutions that are health or education based. DC-Net started providingpublic Wi-Fi hotspots in 2010. We covered some of the savings of DC-Net itself in our 2010 report , and we recently found a report from 2012 that details an example of public savings from the network. In 2008, the Office of Personnel Management in D.C. needed to replace its aging phone system with state-of-the-art Voice over IP and a video conference system. These two telecommunication systems require a high capacity network. After a market analysis found that prospective vendors would cost more than the budget could handle, they had to find an alternative solution. That?s when they connected with DC-Net. The network kept costs down - the initial cost-savings from the project were about $500,000. ... Get the Rest of the Details Here ... Parker Lecture Scheduled for October 20th; Honoring Everett Parker Wed, September 30, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez The United Church of Christ Office of Communications, Inc. (UCC OC), will hold its annual Parker Lecture on October 20th at 8 a.m. in Washington, D.C., at the First Congregational Church. This year's lecture will be especially meaningful because on September 17th, Rev. Dr. Everett C. Parker, known for his groundbreaking work with public rights in broadcasting, passed away at the age of 102. This year's honorees are: - *danah boyd*, founder, Data & Society Research Institute and ?activist scholar? on the social and cultural implications of technology, will give the 2015 Parker Lecture on Ethics and Telecommunications. - *Joseph Torres*, senior external affairs director of Free Press and co-author of News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media, will receive the Parker Award which recognizes an individual whose work embodies the principles and values of the public interest in telecommunications. - *Wally Bowen*, co-founder and executive director of the Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN), will receive the Donald H. McGannon Award in recognition of his dedication to bringing modern telecommunications to low-income people in rural areas. ... More on This Wonderful Event Here ... Video on OpenCape: How Cape Cod Created a Fiber Network Mon, September 28, 2015 | Posted by hannah Almost ten years ago, Dan Gallagher, a technology director at Cape Cod Community College , could not get the bandwidth the college needed from incumbent service providers. After communicating with others in the areas, it soon became clear that a number of others shared the same experience. ?We asked anyone who thinks this is a problem for their business or entity here on the cape to come to cape cod community college to talk about it and a hundred people showed up.? - Dan Gallagher in eSTEAMers The community formed non-profit OpenCape , and created a 350 mile fiber optic network and a colocation data center with $40 million in combined BTOP grants, state grants, and private funding . Completed in late 2012, the project proved to be well-worth the wait. Three large entities almost immediately became customers on the network: the Joint Base, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and Hydroid, Inc, a private company. ... Watch the Video Here ... Debate on Municipal Networks by Federalist Society Now Available Thu, October 01, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez Our own Christopher Mitchell recently participated in a debate hosted by the Federalist Society. You can now listen to the debate at the Federalist Society website . We think it offers an intelligent airing of different points of view. Chris, who is also Policy Director at Next Century Cities , disscussed the role of municipal networks in improving competition, reveiwed reguatory issues, and debated the anticipated legal outcome of February's FCC decision on local authority in Tennessee and North Carolina. He squared off against Charles M. Davidson, Director of the Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute at New York Law School, and Randolph J. May, President of the Free State Foundation. Both organizations have spoken out against community broadband networks. Rachel M. Bender, Senior Policy Director of Mobile Future, moderated. New Michigan Bar Journal Article: "The Internet and Municipal Broadband Systems" Sat, October 03, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez A recent Michigan Bar Journal article by attorney Michael J. Watza, *The Internet and Municipal Broadband Systems*, provides a quick look at the FCC's Open Internet Order [PDF] , the recent ruling on state barriers to municipal networks , and how the two may intertwine in Michigan. Watza's three-pager is a great resource for community groups, legislators, and advocates who want to share necessary information without overwhelming the reader. In addition to providing summaries of each order, Watza offers hope for places that lack the Internet access they need to prosper. He acknowledges Michigan's first gigabit municipal network in Sebewaing and mentions the possibility of public private partnerships. Having worked with Michigan municipalities on telecommunications issues, he knows that other communities in the Great Lakes State also have their eyes on the future: ... Read the Article Here ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 5 Mon, October 05, 2015 | Posted by rebecca *Community Broadband News By State* *Colorado* DavisGig working toward faster Internet service by Felicia Alvarez, The Davis Enterprise *Kentucky* Ready ? or not? If we?re prepared, broadband can transform Appalachian Kentucky by Ron Daley, Northern Kentucky Tribune ... Read the Full Community Broadband Media Roundup Here ... -- You can always find our most recent stories and other resources at http://MuniNetworks.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Community Networks Weekly Updates" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to communitynetworks-weekly+unsubscribe at ilsr.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/ilsr.org/d/optout. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rob at omsoft.com Sat Oct 10 15:38:27 2015 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2015 15:38:27 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] City of Davis putting together Work Group to Make Recommendations to City Council on what to do for Fiber Optic Message-ID: <56199363.7000105@omsoft.com> Hi Folks - Lawn signs are done, I'll pick them up Monday. We want a municipal owned, community operated network. I need 2-3 people to join this 8-10 person working group. This group will advise the council on the best way to proceed with Davis's fiber optic deployment. Who has time and an interest to volunteer to help make this happen? I'd think it would be regular committee meetings, perhaps bimonthly until its work is completed. Not a task force, so no Brown Act. Thanks -- Rob Nickerson CEO Om Networks UCD Class of 96 C: 530-848-3865 If we have helped you in a positive way, please give us a good recommendation at daviswiki.org , and/or yelp.com . Please like us on Facebook . and put us in your circle at Google+ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lauckjr at hotmail.com Sun Oct 11 16:09:13 2015 From: lauckjr at hotmail.com (Richard) Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2015 16:09:13 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Davisgig Digest, Vol 11, Issue 3 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Rob- If you are having a hard time getting volunteers for this task force, I would be willing to join. I don't need to if you have sufficient volunteers already. Rich Lauckhart El Macero 530-759-9390 > From: davisgig-request at list.omsoft.com > Subject: Davisgig Digest, Vol 11, Issue 3 > To: davisgig at list.omsoft.com > Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2015 12:00:02 -0700 > > Send Davisgig mailing list submissions to > davisgig at list.omsoft.com > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://list.omsoft.com/mailman/listinfo/davisgig > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > davisgig-request at list.omsoft.com > > You can reach the person managing the list at > davisgig-owner at list.omsoft.com > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Davisgig digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. City of Davis putting together Work Group to Make > Recommendations to City Council on what to do for Fiber Optic > (Robert Nickerson) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2015 15:38:27 -0700 > From: Robert Nickerson > To: "davisgig at list.omsoft.com" > Subject: [Davisgig] City of Davis putting together Work Group to Make > Recommendations to City Council on what to do for Fiber Optic > Message-ID: <56199363.7000105 at omsoft.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"; Format="flowed" > > Hi Folks - > > Lawn signs are done, I'll pick them up Monday. > > We want a municipal owned, community operated network. > > I need 2-3 people to join this 8-10 person working group. This group > will advise the council on the best way to proceed with Davis's fiber > optic deployment. > > Who has time and an interest to volunteer to help make this happen? > > I'd think it would be regular committee meetings, perhaps bimonthly > until its work is completed. Not a task force, so no Brown Act. > > Thanks > -- > Rob Nickerson > > CEO > Om Networks > UCD Class of 96 > C: 530-848-3865 > > If we have helped you in a positive way, please give us a good > recommendation at daviswiki.org , and/or > yelp.com . > Please like us on Facebook > . and put us in your > circle at Google+ > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > > The Davis Gig Wiki > > http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~help/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=start > > Davisgig mailing list > Davisgig at list.omsoft.com > http://list.omsoft.com/mailman/listinfo/davisgig > > > ------------------------------ > > End of Davisgig Digest, Vol 11, Issue 3 > *************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From christopher at newrules.org Tue Oct 13 06:17:42 2015 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2015 08:17:42 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks ... Week of 10/13 Message-ID: *Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom. Send feedback. Forward Widely.* Wilson Business Thrives With Muni Fiber Network - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 171 Tue, October 06, 2015 | Posted by christopher When Wilson decided to build its municipal fiber network in North Carolina, it found a strong opponent in Tina Mooring, store manager of Computer Central . One of the local business' sources of revenue was connecting people to the Internet and they were fearful that they would lose customers to what becameGreenlight , the municipal fiber network that delivered the first 100 Mbps citywide service in the state and later the first citywide gig as well. As we noted in a post in August, Computer Central became a strong supporter of Greenlight and now believes that Computer Central would be best served by allowing Wilson's municipal fiber to expand to nearby communities. In this week's Community Broadband Bits, Tina Mooring gives us the background and reasoning for this interesting change of heart. This is a short interview, but we hope to see more of these collaborations and partnerships in other communities, where local businesses can use municipal fiber networks to sell business-to-business services. ... Listen to the Show Here ... Read the Transcript Here ... More Colorado Communities Will Ask Voters To Reclaim Local Authority Wed, October 07, 2015 | Posted by hannah This November 3rd, more than ten communities in Colorado will attempt to escape the local-authority-revoking effects of SB 152 by overriding its restrictions at the polls: Archuleta County, Bayfield, Boulder Valley School District, Durango, Fort Collins, Ignacio, La Plata County, Loveland, Moffat County, Pitkin County, San Juan County, and Silverton. Many of these communities participated in a $4.1 million fiber infrastructure project which currently provides public entities (municipal buildings, libraries, and schools) with cheap, plentiful Internet access. To determine how to better utilize that existing fiber infrastructure, the South Colorado Council of Governments received a $75,000 regional planning grant . The 10 year old law in question, SB 152, prevents local governments from taking full advantage of local fiber assets by removing local authority to offer any services that compete with incumbents; voters must reclaim that authority through a referendum. ... Read More About the Many Colorado Communities Poised to Move Forward Here ... Owensboro, Kentucky, Developing Muni FTTH Pilot Mon, October 05, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez Owensboro Municipal Utilities (OMU) is now expanding its Fibernet services with a pilot FTTH program to connect residents this fall. There are approximately 500 homes in the selected area where OMU will test out the new venture . People living in the project area can sign-up online . Businesses in Owensboro have had access to OMUFibernet for data transport since 1999 and in 2014 the utility added VoIP to its commercial product line. The pilot will offer gigabit Internet access to residents, but OMUFibernet has only advertised speeds up to 100 Mbps to business customers thus far, according to the OMU website . Businesses are also able to lease dark fiber, which allows them to have more flexibility with data transport speeds. ... Read the Full Story Here ... Fibrant Rolls out 10 Gbps, A Look At Salisbury's Challenges in FTTH Thu, October 08, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez Salisbury, North Carolina's Fibrant , now holds the distinction of offering the fastest Internet access in the country. The municipal network is making 10 Gbps symmetrical connectivity available for residents and businesses. Fibrant's first 10 Gbps customer is Catawba College , a local school that will use the ultra-fast connections for its new Digital Media Creation and Collaboration labs. In a press release Joanna Jasper, Catawba CIO stated: "By moving to Fibrant's 10 Gbps speeds, the College is in a better position to differentiate itself. We can bring world-class broadband services to our campus community to support the next generation of educational applications." ? "The future is all about rich immersive digital media and being able to communicate and collaborate with others in real-time regardless of where people are in time and space." ... Read This In-Depth Look at Salisbury's Path and Accomplishments ... Chicago Alderman Advocates Public Fiber For Municipal Savings Fri, October 09, 2015 | Posted by Tom Ernste At a Chicago City Council meeting this month, a newly elected alderman proposed the city stop relying on incumbent ISPs and start using its existing fiber network for connectivity. Pointing to nearby cities like Aurora , where municipal government elimnated leased lines to reduce costs by $485,000 per year, Alderman Brian Hopkins suggested the switch could save the city ?tens of millions of dollars? annually. He also advocated the change in order to provide more efficient services. ?We already have a robust infrastructure in place to build from. Fiber optic resources currently controlled and managed by [the Office of Emergency Management and Communications] for traffic, first-responder, and emergency services is an example,? Hopkins said. "Given the debt Chicago faces, we should follow other cities by switching all municipal government broadband access from private incumbent providers to a taxpayer-owned fiber network. The money saved can be reinvested into the expansion of the municipal network to finally reach those communities that need fast affordable access. Why would we not do this?? ... More Details on Chicago's Plans Here ... POTs and PANs Explores Conduit Sat, October 10, 2015 | Posted by Tom Ernste In a recent POTs and PANs post from the owner and president of CCG consulting,Doug Dawson helps to demystify the process cable installation experts use to run fiber optic cables through conduit. The article walks us through the process, describing the techniques, equipment, and quality control processes involved in the installation of long and short fiber runs. As the article notes, while installers can lay fiber optic cables without using conduit, carrier-class conduits often use conduit for two primary reasons: (1) to protect fiber optic cables and (2) to make the cables easily accessible for future needs. The post explains the three methods installers user to feed the cables through the conduit. One method, the simplest of all, involves pushing the cables through conduit; it is commonly used for home and office installations. For longer routes, installers can potentially use either of more complex pulling and blowing methods. Dawson discusses the advantages and limitations of each method along with unique characteristics of short and long installations that dictate which method is the best for a given job. ... An Excellent Primer on Conduit Here ... USDA Broadband Funding for Rural Projects; Coops On Top Tue, October 06, 2015 | Posted by hannah This past July the USDA announced over $85 million in funding for rural broadband projects across seven states. The projects, many awarded to rural cooperatives, aim to bridge the digital divide and expand economic opportunities. For those interested in federal funding opportunities, NTIA has just released this guide [pdf]. Rural areas are often passed over by big telco s because they are considered less profitable. Farming, however, is a high-tech industry, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack believes that Internet access is as necessary as electricity in rural areas: "Broadband is fundamental to expanding economic opportunity and job creation in rural areas, and it is as vital to rural America's future today as electricity was when USDA began bringing power to rural America 80 years ago. ... Improved connectivity means these communities can offer robust business services, expand access to health care and improve the quality of education in their schools, creating a sustainable and dynamic future those who live and work in rural America." ... More Details About Funded Projects here ... AnchorNETS Conference Nov. 16th - 17th in Mountainview, CA Tue, October 06, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) will present the first AnchorNETS Broadband Summit this November 16th & 17th in Mountainview, California. The event is designed to help leaders from anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals, and libraries connect and learn about solutions to help them achieve gigabit connectivity. The conference will be held at the Computer History Museum . Our own Christopher Mitchell will be there as well. *Keynote Speakers include:* - Evan Marwell, CEO & Founder, EductionSuperhighway - Catherine Sandoval, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) - Sunne Wright McPeak, CEO, California Emerging Technology Fund ... More Details Here ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 10 Mon, October 12, 2015 | Posted by rebecca *Community Broadband News By State* *Colorado* Vote ?yes? on broadband by Jon Quinn, Steamboat Today Letter: Let?s work to get municipal broadband by Robin Gard, The Coloradoan *Delaware* City exploring municipal broadband service by Karie Simmons, The Newark Post ... Read the Full Community Broadband Media Roundup Here ... -- You can always find our most recent stories and other resources at http://MuniNetworks.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Community Networks Weekly Updates" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to communitynetworks-weekly+unsubscribe at ilsr.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/ilsr.org/d/optout. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From christopher at newrules.org Wed Oct 21 14:08:46 2015 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2015 16:08:46 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 10/20 Message-ID: *Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom. Send feedback. Forward Widely.* *This was supposed to go out yesterday but apparently didn't? Sorry for any duplicates and confusion...* EPB Turns Up The Speed To 10 Gigs Thu, October 15, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez Chattanooga's EPB Fiber Optics now offers 10 gigabit Internet service to all households and businesses in its service area. The ultra-fast service is available for $299 per month with free installation, no contracts, and no cancellation fees, announced community leaders at a press conference on October 15th. In addition to 10 gig service, EPB is also offering "Professional" products available in 3 gig, 5 gig, and 10 gig for large businesses. Smaller businesses have the option of choosing 5 gig or 10 gig Internet products. According to the press release, prices on all the new products vary. Since the network was launched in 2010, Chattanooga has transformed from one of the "dirtiest cities in America" to a haven for the entrepreneurial culture . Chattanooga experienced explosive economic development leading to thousands of new jobs, substantial public savings due to the network's smart grid capabilities, and new educational opportunities for students and workforce development. ... Why? Because They Can Do Whatever They Want. They Are in Charge, not Comcast ... School District Will Cut Connectivity Costs 85% With Public Fiber in Iowa Wed, October 14, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez Plans for a fiber network collaboration between the city, school district, and county will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in Stormlake, Iowa. The school district recently voted to take advantage of significant savings for connectivity by switching to the publicly owned infrastrucutre as soon as the network is ready. The Storm Lake Pilot recently reported that under the current contract with Vast Broadband, the district pays *$7,500 per month* to lease two strands of fiber. The new arrangement will allow the district to lease 12 fibers from the city-owned network for $14,000 per year or *$1,167 per month - a reduction of approximately 85 percent. *The city and the school district will enter into a 10-year agreement to ultimately *save the district a total of $760,000 or approximately $6,333 per month* during the term of the lease. ... More Details about This Network Here ... Open Access Engineering Options - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 172 Tue, October 13, 2015 | Posted by christopher The holy grail of Internet access for many of us continues to be a situation in which multiple providers can compete on a level playing field, which should lower costs to subscribers and encourage innovation. Often called open access , this may involve a municipality building a fiber optic network and making it available on a wholesale level - a model that has been tried to various degrees of success. This week, we talk with Tim Pozar, a long time Internet entrepreneur and community network enthusiast, about why he supports that model and his ideal method of engineering such a network. We talk about different possibilities for how to design the network and trade-offs involved with those choices. Tim has worked for many years to encourage this model in San Francisco, which already has some of the locally rooted ISPs that we would hope would ultimately thrive if the City had that type of network available. ... Listen to the Show Here (with ongoing discussion in comments) ... Read the transcript from this show here ... Tiny Mount Washington Pursues Muni in Massachusetts Mon, October 12, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez Mount Washington's 167 residents will not let their small size defeat their big plans for a municipal fiber network. The community is seeking permission from the state legislature to finance, own, and operate a municipal Internet network. The bill granting Mount Washington the authority to do so, S1978 , recently passed in the Senate and then moved to the House to await review. "The Town Among The Clouds" sought special legislation to avoid being bound by the state's requirement that communities establish a Municipal Light Plant (MLP). The MLP is a separate department responsibile for municipal electricity and broadband service. Town leaders believe an MLP would be an administrative burden for such a small community; the State Senate agrees. ... Read the Rest of the Story Here ... Businesses in Fort Collins, Colorado, Advocate for Local Authority Thu, October 15, 2015 | Posted by Tom Ernste As the city of Fort Collins prepares for a November ballot issue seeking to reclaim local telecommunications authority, local business leaders are articulating their support. Walt Lyons, the owner of a Fort Collins-based video production company and member of the Fort Collins Citizens Broadband Committee , believes slow broadband access should be a central priority for this city of more than 150,000: ?This is more important than widening I-25,? Lyons said. ?This is not going to make much difference to me because I?m getting ready to retire. But it will make a difference for my kids and my grandchildren. The kinds of places they will work and what they do will depend upon it." The city has access to many miles of fiber optic networks as Fort Collins is connected to a ring that the Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) built to connect its four partners: Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park and Longmont. At present, only government-owned facilities in Fort Collins can use the fiber network. ... Read On for More Details Here ... LeverettNet Meets Demand for Better Connectivity in MA Fri, October 16, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez On October 2nd, a group of residents, business owners, and educators met with elected officials to celebrate the early success of LeverettNet . The municipal gigabit fiber network now serves 650 of 800 households in the Massachusetts town of 1,800. This spring, the network began serving limited areas of town, offering telephone service and gigabit Internet access. LeverettNet's instant success is no surprise, considering a number townsfolkdepended on unreliable , slow dial-up service over antiquated copper infrastructure for years. Some in town used DSL , satellite, and wireless devices; others had no Internet access at all. Telephone service was equally dismal - sometimes the community would lose service when it rained. Leverett connects to MassBroadband 123 , the statewide middle-mile network deployed by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. Greenfield, Massachusetts Internet service provider Crocker Communications , is partnering with Leverett to offer gigabit service via the publicly owned infrastructure. ... Read the Rest of the Story Here ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 16 Mon, October 19, 2015 | Posted by rebecca *Community Broadband News By State* *Colorado* Gardner pushes broadband bill in Senate by Charlie Ashby, The Daily Sentinel Fort Collins voters to weigh in on broadband services by Kevin Duggan, The Coloradoan Gigabit city: Fort Morgan putting together 'shopping list' for building out fiber system to residents, businesses by Jenni Grubbs, The Fort Morgan Times Summit County cell tower referendum explained by Noah Klug, The Summit Daily ... Read the Full Community Broadband Media Roundup here ... -- You can always find our most recent stories and other resources at http://MuniNetworks.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Community Networks Weekly Updates" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to communitynetworks-weekly+unsubscribe at ilsr.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/ilsr.org/d/optout. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gary_darling at sbcglobal.net Thu Oct 22 21:23:11 2015 From: gary_darling at sbcglobal.net (Gary Darling) Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2015 21:23:11 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] [Dig once: The Internet policy the White House just endorsed] Message-ID: <85C6FC22-F1E7-48F1-8DB3-2EC9984DF955@sbcglobal.net> https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/10/22/this-no-brainer-internet-policy-just-gained-some-momentum-in-congress/ Interesting national policy, not clear what the implications are for Davis Gig. ?Gary -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pofish at gmail.com Thu Oct 22 23:06:27 2015 From: pofish at gmail.com (Patrick Fish) Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2015 23:06:27 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] [Dig once: The Internet policy the White House just endorsed] In-Reply-To: <85C6FC22-F1E7-48F1-8DB3-2EC9984DF955@sbcglobal.net> References: <85C6FC22-F1E7-48F1-8DB3-2EC9984DF955@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: San Francisco has worked with CTC Technology on plans & engineering specs for #digonce: http://www.sfgov3.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=6885 -pfish On Thursday, October 22, 2015, Gary Darling wrote: > > https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/10/22/this-no-brainer-internet-policy-just-gained-some-momentum-in-congress/ > > Interesting national policy, not clear what the implications are for Davis > Gig. > > > > > ?Gary > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From omrob at omsoft.com Sat Oct 24 14:07:01 2015 From: omrob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2015 14:07:01 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] [Dig once: The Internet policy the White House just endorsed] In-Reply-To: References: <85C6FC22-F1E7-48F1-8DB3-2EC9984DF955@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: <562BF2F5.1000908@omsoft.com> Hi I've sent this to city staff. New ordinances like this are part of the initial actions the City will be taking around Municipal Fiber. I believe it is very helpful to them. Thank you both. RNA On 10/22/2015 11:06 PM, Patrick Fish wrote: > San Francisco? has worked with CTC Technology on plans & engineering > specs for #digonce:? > http://www.sfgov3.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=6885 > > > -pfish > > On Thursday, October 22, 2015, Gary Darling > > wrote: > > https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/10/22/this-no-brainer-internet-policy-just-gained-some-momentum-in-congress/ > > Interesting national policy, not clear what the implications are > for Davis Gig. > > > > > ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? > ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ???Gary > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Please ref our wiki for details, documents and contacts: > > http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~help/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=start > > Davisgig mailing list > Davisgig at list.omsoft.com > http://list.omsoft.com/mailman/listinfo/davisgig -- Rob Nickerson CEO Om Networks UCD Class of 96 C: 530-848-3865 If we have helped you in a positive way, please give us a good recommendation at daviswiki.org , and/or yelp.com . Please like us on Facebook . and put us in your circle at Google+ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From christopher at newrules.org Tue Oct 27 08:27:43 2015 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2015 10:27:43 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 10/27 Message-ID: *Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom. Send feedback. Forward Widely.* Muni Fiber in Idaho Helps 911 Dispatch and First Responders - Community Broadband Bits Episode 173 Tue, October 20, 2015 | Posted by christopher Ammon, Idaho, continues to quietly build a future-looking open access fiber network . Though the City won't be providing services directly to subscribers, the network it is building and the model it has created could revolutionize public safety. I just spent several days with them shooting our next video on community fiber networks (look for that in January). In episode 173 of our Community Broadband Bits podcast, we talk with City Technology Director Bruce Patterson and Systems Network Administrator Ty Ashcraft. Bruce explains how they plan to finance the network as it moves from the current residential pilot phase to being available broadly to any residents that want to connect, likely using a local improvement district model. Then Ty tells us about the portal that subscribers will be able to use to instantaneously pick and change service providers offering various services. Additionally, we talk about the public safety implications of their technological and collaborative approach, specifically around the horrifying prospect of an armed shooter in a public space like a school or mall. ... Listen to the Show Here ... Read the transcript from this episode here ... Nonprofit Bozeman Fiber Secures Funding From Eight Local Banks Mon, October 19, 2015 | Posted by hannah Good news from Montana! Bozeman Fiber has secured funding to begin construction of a 23-mile open access community fiber network. Through an impressive partnership among eight local banks, Bozeman Fiber secured $3.85 million . First Interstate Bank, Rocky Mountain Bank, Big Sky Western Bank, Opportunity Bank, U.S. Bank, American Bank, First Montana Bank and Bank of Bozeman all came together to support the fledgling network. During a press conference , First Interstate Bank President Bruce Parker described how this level of collaboration was possible. He initially approached twelve banks in April about the project. Now, six months later, eight banks have committed to providing funds. Parker expressed a high level of confidence for the network?s impact: *The project really speaks for itself in terms of what this infrastructure will do for the Bozeman community.* ... Get the Full Story Here ... After Gutting the Gulf, BP Funds Pave Path to Better Broadband Wed, October 21, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez Communities along Mississippi's Gulf coast have recently suffered through disasters both natural and not, from Hurricane Katrina to BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout and aftermath. But they are investing some of the relief funds into infrastructure of the future to help recover. Biloxi and Gulfport city officials recently passed resolutions approving an intergovernmental agreement to bring better connectivity to Mississippi Coastal communities. The vote was the next step in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Fiber Ring initiative announced this summer by Biloxi Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gilich to encourage municipal networks in the region. The agreement will establish the Gulf Coast Broadband Commission, a public utility charged with deploying, operating, and maintaining a fiber optic network in and between the two cities. The agreement also specifically grants the Commission the ability to seek out financing to perform its function. Other municipalities and counties can join the agreement as members after the Commission is established. ... Get More Details from This Interesting Approach Here ... Peachtree City, Georgia Approves Resolution to Establish Municipal Broadband Utility Thu, October 22, 2015 | Posted by Tom Ernste At a September meeting, the City Council in Peachtree City, Georgia unanimously approved a resolution to construct and operate a fiber-optic broadband network. According to the City Council minutes from the meeting, the initial 22.54-miles of fiber will provide 1 Gbps broadband access to various facilities in the City Service area. In addition to providing connectivity for government buildings, utility services, and medical and educational buildings, the city will target business customers in the ?high end user category.? Officials estimate the network will cost $3.23 million. To pay for the project, the Peachtree City Public Facilities Authority, an independent local government authority created by the state legislature in 2011, will enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Peachtree City. According the August 2015 Fiber Initiative plan, capital for the project will come from the Authority; the city will issue a bond and pay installments to the Authority under an Agreement of Sale. ... More on Peachtree City's Fiber-to-the-Biz Approach Here ... Sanford, Maine Plans Largest Municipal Network in the State Fri, October 23, 2015 | Posted by Tom Ernste A lot has happened in Sanford, Maine since our last report on their municipal fiber optic network discussions. After a year of deliberations over different proposals, the city recently announced plans to begin building a 32-mile municipal fiber-optic network . The city of Sanford is inside York County, situated about 35 miles southwest of Portland. The network will provide connectivity to businesses, government entities, non-profit organizations, and residences in Sanford along a limited route where there is sufficient customer density. City leaders plan to also provide a foundation for future expansion of the network to additional residential areas in the city. The network will be open access , allowing multiple ISPs to provide services via the publicly owned infrastructure. ... More on this Exciting Development for Maine ... $117,000 Broadband Service Disaster From Charter Tue, October 20, 2015 | Posted by Tom Ernste Shocking horror stories about incumbent ISPs reaching new lows for poor service are now so common that they have become routine . A story from Ars that recently went viral puts a human face on the frustration millions of Americans endure just trying to determine if Internet access is available where they choose to live. First, here is the gist of the story. Cole Marshall, a work-from-home web developer, decided he wanted to build a new home on the outskirts of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. While scouting properties, he confirmed with local incumbent ISPs Comcast and Frontier online and by phone that they could offer sufficient Internet access to his favored lot. ... More on the Scary Status Quo here ... Video: Next Century Cities' Digital New England Conference Sat, October 24, 2015 | Posted by stumo-langer On September 28th, Christopher participated in the Digital New England regional broadband summit in Portland, Maine sponsored by Next Century Cities and the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration). In the morning, he moderated a panel focusing on regional approaches to improve Internet access, and in the afternoon he moderated a panel that included incumbent providers on their preferences for partnerships. If you were unable to attend the event or did not see the live stream, Next Century Cities has released a video playlist of the two day long event. Christopher can be found moderating the morning panel in the main room during part three. The full agenda is available online . ... Watch the Videos Here ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 23 Mon, October 26, 2015 | Posted by rebecca *Colorado* Colorado cities voting on taxes, pot, broadband and bees this year by Joey Bunch, The Denver Post Ten towns and cities already have approved ? by wide margins ? the push for faster Internet under a 10-year-old Colorado law that restricts how municipalities provide broadband. "Today it's viewed very much as a utility, a basic, fundamental service," Mamet said of Internet service. "It's also very much an economic-development issue in cities large and small." We need municipal broadband; vote yes on 2B by Edgar Peyronnin, The Coloradoan *Delaware* What Reason.com got wrong about Newark?s municipal broadband project by Tony Abraham, Technical.ly ... Read our Full Roundup Here ... -- You can always find our most recent stories and other resources at http://MuniNetworks.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Community Networks Weekly Updates" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to communitynetworks-weekly+unsubscribe at ilsr.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/ilsr.org/d/optout. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rob at omsoft.com Tue Oct 27 18:35:18 2015 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2015 18:35:18 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Lawn Signs + Meet Pacific Utility Construction + Meeting with AFES In-Reply-To: <563024A2.7090607@omsoft.com> References: <563024A2.7090607@omsoft.com> Message-ID: <56302656.60802@omsoft.com> Hi Davis Folks Now is not the time to become complacent, or disengaged. We are a lot closer to achieving; better Internet access for everyone in Davis, stimulation of business development and retention, and a new revenue stream for our City government. All at the same time. I'm concerned the circle of energy from the original volunteers seems to be dissipating, and finding an ever smaller group of people aiding this effort with their thoughts and actions. My efforts are taxed by the uptick in load my small business is under, and so have about a quarter of the time available as this past spring and summer for these efforts. We do have a sort of dynamo advocate in Matthews Williams who seems to believe as much as I do, how important this is to do. So please re-engage, its crucial we make this happen for our town, not to mention the society at large. Put a sign in your yard, let your neighbors become curious. Once they learn about the project, they'll support it. This effort is winding its way forward, and we need to build out our email list extensively through our website, to prepare for an upcoming a crowd funding campaign. The signs need to carry our message, and we need to be in regular contact with the community again at the DFM. We are going to raise money now, for preparation of a feasibility study report from a reputable and objective 3rd party Broadband consultancy. City Council has to review this before any ballet measure can be brought to council. We always knew this, though now we have city staff relatively aware of this strategy and timeline. The hard deadline for any ballot in the June 2016 election needs to be brought by 2/16/16. 1) Finally - we have great lawn signs! Muchas Gracias to those involved making it happen. They are pretty striking, and draw the eye. YOU too can help DavisGIG become real by hosting one in your yard for a few months. This is the fastest way I can think of to alert the whole town to this important community project. Help generate the political will to get this done. You can get them at Omsoft 1930 5th St Suite C Davis, CA 95616 They are free if you will put them up, but we suggest a $20 donation. 2) Informational Talk Roundtable Meeting with Pacific Utility Construction this Friday 10.30 at NOON at Steve's Pizza This company is privately owned and in Woodland. We have a resource in the depth of exeperience their management team offer. They have done directional drilling quite extensively, its their primary business. They have 6 rigs and crew, and are going to talk with us about what they do, and how they would deploy the DavisGIG network. This is a great opportunity to meet someone that has been doing this for the last 15 years or so, and ask any questions about the physical aspects of a FTTP install in a community. DavisGIG will also buy some pizza, so if some of you would like to come, please RSVP. 3) Meeting with AFES - on Thursday 10/29, we'll be meeting with another owner of a Yolo County ISP, AFES.net, to see about getting them on board as one of the private ISPs selling service over the DavisGIG network. Onward -- Rob Nickerson CEO Om Networks UCD Class of 96 C: 530-848-3865 If we have helped you in a positive way, please give us a good recommendation at daviswiki.org , and/or yelp.com . Please like us on Facebook . and put us in your circle at Google+ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: