[Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 9/16

Wed Sep 16 04:39:13 PDT 2015

*Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the *
*Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear
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The Benefits of, Lessons From, SandyNet - Community Broadband Bits Episode
167
<http://muninetworks.org/content/benefits-lessons-sandynet-community-broadband-bits-episode-167>
Wed, September 09, 2015 | Posted by christopher
<http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/benefits-lessons-sandynet-community-broadband-bits-episode-167>

Two of the stars from our video on SandyNet
<http://muninetworks.org/content/gig-city-sandy-home-60-gig> in Oregon,
join us this week for Community Broadband Bits episode 167. Sandy City
Council President Jeremy Pietzold and IT Director Joe Knapp (also SandyNet
<http://www.ci.sandy.or.us/SandyNet/> General Manager) tell us more about
the network and recent developments as they finish connecting the majority
of the City to gigabit fiber.

We talk about the challenges and lessons learned along the way as they
transitioned from running a Wi-Fi
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term29> network in some areas of town
to all areas of town to overbuild
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term629>ing the wireless with fiber
optics.

Jeremy also discusses more of a story we recently reported
<http://muninetworks.org/content/sandynet-sharing-awesome-gig-deal-local-businesses>
on
SandyNet's business services, which are the lowest cost, highest capacity
deals we have seen.

... Listen to the Show Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/benefits-lessons-sandynet-community-broadband-bits-episode-167>

RS Fiber Cooperative Breaks Ground
<http://muninetworks.org/content/rs-fiber-cooperative-breaks-ground>
Wed, September 09, 2015 | Posted by phineas
<http://muninetworks.org/users/phineas>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/rs-fiber-cooperative-breaks-ground>

Six years after an initial feasibility study was conducted to assess
bringing broadband to Renville and Sibley Counties in southeastern
Minnesota, members of the RS Fiber Cooperative board were finally able to
dust off their shovels for agroundbreaking ceremony on July 9
<http://rsfiber.coop/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/RS-Fiber-Press-Release-FINAL2.pdf>.
Although those shovels may have ended up being more symbolic than they were
practical, the ceremony marked an important and long-awaited step in the
fight to extend broadband to 10 cities and 17 rural townships across the
largely agricultural region.

The groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of stage one of a two-stage
project that will take five to six years to complete. By the end of 2015,
the RS (Renville-Sibley) Fiber Cooperative <http://rsfiber.coop/>
plans to connect
1,600 homes and businesses with fiber, with 90 percent of its service area
covered by high-speed wireless
<http://belleplaineherald.com/Content/News/Area-News/Article/Renville-Sibley-Fiber-Project-Breaks-Ground-on-Project/7/40/6635>.
It hopes to connect another 2,600 homes and businesses by the end of 2016,
with the eventual goal of reaching 6,200 potential customers.

... More on This Great Model for Rural Connectivity ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/rs-fiber-cooperative-breaks-ground>

NYSBA Building (Economic) Bridges with Dark Fiber
<http://muninetworks.org/content/nysba-building-economic-bridges-dark-fiber>
Fri, September 11, 2015 | Posted by phineas
<http://muninetworks.org/users/phineas>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/nysba-building-economic-bridges-dark-fiber>

The New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) expects to bring in over
$900,000 over the course of the next ten years in revenue from dark fiber
leases. The agreements, which allow private companies to access publicly
owned dark fiber spanning the bridges, will also help maintain low tolls
and allow regional telecom operators to expand their data transmission
networks. The NYSBA announced on August 4 that it would be leasing dark
fiber on two new bridges
<http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2015/August/04/NYSBA_fiber_lease-04Aug15.html>
-
the Bear Mountain and Rip Van Winkle bridges in upstate New York. These
will be the third and fourth NYSBA bridges that generate revenue from fiber
leasing.

The NYSBA dark fiber leasing program is now in its fifth year. Since the
Authority does not receive any state or federal tax money for the operation
and maintenance of its bridges, it has sought creative solutions to finance
the upkeep of its infrastructure. It has now leased dark fiber on four of
five intended bridges, with plans to lease more on a fifth - the
Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge - in the near future.

... More Details on the Program Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/nysba-building-economic-bridges-dark-fiber>

New York Times Supports Local Authority
<http://muninetworks.org/content/new-york-times-supports-local-authority>
Tue, September 08, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/new-york-times-supports-local-authority>

In a recent editorial
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/opinion/consumers-are-cutting-the-cord-to-gain-choices-and-pay-less.html?_r=3>,
the New York Times recognized that cord cutting is the wave of the future.
They agree with the Coalition for Local Internet Choice
<http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view;NEWECFSSESSION=LyZbVJ8CzNXlfvhPHS9Q1Y22YbMqysrfhkP2sLrNnG5ZzL6vTfZl!-1772633381!-343240858?id=7521826170>,
and other advocates for local telecommunications authority that the FCC
should take steps to remove barriers to local Internet choice created by
states on behalf of cable and telco
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term608>lobbyists. The Editorial Board
notes that laws limiting municipal networks block the ability for consumers
to take full advantage of this phenomenon:

*Among other things, they should override laws some states have passed that
make it difficult or impossible for municipalities to invest in broadband
networks.*

Even though consumers are moving away from cable TV subscriptions, large
corporate providers are making up for losses by an increase in Internet
access subscriptions. As a result, they still maintain a significant
leverage and consumers still face the same old problem - a lack of
competition. Striking down anti-competitive state laws blocking munis would
create a healthier balance, argues the Times Editorial Board.

... Read the Full Story Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/new-york-times-supports-local-authority>

Introducing Our Institutional Networks Page
<http://muninetworks.org/content/introducing-our-institutional-networks-page>
Tue, September 08, 2015 | Posted by hannah
<http://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/introducing-our-institutional-networks-page>

Community anchor institutions play a critical role in bridging the digital
divide. These networks that connect government buildings, libraries, and
schools are often called “institutional networks” or “I-Nets.” Since the
start of MuniNetworks.org, we have noted the ways these institutions have
expanded services and saved money. Now, these stories have been compiled
into one quick-reference resource
<http://muninetworks.org/content/institutional-networks>.

As franchise <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term12> agreements run out
with incumbent service providers, public institutions often struggle to
renegotiate contracts at sustainable prices. Other communities have been
left behind altogether by large cable and telephone companies and cannot
get the high quality Internet access needed for their libraries or schools.

... More Information Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/introducing-our-institutional-networks-page>

P3 between Westminster and Ting is “Community Broadband Innovative
Partnership of the Year”
<http://muninetworks.org/content/p3-between-westminster-and-ting-%E2%80%9Ccommunity-broadband-innovative-partnership-year%E2%80%9D>
Thu, September 10, 2015 | Posted by Tom Ernste
<http://muninetworks.org/users/tom-ernste>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/p3-between-westminster-and-ting-%E2%80%9Ccommunity-broadband-innovative-partnership-year%E2%80%9D>

The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term261>) recently named the public
private partnership (P3) between the City of Westminster, MD and Ting Inc.
<http://muninetworks.org/content/gigabit-muni-fiber-partnership-westminster-and-ting>
as
2015’s “Community Broadband Innovative Partnership of the Year.”  NATOA
will officially honor the partnership at their Community Broadband Awards
ceremony <https://www.natoa.org/web/site_news/news_detail/27> in San Diego
this week.

In a press release NATOA praised the P3 “...for showcasing an entirely new
approach in public private partnerships to reach the common goal of
bringing next generation fiber broadband to communities while demonstrating
the possibility of creative solutions.”  In Ting’s own press release
<https://ting.com/blog/natoa-awards-westminster-md-and-ting-the-community-broadband-innovative-partnership-of-the-year/?utm_content=buffer7efa1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer>announcing
the award, they described their unique arrangement as private partners in
Westminster’s initiative aimed at providing their rural community of more
than 18,000 people with blazing fast fiber internet service:

“We have agreed to an open access
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term625> model. For a period of time at
launch, Ting will be both the exclusive network operator and the exclusive
service provider. After that, while we will maintain the exclusive role of
network operator, we will open up the network to competitive service
providers. That gives Westminster the dual benefits of stability and
competition. They know that the network will be managed competently by one
closely managed relationship. They also know that their businesses and
residents will benefit from having many providers competing to offer them
the best service at the best price.”

... Congratulations to Ting and Westminster ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/p3-between-westminster-and-ting-%E2%80%9Ccommunity-broadband-innovative-partnership-year%E2%80%9D>

AT&T Willing to Fetch for NSA, No Questions Asked
<http://muninetworks.org/content/att-willing-fetch-nsa-no-questions-asked>
Sat, September 12, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/att-willing-fetch-nsa-no-questions-asked>

It has been an open secret that AT&T maintained a cozy relationship with
the NSA, but only recently has the extent of that relationship been
revealed. AT&T had no qualms about illegally providing enough Internet
traffic data to forge a relationship fondly described by the NSA as a
"highly collaborative."

Edward J. Snowden provided documents
<http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/14/us/100000003855184.mobile.html>
chronicling
the relationship; ProPublica and the New York Times reviewed them
jointly. In that information:

One document reminds N.S.A. officials to be polite when visiting AT&T
facilities, noting, “This is a partnership, not a contractual relationship.”

ProPublica and the New York Times reviewed the information and recently
<http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/us/politics/att-helped-nsa-spy-on-an-array-of-internet-traffic.html?_r=1>
published
articles on their joint findings. ProPublica's article
<https://www.propublica.org/article/nsa-spying-relies-on-atts-extreme-willingness-to-help>
describes
how anything floating across domestic networks owned by AT&T was up for
grabs and, in at least one documented case, involved international clients:

... Get the Rest of the Story Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/att-willing-fetch-nsa-no-questions-asked>

Community Broadband Media Roundup - Sept 11
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-sept-11>
Tue, September 15, 2015 | Posted by rebecca
<http://muninetworks.org/users/rebecca>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-sept-11>

*Featured Stories*

FCC's Sohn Urges Cities to Build Own Broadband
<http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/fccs-sohn-urges-cities-build-own-broadband/144106>
by
John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable

Don't wait for incumbents to supply requisite service Sohn told NATOA
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term261> that rather than viewing
themselves as taxers and regulators, her audience should see themselves
instead as facilitators of the kind of service they have been "begging"
incumbents to provide "for years."

FCC's Sohn: Forget Incumbents, Build Your Own Broadband Networks
<http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCCs-Sohn-Forget-Incumbents-Build-Your-Own-Broadband-Networks-135065>
by
Karl Bode, DSL Reports

Sohn was quick to highlight successes in places like Sandy, Oregon, and the
surge in public/private partnerships like the one between Ting and
Westminster, Maryland. Sohn also highlighted the important fact that after
fifteen years of apathy, the FCC is finally taking aim at protectionist
state laws written by incumbent ISP lawyers, which prohibit towns and
cities from wiring themselves -- even in cases where nobody else wants to.

... Read the Full Community Network Roundup Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-sept-11>

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