[Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 9/22

[Christopher Mitchell]

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Salisbury Fibrant Launches 10 Gbps Citywide - Community Broadband Bits
Podcast 168
<http://muninetworks.org/content/salisbury-fibrant-launches-10-gbps-citywide-community-broadband-bits-podcast-168>
Tue, September 15, 2015 | Posted by christopher
<http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/salisbury-fibrant-launches-10-gbps-citywide-community-broadband-bits-podcast-168>

Salisbury's municipal FTTH network, Fibrant <http://fibrant.info/> is the
first citywide 10 Gbps <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term14> network
in the nation. Located in North Carolina, Salisbury is also one of very few
municipal citywide fiber networks that was built by a city without a
municipal electric plant. This week, Salisbury Director of Broadband and
Infrastructure, Kent Winrich, joins us for Episode 168 of the Community
Broadband Bits podcast.

We talk about why Salisbury opted to build its own fiber network and then
supercharge it with enough upgrades to be able to offer 10 Gbps capacity
throughout the community. We discuss economic development opportunities and
how those outside of Salisbury would like to see it expand.

... Listen to the Show Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/salisbury-fibrant-launches-10-gbps-citywide-community-broadband-bits-podcast-168>

Newark, Delaware Considers Municipal Fiber Feasibility Study
<http://muninetworks.org/content/newark-delaware-considers-municipal-fiber-feasibility-study>
Tue, September 15, 2015 | Posted by phineas
<http://muninetworks.org/users/phineas>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/newark-delaware-considers-municipal-fiber-feasibility-study>

The City of Newark, population 30,000 and home to the University of
Delaware, is considering commissioning a feasibility study but first will
host a workshop to discuss the potential of a municipal network. City
leaders want to bring together members of the community, broadband
providers, experts, and municipal employees before it commits to the
$10,000 study.

Residents spoke at a recent city council meeting, demanding that the City
inquire into the potential for a municipal broadband network, reported
Delaware’s News Journal
<http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2015/08/05/newark-exploring-city-sponsored-internet/31178311/>.
Community interest led City Information Technology manager Josh Brechbuehl
to research the City’s pre-existing Internet infrastructure, as well as
speak with a wide array of broadband experts. Brechbuehl delivered a
presentation to the city council on July 27 (transcript of the council
meeting minutes here
<http://www.cityofnewarkde.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4137>), during
which he laid out his vision for bringing high-speed Internet to Newark:

... Read His Vision and More Details Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/newark-delaware-considers-municipal-fiber-feasibility-study>

Estes Park Moves to the Next Phase; Considering Muni Fiber Network
<http://muninetworks.org/content/estes-park-moves-next-phase-considering-muni-fiber-network>
Thu, September 17, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/estes-park-moves-next-phase-considering-muni-fiber-network>

Back in February, voters in Estes Park, Colorado
<https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/townofestespark>, enthusiastically reclaimed
authority
<http://muninetworks.org/content/voters-resoundingly-approve-broadband-measure-estes-park-colorado>to
decide locally on a community fiber network. Now the community is moving
ahead by taking a detailed look at deploying a municipal gigabit network.

BizWest reports
<http://bizwest.com/estes-park-studying-municipal-broadband-options/?refresh=1>
that
a consultant hired to study connectivity in the town of 5,800 recently
recommended five possible solutions to the community's poor connectivity
problem. The Town Board of Trustees considered a municipal
telecommunications utility to be the most promising and passed the issue to
city staff for further research.

“Now it’s up to us to thoroughly research the feasibility of the town
establishing a broadband service utility, considering our financial and
operational abilities and the best interests of the community’s future,”
said Mayor Bill Pinkham in a media release.

... Get the Rest of the Story here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/estes-park-moves-next-phase-considering-muni-fiber-network>

Chattanooga Best Place For Startups and Outdoor Play
<http://muninetworks.org/content/chattanooga-best-place-startups-and-outdoor-play>
Thu, September 17, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/chattanooga-best-place-startups-and-outdoor-play>

Chattanooga was hot in August - and we don't mean just weather-wise. EPB
Fiber Optics achieved a major milestone, raising subscribership to over
75,000 <https://epbfi.com/75k/>. The Gig City also outpaced the rest of the
state in new startup activity and received recognition from *Outside
Magazine* as the 2015 Best Place to Live in America.

The *Times Free Press* covered
<http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/aug/26/chattanoogleads-state-business-startups/321704/>
the
Chattanooga startup scene in a recent article, describing how the city is
leading the state in economic investment for new business ideas. When
compared to the same period in 2014, Hamilton County's initial business
filings rose 12.6 percent in the April - June 2015 period. Statewide that
figure for the same timeframe was 9.9 percent.

*The Times Free Press* article focused on Platt Boyd, an architect and
entrepreneur who came to Chattanooga with his 3-D printing business. He
moved his business there after competing in the 2014 GigTank
<http://www.thegigtank.com/>. His 3-D printer large enough to create walls
may one day change the way buildings are constructed.

... Well Done Chattanooga - More on the Outside Designation Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/chattanooga-best-place-startups-and-outdoor-play>

Fiber Sailing into the Port of Lewiston, Idaho
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fiber-sailing-port-lewiston-idaho>
Fri, September 18, 2015 | Posted by hannah
<http://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fiber-sailing-port-lewiston-idaho>

The Port of Lewiston, the most inland seaport of the West Coast, will soon
be deploying a dark fiber network, according to a July city media release
<http://portoflewiston.com/port-of-lewiston-is-getting-its-fiber/>. The
network will serve several of the community's largest businesses, the
medical center, the state college, and the airport. Although the plan calls
for $950,000 to construct the network
<http://portoflewiston.com/port-of-lewiston-moving-ahead-with-plans-for-fiber-optic-network-lewiston-tribune-may-7-2015/>,
port
officials intend to have it operational by year’s end.

“This is what ports do, we develop infrastructure to support, attract and
grow businesses in order to build a stronger economy,” said Port Manager
David Doeringsfeld. “In today’s world, businesses must have adequate
bandwidth <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term2> and redundancy to
remain competitive.”

The project has been highly supported by the nearby Port of Whitman County
which already has maintained their own open access
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term625> fiber network for over 10
years. Connecting a fiber line through the Port of Lewiston would create a
loop, improving redundancy on the Port of Whitman County’s network
<http://www.portwhitman.com/doingbusiness/telecommunications>. Better
redundancy could prevent outages and ensure the ongoing reliability of the
network.

... Yet Another Example of Muni Fiber and Economic Development ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fiber-sailing-port-lewiston-idaho>

Boise to Collaborate With BSU and Highway District For Downtown Fiber
<http://muninetworks.org/content/boise-collaborate-bsu-and-highway-district-downtown-fiber>
Wed, September 16, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/boise-collaborate-bsu-and-highway-district-downtown-fiber>

Boise, the Ada County Highway District (ACHD), and Boise State University
(BSU) have entered into an agreement to deploy fiber along a busy downtown
Boise corridor. The high-speed lines will supply connectivity to a new
building BSU intends to lease as a facility for Computer Science Department
students. The fiber will also connect the BSU Bookstore.

The city will use the fiber to connect its City Hall and a Police
Department substation located on the BSU campus while ACHD will add this
fiber line to its current fiber network to control traffic throughout the
city.

According to an Idaho Statesman article
<http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/08/26/3955306_boise-bsu-highway-district-team.html?rh=1>,
the city has been installing conduit
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term305> on campus, connecting it to
ACHD conduit situated in the downtown core during the past year. Conduit
installation cost the city approximately $47,000; BSU will now install
fiber in the conduit at a cost of approximately $75,000. ACHD will
contribute a  section of its own conduit to complete the connection and
will provide the permits to install the fiber.

... Get the Rest of the Story Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/boise-collaborate-bsu-and-highway-district-downtown-fiber>

Mendocino County Worried About Their Copper During IP Transition
<http://muninetworks.org/content/mendocino-county-worried-about-their-copper-during-ip-transition>
Wed, September 16, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/mendocino-county-worried-about-their-copper-during-ip-transition>

This is not our first look at problems with communications service in rural
Mendocino County, California
<http://muninetworks.org/content/mendocino-county-analyzes-losses-communications-outage>,
but we continue to see concerning stories coming from it. The tenuous
situation along the North Coast, where large private providers have refused
to invest in redundant networks, is heightening concern among first
responders, community leaders, and citizens.

The problem stems from the tendency of incumbents to neglect existing
copper systems that need to be replaced with fiber based VoIP. Randy
MacDonald, assistant fire chief of the Camptche Volunteer For Department of
rural Mendocino County recently presented the department's concerns to
congressional and regulatory staff in D.C. The Press Democrat quoted him in a
recent article
<http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4357815-181/phone-service-in-rural-mendocino?page=0>that
examines the issue in their region:

“We’ve built a second-to-none 911 system,” MacDonald said. But “we’re
almost by default allowing it to become degraded as technology changes.”

... More Details in the Full Story Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/mendocino-county-worried-about-their-copper-during-ip-transition>

Gigi Sohn Celebrates Self-Reliance Among NATOA Members
<http://muninetworks.org/content/gigi-sohn-celebrates-self-reliance-among-natoa-members>
Sat, September 19, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/gigi-sohn-celebrates-self-reliance-among-natoa-members>

In a September 9th speech to the National Association of Telecommunications
Officers and Advisors <https://www.natoa.org/web/> (NATOA), Gigi Sohn,
Counselor to the Chairman at the FCC, encouraged government officials to
build their own networks. She told attendees at the annual conference in
San Diego:

Without question, the landscape is changing for local governments, but in a
good way. Most significantly, the future is not in cable, but in broadband.
Even the cable operators acknowledge this.

Rather than wait for incumbent ISPs to build the network your cities want
and need, you can take control of your own broadband futures. Rather than
thinking of yourselves as taxers and regulators, which has been the
traditional role, you can think of yourselves as facilitators of the kind
of services you’ve been begging the incumbents to provide for years.

This is incredibly exciting, and I’m sure somewhat frightening. But the new
model for local governments looks to benefit their citizens through
externalities, not direct revenues.

... Additional Excerpts From her Speech Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/gigi-sohn-celebrates-self-reliance-among-natoa-members>

Community Broadband Media Roundup - September 18
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-september-18>
Mon, September 21, 2015 | Posted by rebecca
<http://muninetworks.org/users/rebecca>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-september-18>

*Georgia*

City to study building broadband service
<http://thecitizen.com/government-city/city-study-building-broadband-service>
by Ben
Nelms, The Citizen

Peachtree City is the latest city in Georgia to consider a city-owned fiber
network. If approved, it could result in more than 20 miles of underground
fiber cable.

With municipal-owned broadband, the city would own the right-of-way for
fiber installation and would call the shots on infrastructure rather than
relying on a for-profit vendor.

“This is a big decision,” said interim City Manager Jon Rorie. “So is the
juice worth the squeeze going forward?”

*Illinois*

Alderman: City should use existing fiber-optic network for Internet service
<http://chicago.suntimes.com/business/7/71/961375/rookie-alderman-wants-save-millions-switching-city-buildings-private-internet-access-citys-fiber-optic-network>
by
Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times

A Chicago Alderman says the city should switch from private ISP's to the
city’s own higher-capacity fiber-optic network.

... Read the Full Community Network Roundup Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-september-18>

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