From rob at omsoft.com Fri Apr 1 10:22:50 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2016 10:22:50 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] DavisGIG needs YOU! Message-ID: <56FEAE6A.1020407@omsoft.com> * Greetings Davisites Our effort to bring a community fiber-optic network to Davis proceeds -- with some good news to report. First,DavisGIG has teamed up with the long time Davis nonprofit,Davis Community Network , to be our fiscal agent, to collect funds, and assist with our campaign to build this network. Second, the Broadband Advisory Task Force, which City Council authorized in Dec 2015, had its first meeting March 23rd, and its composition is a powerhouse of community leaders. They have come together to make a recommendation to our city council on the best course of action to create a world-class, fiber-optic network for Davis. Nearly half of the BATF membership have been involved with the DavisGIG effort, and are aware of what we want to accomplish. We need to educate the remaining Task Force members of how much we all value a community-owned alternative to Internet Duopoly. Third, for the City to move forward, we will need a Feasibility Study Report that objectively evaluates options for a fiber-optic deployment for Davis. We want this to be prepared by a professional broadband planning consultancy. DavisGIG volunteers have completed and are ready to publish a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit a vendor for this report. We believe it would be a very powerful statement to our community leaders if we funded this report from contributions made by everyone from our City! If we match our ardor with a small investment, it will demonstrate to City leaders how important this will be to our community. An investment in our City's infrastructure is an investment in your future. Pleasedonate today! Link at bottom! And be ready to help on May 3rd, theBig Day of Giving ! We also need your help NOW to convince our City leaders we want better Internet options. We want equal network access opportunities for all residents, lower prices and better service, through competitive choice, and a boost for our economy. One of the many benefits to community ownership would mean a portion of our monthly broadband payments returned to support our city. There are THREE (3) ways we are asking everyone to help move this project forward. 1) Make a tax-deductible*donation at the bottom of our page to help pay for the study we need. Consider DavisGIG on theBig Day of Giving 2) Send a letter about your broadband experiences, and what you would like for Davis? broadband future to the staff liaison of theBroadband Advisory Task Force , please forward a copy to help at dcn.org 3) Forward this message to your friends, neighborhood lists, and community groups. With your help we can address many problems our City faces with this one solution. We can diversify the economy, attract and retain businesses, provide better, cheaper Internet connections to our residences, address digital-divide issues, and create new revenues for our city. In Appreciation Davis GIG Committee Davis Community Network *The Davis Community Network is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and contributions to it qualify as charitable under federal and state tax codes. Earmark your contribution for DavisGIG to specify its use for efforts to bring municipal fiber to Davis. * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From davehart at dcn.davis.ca.us Fri Apr 1 11:28:38 2016 From: davehart at dcn.davis.ca.us (Dave Hart) Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2016 11:28:38 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] [Davisgig-announce] DavisGIG needs YOU! In-Reply-To: <56FEAE6A.1020407@omsoft.com> References: <56FEAE6A.1020407@omsoft.com> Message-ID: <56FEBDD6.80004@dcn.davis.ca.us> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From davehart at dcn.davis.ca.us Fri Apr 1 11:36:12 2016 From: davehart at dcn.davis.ca.us (Dave Hart) Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2016 11:36:12 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Questions before I get all starry-eyed In-Reply-To: <56FEAE6A.1020407@omsoft.com> References: <56FEAE6A.1020407@omsoft.com> Message-ID: <56FEBF9C.2030109@dcn.davis.ca.us> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rob at omsoft.com Sat Apr 2 16:04:08 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2016 16:04:08 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] [Davisgig-announce] DavisGIG needs YOU! In-Reply-To: <56FEBDD6.80004@dcn.davis.ca.us> References: <56FEAE6A.1020407@omsoft.com> <56FEBDD6.80004@dcn.davis.ca.us> Message-ID: <57004FE8.2040401@omsoft.com> Hi Dave These are great questions, some a little preliminary to where this is. On 4/1/2016 11:28 AM, Dave Hart wrote: > I've been following this issue at a distance and now that you are > asking for $$ and for me to encourage others to do the same, I have > questions that I need answers to before I get all starry-eyed talking > to my neighbors. > > 1. What are the critical milestones for getting this network > installed? The first "milestone" is giving the broadband task force a Feasibility Report it needs to make a recommendation on an operational business model to the CC. The CC, based on the recommendation of the BATF, should choose a business model they would like to see built out and then put out RFP that business model. I'd say after choosing that vendor, the next milestone would be the engineering study, and then the network build out. DavisGIG advocates for a municipal ownership of the physical network infrastructure, network operations by a community non-profit, and open-access to whichever IP, TV, or Phone provider that would like to sell services over the network to the residents. Right now we need you and your neighbors help with the FSR, by far and away the least expensive part of this process. The RFP for this was designed by DavisGIG. > 2. What guarantee would I have that once a fiber optic network is in > place that I would have access at my address? Help get the best model adopted by helping us fund this now. That is going to give you a better chance. Although we will all advise the City that this needs to be built out to all homes and businesses, there are other models out there that focus solely on core business areas. We believe that is the wrong model. I could attest that if the DavisGIG model gets adopted, all residences will be built out. > 3. How much time would lapse between the initial phases of > installation and total build out? IT depends on the vendor that gets chosen to build this out, and the subcontractor. I'd think that once the permits are clear and we have a group working it, it would be 12-18 months. Davis is very dense, has easy topography, and easy soil. All things working in our factor. Pacific Utility Construction, a company that builds out fiber, and based in Woodland, has estimated about a year with their 6 bore crews. > 4. What data speeds and how much throughput would fiber optic > provide at my address? I'd think at the minimum the network would be built out to give a capacity of 1 Gbps available throughput to the end user. Standards weare looking at closely for that on the passive optical side would be NG-PON-2, and on the active side, fiber based carrier ethernet would definitley support that. Passive optics are cheaper to deploy because you dont need active electronics in repeater cabinets in the neighborhood, you use beam splitting. > 5. What price would I have to pay? > Well, if our model is selected and its open access to a variety of vendors, for access only, I'm thinking about $40-$60 monthly. For instance, independent ISP, Sonic.Net charges $40 monthly for up to Gigabit Service/Phone in locations it owns infrastructure. The bandwidth is likely the least expensive portion on recurring costs proceeding into the future with this type of network. However in our scenario, a portion of that monthly payment returns to the city in the form of lease fees. By asking you and your neighbors to donate now, you will be seeing to the continued prosperity of Davis in addition to better broadband access. Thanks RAN > Dave Hart, Davis, CA 95618 > On 4/1/16 10:22 AM, Robert Nickerson via Davisgig-announce wrote: >> * >> >> Greetings Davisites >> >> >> Our effort to bring a community fiber-optic network to Davis proceeds >> -- with some good news to report. >> >> >> First,DavisGIG has teamed up with the long >> time Davis nonprofit,Davis Community Network , >> to be our fiscal agent, to collect funds, and assist with our >> campaign to build this network. >> >> >> Second, the Broadband Advisory Task Force, which City Council >> authorized in Dec 2015, had its first meeting March 23rd, and its >> composition is a powerhouse of community leaders. They have come >> together to make a recommendation to our city council on the best >> course of action to create a world-class, fiber-optic network for >> Davis. Nearly half of the BATF membership have been involved with the >> DavisGIG effort, and are aware of what we want to accomplish. We need >> to educate the remaining Task Force members of how much we all value >> a community-owned alternative to Internet Duopoly. >> >> >> Third, for the City to move forward, we will need a Feasibility >> Study Report that objectively evaluates options for a fiber-optic >> deployment for Davis. We want this to be prepared by a professional >> broadband planning consultancy. DavisGIG volunteers have completed >> and are ready to publish a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit a >> vendor for this report. >> >> >> We believe it would be a very powerful statement to our community >> leaders if we funded this report from contributions made by everyone >> from our City! If we match our ardor with a small investment, it will >> demonstrate to City leaders how important this will be to our >> community. An investment in our City's infrastructure is an >> investment in your future. Pleasedonate >> today! Link at bottom! And be ready to help >> on May 3rd, theBig Day of Giving ! >> >> >> We also need your help NOW to convince our City leaders we want >> better Internet options. We want equal network access opportunities >> for all residents, lower prices and better service, through >> competitive choice, and a boost for our economy. One of the many >> benefits to community ownership would mean a portion of our monthly >> broadband payments returned to support our city. >> >> >> There are THREE (3) ways we are asking everyone to help move this >> project forward. >> >> >> 1) Make a tax-deductible*donation at the >> bottom of our page to help pay for the study we need. Consider >> DavisGIG on theBig Day of Giving >> >> >> 2) Send a letter about your broadband experiences, and what you would >> like for Davis? broadband future to the staff liaison of theBroadband >> Advisory Task Force >> , >> please forward a copy to help at dcn.org >> >> >> 3) Forward this message to your friends, neighborhood lists, and >> community groups. >> >> >> With your help we can address many problems our City faces with this >> one solution. We can diversify the economy, attract and retain >> businesses, provide better, cheaper Internet connections to our >> residences, address digital-divide issues, and create new revenues >> for our city. >> >> >> In Appreciation >> >> >> Davis GIG Committee >> >> Davis Community Network >> >> >> *The Davis Community Network is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and >> contributions to it qualify as charitable under federal and state tax >> codes. Earmark your contribution for DavisGIG to specify its use for >> efforts to bring municipal fiber to Davis. >> >> * >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Davisgig-announce mailing list >> Davisgig-announce at list.davisgig.org >> %To unsubscribe(web_page_url)slistinfo/davisgig-announce > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From christopher at newrules.org Wed Apr 6 06:27:09 2016 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 08:27:09 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 4/6 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.* *Delayed this week, but coming LIVE from Broadband Communities Summit in Austin, Texas!* Montgomery Sees Job Gains in Alabama After Establishing Internet Exchange - Community Broadband Bits Episode 195 Tue, March 29, 2016 | Posted by christopher In a partnership with the Department of Defense, the city of Montgomery has created Alabama's first Internet Exchange. This week, project manager forMontgomery Cyber Connection , Ben Venable, joins us to discuss this project and the gains the community is already seeing from it. The effort is a true partnership between General Steven Kwast at Maxwell Air Force Base, the city and county of Montgomery, and others like Wide Open West, the nation's 9th largest cable company. WOW!'s network architect brought not only important technical knowledge, but a major ISP that recognized the benefits of local interconnection. We discuss how the project began, why it is important, expected (and already achieved) benefits, and how other communities might consider creating their own Internet Exchange. Additional background on the story from WSFA and GovTech . ... Listen to the Show Here ... AT&T Tries to End the Magic of One Touch Make-Ready Mon, March 28, 2016 | Posted by hannah On the border of Kentucky and Indiana a fight is brewing as AT&T and Google Fiber have both announced plans to bring Gigabit Internet service to Louisville, Kentucky. Home to over half a million, the city could see major economic development with new ultra high-speed Internet access, but there?s a problem: the utility poles. AT&T is suing the city over a ?one touch make-ready? ordinance. On February 11, 2016, the Louisville Metro Council passed the ordinance in order to facilitate new competitors, i.e. Google Fiber. *Utility Poles: Key to Aerial Deployment* Make-ready is the shorthand for making a utility pole ready for new attachments. Although it may seem simple, this process is often expensive and time-consuming. To add a new cable, others may have to be shifted in order to meet safety and industry standards. Under the common procedure, this process can take months as each party has to send out an independent crew to move each section of cabling. ... Read our Full Coverage Here ... It Takes a Village: Yellow Springs, Ohio Grassroots Group Wants Fiber Thu, March 31, 2016 | Posted by hannah In the Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio, Springs-Net has created quite a stir among the 3,500 people. This grassroots group of villagers is advocating for a municipal network. Last year, they hosted a community Fiber Forum featuring our own Chris Mitchell . Now, they?re continuing the push for better home Internet access. Springs-Net released a white paper on a possible municipal fiber network , bringing the results to the Village Council on February 16th. Although cautious of leaping into a large project, the Village Council recognized the benefits a network could have for the town and agreed to meet with the group in April to discuss next steps to improving connectivity. ... More on What Yellow Springs is Looking To Do Here ... Southern Tier Network Continues Fiber Expansion in Upstate New York Fri, April 01, 2016 | Posted by ternste The Southern Tier Network (STN) , a community-owned dark fiber network that spans multiple counties in upstate New York, enables fast, affordable, reliable Internet access in New York?s Southern Tier region. Locally based private Internet service provider Empire Access offers services via the network as it continues to expand. The Corning Leader reports that Empire Access intends to offer residential Internet access over the STN in the Cities of Corning and Elmira sometime in the next year. *Empire Access* Empire Access , which offers current customers Internet access, voice, and 200-plus Digital TV channels, is waiting to launch services in Corning and Elmira until after they gain approval from the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) to provide digital TV services in these communities. Although the company could begin offering fiber and phone services at any time, the company wants to be able to offer the full bundle of options before they officially launch in Coring and Elmira. ... We Shed More Light on This Dark Fiber Here ... Sixth Annual SHLB Conference April 27 - 29 at Crystal City, VA Sat, April 02, 2016 | Posted by ternste The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) is hosting its sixth annual conference from April 27 - 29 at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, VA (near Reagan National Airport in Washington DC). >From the SHLB website : Every year SHLB's Annual Conference attracts 200-300 people from across the country to discuss key broadband policy issues that are important to anchor institutions and their communities. This year's sixth Annual Conference will focus on E-rate Compliance, Lifeline Reform, Telehealth, and Fiber Build Out, as well as other policies and funding programs that will impact broadband deployment for anchor institutions and communities. The conference officially kicks off at 12 p.m. noon on Wednesday, April 27th . ... More on This Event Here ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - April 4 Mon, April 04, 2016 | Posted by Nick *California* Government, Google to help San Francisco improve its Internet connectivity by Jason Axelrod, American City & County Magazine *Michigan* Business depends on high-speed Internet by Sarah Lucas, Traverse City Record Eagle *New York* County, federal government to collaborate on local broadband deployments by Phil Goldstein, State Tech Magazine ... Read the Full Roundup of Community Broadband Media Stories 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 Tue Apr 12 08:57:08 2016 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2016 10:57:08 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks ... Week of 4/12 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.* More Colorado Communities Shut Out State Barriers At The Voting Booth Wed, April 06, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Once again, local communities in Colorado chose to shout out to leaders at the Capitol and tell them, *"We reclaim local telecommunications authority!"* *Nine more towns* in the Centennial State voted on Tuesday to opt out of 2005's SB 152. Here are the unofficial results from local communities that can't be any more direct at telling state leaders to let them chart their own connectivity destiny: Akron , population 1,700 and located in the center of the state, passed its ballot measure with 92 percent of votes cast supporting the opt-out. Buena Vista , also near Colorado's heartland, chose to approve to reclaim local authority when 77 percent of those casting votes chose to opt out. There are approximately 2,600 people in the town located at the foot of the Collegiate Peaks in the Rockies. Here is Buena Vista's sample ballot . ... Colorado Continues to Lead on Restoring Local Authority - More Details ... Local Media Covers The MN "Donut Hole" Phenomenon: Video, Editorial Fri, April 08, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez As Minnesota's Legislature decides on funding for the state's Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program , local media is calling on state leaders to prioritize local connectivity in the Capitol Chambers. This year, Governor Dayton's office is recommending allocating $100 million to the program. *Blended Is Better* In the past, the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program has granted funding to areas of only the greatest need, which has resulted in Internet infrastructure deployment in very rural areas. That's great for municipalities, businesses, and residents in those areas who certainly need and deserve better connectivity. Towns where there is some coverage, such as old DSL networks, have typically not qualified. As a result, rural areas of the state are developing "donut holes" of inadequate connectivity. In the long term, this could spell disaster for these towns because businesses have no reason to locate in places where they can't get the Internet access they need for operations. A blended approach will allow investment in both unserved areas and areas where some networks already exist so centers of economic activity can still compete with their neighbors. ... Watch the Video Here! Excellent Story! ... Sweet Sixteen: Waverly Utilities Hooks Up First Fiber Customers Thu, April 07, 2016 | Posted by hannah This week in Waverly, Iowa, the local electric utility, Waverly Utilities, hooked up the first customers for its new Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network . It?s been a long time coming for the town of 10,000 people. *16 Years Ago: A Vision* The community first had the idea back in 2000 when they voted to form a municipal telecommunications utility after incumbent providers proved a letdown. Reacting to the vote, those incumbent providers improved their networks a bit, so Waverly Utilities decided to hold off on building a fiber network. ... More Details, Including How Many Pre-subscriptions They Have Here ... Service Unavailable: The Failure of Competition - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 196 Wed, April 06, 2016 | Posted by christopher If you are paying close attention to discussions about broadband policy, you may have come across Fred Pilot's reminders that competition is not a cure-all for our Internet access woes across the United States. The blogger and author joins us for episode 196 of Community Broadband Bits. Fred Pilot's new book, Service Unavailable: America's Telecommunications Infrastructure Crisis , discusses some of the history behind our current challenges and proposes a solution centered around federal funding and cooperatives. We discuss the switch from telecommunications as a regulated utility, to which everyone was guaranteed access, to a system relying on competition, in which some people have many choices but others have no options. We also discuss the merits of a national solution vs encouraging more local approaches with federal financial assistance. ... Listen to the Show Here ... Read the Transcript Here ... There's "MAGIC" In Westminster Mon, April 04, 2016 | Posted by ternste It was just last year when the City Council in Westminster, Maryland voted to begin a partnership with private ISP company Ting Internet. Ting now delivers high quality Internet access via the citywide, publicly owned fiber network. A new collaborative initiative, facilitated in part by the still expanding Westminster Fiber Network , is bringing new cultural opportunities and economic benefits to city residents. ?Tech Incubation? aims to give local students hands-on experience exploring their interests in technology. *Incubating Talent, Innovation* For the first project within the Tech Incubation initiative, 15 students from local high schools spent several weeks learning to create and operate an actual temporary wireless network. The city then used the network for its annual Celtic Canter and Downtown Irish Celebration in March, providing attendees of the celebration with unprecedented levels of bandwidth and broadband speeds. ... Click Here to Magically Get the Rest of the Post ... Sun Prairie Utilities' Pilot Project Shows Way to Better Connectivity Sat, April 09, 2016 | Posted by hannah Welcome back to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. This town has brought to light theshocking stories of slack service from incumbent providers , the complicated decisions of community representatives , and the hopeful beginning of a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network . The City Council has just approved $16,000 to hire an engineering consultant for the estimated $27-35 million citywide plan. *In the Pilot Project, So Much Demand!* In July 2015, City Council approved the $624,000 plan for the pilot project , but several factors brought the actual cost up to about $653,000. The pilot project area included the neighborhood Smith's Crossing, the Main Street Corridor, and the TIF District 9 area. ... Many More Details Here ... Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina: Local Leadership a Must! Tue, April 05, 2016 | Posted by hannah High-speed Internet access can bring new industries, reinvigorate rural communities, and provide educational opportunities. We know the importance of high-speed Internet, and no one should be left behind because of the cost of service. In December, 44 city leaders joined together through Next Century Cities to push for reform of a national connectivity program called ?Lifeline?- among them was Mayor Jennifer Roberts. In February on NextCity.org, Mayor Roberts of Charlotte, North Carolina, wrote that it?s the duty of local leaders to advocate for an end to the digital divide. ... Read the Full Story Here ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - April 11 Mon, April 11, 2016 | Posted by Nick *Colorado* Colorado towns keep voting down state ban on municipal broadband by Karl Bode, DSL Reports 9 Colorado cities vote Tuesday on municipal broadband Internet; pot also on local ballots by Mark Harden, Denver Business Journal County to study broadband possibility by Saja Hindi, Loveland Report Herald Forty-four Colorado cities and counties joined several others last November to allow their local governments to offer broadband Internet, including Loveland, and Larimer County officials want to give their voters that same opportunity. Nine other Colorado cities also asked voters for that option Tuesday. Senate Bill 152, passed in 2005, prevents local governments from engaging directly or indirectly in broadband service unless voters repeal it locally. "This ballot initiative is just to restore the county's ability to facilitate the provision of these services in partnership with a public or private entity or through the county itself," said Drew Davis, a business analyst with Larimer County Public Works. ... Read our Full Community Network 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 Tue Apr 12 16:07:48 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2016 16:07:48 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Conference + Meeting with NOKIA(Alcatel/Lucent) + Send in a Letter + BIG Dog Party Message-ID: <570D7FC4.2030403@omsoft.com> Hi Davisites 1) CONFERENCE - Back from the Broadband Connected Communities Summit in Austin TX. It did not disappoint. Had my brain so packed full of fiber optic info, that by the end of it I couldn't process any new input. The short of it is, what we are doing, is being thoroughly explored and pursued by other municipalities all over the USA. There is tangible excitement in this convention, like a great movement is afoot. The models being developed to deploy and operate these networks are changing city by city and month by month. Its a very active area, with lots of flexibility as to the best model for your particular deployment. My main objective there was to get a reality check about these sorts of networks at all levels, meet all the vendors, and to shop around our RFP for the Feasibility Study. Met with success on all counts. A big thank you to one of the DavisGIG list members whom I met there, who happened to facilitate some key introductions. A big thank you to everyone who donated to send me there, I took a full half of my travel, hotel and conference expenses from donations raised by community members supporting DavisGIG. Here are some people that I talked to who are very interested in the success of our project: Florence Hudson - CIO of Internet2 Doug Dawson - President CCG Consulting Craig Settles - Author Building the Gigabit City, Gigabit Consultant John Paul - CEO Spiral Internet Chris Frost - Network Operations CruzIO James Hackett - Business Development CruzIO Courtney Violette - VP Magellan Advisors David Russell - Director Solutions Marketing Calix Drew Clark - Best Best Krieger Scott Bradshaw - President SiFi Networks Adam Noll - FTS Fiber Michael Brayen - Senior Director FTTH Sales Alcatel Lucent I was able to meet a good variety of vendors and see some encouraging product developments. I'll put my notes up on the wiki as I have time and capability. The closest muni, I found to our proposed model, is Ammon, ID. So worth following up with them especially. 2) MEETING - Out of the meeting made contacts with NOKIA's community fiber broadband team. This team came from Alcatel/Lucent, which means Bell Labs, so this is the best European and American talent in this space. This group does the hardware in both Lafayette and Chattanooga, and I'm sure you all know about there R+D commitment and acumen. They are working with Santa Cruz, and on 4/19 they are meeting with the City of Concord. All three members of their team will be around the morning of 4/20 at 9am to introduce their product line, plus help us flush out a business case. Their team members are lead, engineer and finance. They want to meet us, and get a chance to be involved in our project. They will be spending a couple-few hours with us before they head North and will whiteboard their solutions and how we can get to our goal. I'll have bagels and coffee at the Davis MAKERSPACE, see www.davismakerspace.org its at 4/20 at 9am and would like to invite anyone from the group to attend and meet this fantastic team. Please RSVP so I can get a head count. 3) CALL TO ACTION - You've been on this list for a year, you are patiently waiting to break ground and get a fiber to your house. One of the major takeaways from this conference is that, these projects take an immense amount of political will, and citizen effort to succeed. I thank you all for being part of that, but warn you there is a long road ahead to a successful conclusion, and we are at one of those points that require community effort to succeed. We need 15-20 minutes of your time to: - Write up a letter about why you think we need a community owned gigabit FTTP network, what it means to you, and what challenges you face in the current Internet Access marketplace. Send it to the Staff representative of the Broadband Advisory Task Force, dparro at cityofdavis.org and CC help at dcn.org. - Donate! Donate! and then give a little more. We need to collect $150k to fund the Feasibility Study. Think about how important this is. Its not just a better Internet connection. What is happening now, all over the US, is communities are taking back control of the MOST IMPORTANT economic INFRASTRUCTURE used for every aspect of business, communications, quality of life, and community development, from for profit mega-corporations. Not only are you seeing to better service for your household, you are helping your community flourish, and establishing a much needed revenue stream for your City. There really is no more important effort we could do to see to our city's future than this project. So please give and generously. Here is a link you can donate at: http://www2.dcn.org/dcn/welcome/about/support 4) PARTY - The Sudwerk DOCK is having a special event fundraiser party for all the community non profits participating in the BIG Day of Giving, happening on the same day. It is open from 5-8pm. We should all plan to come together and celebrate our efforts over the past year, have a beer, and congratulate all our community non-profits participating in this fantastic event. Thanks Everyone, and hope to see as many of you as we can on Wed April 20th, and Tuesday May 3rd. Rob Nickerson Community Networking Advocate President Davis Community Network Volunteer Davis GIG CEO Omsoft Member Davis Makerspace From rob at omsoft.com Wed Apr 13 12:30:28 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:30:28 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] OFF TOPIC - Fwd: net neutrality threatened by HR2666 to be voted on this Friday In-Reply-To: <2936D9DC-3895-4FAD-9861-4C099688C5FE@dcn.org> References: <2936D9DC-3895-4FAD-9861-4C099688C5FE@dcn.org> Message-ID: <570E9E54.2060009@omsoft.com> Hi All I've been asked by some list members to send this on to you. Please take it into consideration. Thanks RAN -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: net neutrality threatened by HR2666 to be voted on this Friday Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2016 09:37:10 -0700 From: Larry Dieterich To: Robert Nickerson , Craig Dorrough , Amy Nickerson , Paul Biddle https://act.eff.org/action/congress-don-t-undermine-net-neutrality I?m called my congressman today. John Garamendi (here is the map of his district) Phone: (202) 225-1880 I told the staffer that I am a supporter of Net Neutrality and I request Congressman Garamendi to oppose HR2666 because it is poorly written and can be interpreted to undermine net neutrality. The person asked me for my name and address and thanked me for the call. This is the map of the Third District. If you are outside the district, you can find you Representative?s contact information at this site. http://www.house.gov/representatives/ Use the zip code tool at the top of the landing page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/png Size: 363385 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rob at omsoft.com Thu Apr 14 14:49:08 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2016 14:49:08 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Fwd: Schools'_internet_can't_handle_both_testing_and_classroom_work_|_Davis_Enterprise In-Reply-To: <0936E210-F2FD-48C6-8B8C-575755AE7001@pacbell.net> References: <0936E210-F2FD-48C6-8B8C-575755AE7001@pacbell.net> Message-ID: <57101054.7030902@omsoft.com> Hi All Thanks ET for the forward. FYI Eric T. http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/schools-internet-cant-handle-both-testing-and-classroom-work/ From rob at omsoft.com Mon Apr 18 15:59:29 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2016 15:59:29 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Fwd: Krugman supports DavisGig In-Reply-To: <011701d199c5$c200e2a0$4602a7e0$@Neighborhoodselect.org> References: <011701d199c5$c200e2a0$4602a7e0$@Neighborhoodselect.org> Message-ID: <571566D1.90707@omsoft.com> *Paul Krugman: We're Living in a Second Robber Baron Era* */Verizon's unregulated monopolistic behavior hurts everyone./* /By//*Janet Allon* / / *AlterNet* /April 18, 2016/ /_Krugman column:_//http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/opinion/robber-baron-recessions.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=1 / Paul Krugman explains why the Verizon strike of last week points out a much deeper problem than what goes on with one telecommunications company in Monday's column . We are living in a time of corporate monopolies that rivals those of the robber baron age, and they are harming workers, consumers and the economy itself. The issue, he writes, is not just wages and out sourcing; it is the fact *that "Verizon has shown a remarkable lack of interest in expanding its Fios high-speed Internet network, despite strong demand."* The reason for that peculiar bit of seemingly self-destructive corporate behavior is that it does not have to. Verizon's customers have nowhere else to go and are forced to put up with shoddy service. And Verizon's case is far from alone. Krugman: In recent years many economists, including people like Larry Summers and yours truly , have come to the conclusion that growing monopoly power is a big problem for the U.S. economy ? and not just because it raises profits at the expense of wages. Verizon-type stories, in which lack of competition reduces the incentive to invest, may contribute to persistent economic weakness. The argument begins with a seeming paradox about overall corporate behavior. You see, profits are at near-record highs, thanks to a substantial decline in the percentage of G.D.P. going to workers. You might think that these high profits imply high rates of return to investment. But corporations themselves clearly don?t see it that way: their investment in plant, equipment, and technology (as opposed to mergers and acquisitions) hasn?t taken off, even though they can raise money, whether by issuing bonds or by selling stocks, more cheaply than ever before. How can this paradox be resolved? Well, suppose that those high corporate profits don?t represent returns on investment, but instead mainly reflect growing monopoly power. In that case many corporations would be in the position I just described: able to milk their businesses for cash, but with little reason to spend money on expanding capacity or improving service. The result would be what we see: an economy with high profits but low investment, even in the face of very low interest rates and high stock prices. And such an economy wouldn?t just be one in which workers don?t share the benefits of rising productivity; it would also tend to have trouble achieving or sustaining full employment. Why? Because when investment is weak despite low interest rates, the Federal Reserve will too often find its efforts to fight recessions coming up short. So lack of competition can contribute to ?secular stagnation? ? that awkwardly-named but serious condition in which an economy tends to be depressed much or even most of the time, feeling prosperous only when spending is boosted by unsustainable asset or credit bubbles. If that sounds to you like the story of the U.S. economy since the 1990s, join the club. Increased monopolies, and decreased competition are bad for the economy. And Ronald Reagan is the man we have to thank for that. Known best for lowering taxes and deregulating banks, he also weakened enforcement of anti-trust regulations. He was assisted in this effort by George W. Bush, and Obama has been too distracted to deal with it, though Krugman suggests he is finally giving the problem some attention. Better late than never. ============================================ No electrons were destroyed to send this email. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From christopher at newrules.org Tue Apr 19 08:45:00 2016 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2016 10:45:00 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 4/19 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.* RS Fiber: Fertile Fields for New Rural Internet Cooperative Publication Date: April 18, 2016 A new trend is emerging in rural communities throughout the United States: Fiber-to-the-Farm. Tired of waiting for high-quality Internet access from big companies, farmers are building it themselves. Communities in and around Minnesota?s rural Sibley County are going from worst to best after building a wireless and fiber-optic cooperative. While federal programs throw billions of dollars to deliver last year?s Internet speeds, local programs are building the network of the future. In ?*RS Fiber**: Fertile Fields for New Rural Internet Cooperative* ,? the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and Next Century Cities documents a groundbreaking new model that?s sprung up in South Central Minnesota that can be replicated all over the nation, in the thousands of cities and counties that have been refused service by big cable and telecom corporations. ... Read our NEW Report! Amazing New Model for Rural Internet Access Expansion! ... Next Generation Engagement Awards: Using the Internet for Civic Involvement Wed, April 13, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez In addition to economic development, public savings, and a higher quality of life, better connectivity can promote more participation in the democratic process. Next Century Cities, The Democracy Fund , and the Benton Foundation want to promote innovation surrounding ways high-speed Internet fosters participatory democracy and civic engagement. These groups invite communities to apply for a *Next Generation Engagement Award *. LEARN MORE - Webinar on Wednesday, April 4/20 !! *Winning communities will receive:* - Up to $30,000 for new or existing projects that help citizens become more engaged in the democratic process - Technical assistance to implement their plans - Connections with other like-minded municipalities - At least three communities will be selected for special inaugural Awards ... Get More Information Here ... Legal Eagles: Ammon FTTH Can Fly As Planned Thu, April 14, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Ammon now has judicial confirmation to move ahead on their Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH ) project. As we reported earlier this year, Ammon's Fiber Optic Department , led by IT Director Bruce Patterson, is on the verge of commencing the next phase of its incremental network deployment. Bruce explained to Chris in Episode #173 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, how the city will create a utility and residents who choose to participate will pay to have the network connected to their homes. The first area where FTTH will be deployed includes approximately 300 properties. ... Read What the Judge Determined Here ... BT Advisory Board and Community Agree: Local Is Best Tue, April 12, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez As Burlington, Vermont, searches for a buyer for Burlington Telecom, the local residents and business owners continue to remain engaged in the future of their beloved Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH ) network. Most recently, they made it clear that their first priority is finding a local company to own and operate the fiber network. VT Digger reported that, according to a survey conducted by the BT Board of Advisors: Several residents have said they would like to see Burlington Telecom sold to a locally owned co-operative and that their greatest concern is the utility being sold to one of its larger competitors such as Comcast, AT&T or FairPoint. ... More on the Efforts to Ensure BT Serves the Community Long into the Future ... Three Communities Make Big Moves Toward Municipal Fiber Networks Fri, April 15, 2016 | Posted by ternste A March article in Broadband Properties Magazine spotlights three communities around the country that are making progress toward creating municipal fiber networks. The City of Centennial, Colorado announced that they have completed a feasibility study and a Master Plan detailing the city?s plans to develop a network. Additionally, the Cities of Indianola, Iowa and Rancho Cucamonga, California announced that they have begun studying the feasibility of starting their own municipal fiber networks. *Indianola, Iowa* Indianola, Iowa is a city of about 15,000 just 20 miles south of Des Moines. As we wrote a few years ago , Indianola currently owns an open access Fiber-to-the Premise (FTTP) network which provides Gigabit speed Internet access, plus TV, and phone service to most businesses and select residents in Indianola. The study they recently commissioned will explore the feasibility of using this existing network for constructing a FTTP network to the entire community. ... More Details on All of these Communities Here ... Alaska Co-op Upgrading to Fiber Sat, April 16, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez It isn't very often we have the chance to share stories from the "Last Frontier," but a cooperative in the Valdez area is making news with a planned upgrade to fiber this summer. *DSL** to Fiber* According to the Valdez Star, Copper Valley Telecom (CVT) subscribers will be enjoying a switch from old copper DSL Internet access to Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH ) when CVT upgrades its system. The new technology will also improve telephone service. ... More Details on Yet Another Co-op Stepping up ... Connecticut Focuses on Local Leadership Mon, April 11, 2016 | Posted by hannah At the end of March, city leaders across the state of Connecticut converged on a conference to discuss the deficiencies of Internet access and ways to move forward such as a regional network, municipal networks, and public private partnerships. Over the past year, the communities of New Haven, Hartford, and Manchester, have explored several of these possibilities. What pathway they choose depends in part on the outcome of the conference. *The Conference: A Long Time Coming* The conference High-Speed Broadband Infrastructure: A Toolbox for Municipalities took place the state capital Hartford, Connecticut, on March 23, 2016. The presenters, featuring the mayors of New Haven and Hartford, addressed the diverse needs of Connecticut?s communities. ... Read the Full Story Here ... Change.org Petition: CA Lawmakers, Vote for Greater Local Authority, Don't Abandon Copper Yet Sun, April 17, 2016 | Posted by ternste The California State Assembly will soon vote on three bills that have significant implications for rural Internet access initiatives in the Golden State. An online Change.org petition is asking you to urge lawmakers to give local communities the authority to determine their own Internet access needs. On April 20th, 2016, the State Assembly will vote on a bill to provide state funding for community-based efforts aimed at improving broadband access in rural areas. And during the current session this week, California Represenatives will vote on two additional bills, drafted by lobbying groups working for the telecom industry, which seek to give incumbent providers even greater power to control the quality and price of Internet access options that are available in these rural communities. ... There are Many Problems With Allowing AT&T to Cut Households Off ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - April 19 Tue, April 19, 2016 | Posted by Nick *California* How we can close California's digital divide by Kish Rajan, TechWire Santa Cruz public high-speed Internet project earns early jump-start by Jessica A. York, Santa Cruz Sentinel Cruzio and Santa Cruz economic development officials are in the midst of talks to build a gigabit fiber-optic communications network, infrastructure designed to connect some 22,000 city properties. The citywide Santa Cruz Fiber project, requiring as much as a $52 million, 30-year city revenue bond to fund, is still years in the making. The proposal?s premise is that Cruzio would pay the city a set fee for every household and customer who opts in for gigabit service, paying off the city bond. If at the end of the term, Cruzio was unable to pay the full bond amount based on new customer accounts, the company would guarantee coverage of at least 80 percent of the bond. Under the proposed plan, subscribers would pay an estimated $60 to $75 a month for the service, though more subscribers would mean lower overall monthly bills, officials said. Santa Cruz, Calif., deploys fiber-like wireless gigabit Internet through public-private partnership by Julia McCandless, GovTech ... Read the Full Community Network 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 mattwill at pacbell.net Fri Apr 22 12:11:15 2016 From: mattwill at pacbell.net (Matthews Williams) Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2016 19:11:15 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Davisgig] DavisGig Comment on Davis Vanguard -- add your perspective to the dialogue In-Reply-To: <571566D1.90707@omsoft.com> References: <571566D1.90707@omsoft.com> Message-ID: <1203603624.426909.1461352275441.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> One of the key issues that affects our whole community is the antiquated state of our telecommunications infrastructure. To address both quality of life and an economic development issues, Davis needs to build take proactive steps to upgrade its telecommunications/broadband network, replacing the current Comcast-provided? network (predominantly coaxial cable, with some fiber) with an all-fiber to the premises (?FTTP?) DavisGIG network.? Why DavisGIG?? Because every home and business in Davis would have lightning fast Internet speeds of up to one Gigabit (1000 Megabits) per second. To accomplish that, the City has chartered a Broadband Advisory Task Force (?BATF?) to study options for improved broadband access for the City, and make recommendations of future courses of action to the City Council. ? The BATF in conjunction with Davis Community Network (?DCN?) is currently seeking proposals for a FTTP Feasibility Study that will present the recommended business direction and operating principles for municipal delivery of fiber optic broadband services to every home and business in Davis.? The Feasibility Study?s business plan, analysis and strategies will focus on how the Davis FTTP market opportunity should be approached from a range of business dimensions including marketing, product design and pricing, organization structure, financial planning, and considerations of risk and competitive behavior. Improving our telecommunications infrastructure will not only support our community?s economic sustainability, it will also open up opportunities for students in the DJUSD system as they think about their career choices and electronically network/collaborate with people with similar interests.? The DJUSD robotics team CitrusCircuits is a perfect example of how exciting that kind of collaboration can be. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From steve at dcn.org Fri Apr 22 15:35:26 2016 From: steve at dcn.org (Steve McMahon) Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2016 15:35:26 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] DavisGig Comment on Davis Vanguard -- add your perspective to the dialogue In-Reply-To: <1203603624.426909.1461352275441.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> References: <571566D1.90707@omsoft.com> <1203603624.426909.1461352275441.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Looks like this was a comment by Matt on http://www.davisvanguard.org/2016/04/city-council-candidate-question-3-mric-fallout/ On Fri, Apr 22, 2016 at 12:11 PM, Matthews Williams wrote: > One of the key issues that affects our whole community is the antiquated > state of our telecommunications infrastructure. > ... > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mattwill at pacbell.net Fri Apr 22 17:29:53 2016 From: mattwill at pacbell.net (Matthews Williams) Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2016 00:29:53 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Davisgig] DavisGig Comment on Davis Vanguard -- add your perspective to the dialogue In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <369194655.543113.1461371393863.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> That is correct.? My thought was that it expands both the dialogue and the awareness of the DavisGIG endeavor. Matt From: Steve McMahon To: "davisgig at list.omsoft.com" Sent: Friday, April 22, 2016 3:35 PM Subject: Re: [Davisgig] DavisGig Comment on Davis Vanguard -- add your perspective to the dialogue Looks like this was a comment by Matt on?http://www.davisvanguard.org/2016/04/city-council-candidate-question-3-mric-fallout/ On Fri, Apr 22, 2016 at 12:11 PM, Matthews Williams wrote: One of the key issues that affects our whole community is the antiquated state of our telecommunications infrastructure.... _______________________________________________ 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From christopher at newrules.org Wed Apr 27 08:03:10 2016 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2016 10:03:10 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 4/27 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.* *Last week was huge for rural models! See all the stories on better Internet access for rural regions below.* RS Fiber: Fertile Fields for New Rural Internet Cooperative Publication Date: April 18, 2016 A new trend is emerging in rural communities throughout the United States: Fiber-to-the-Farm. Tired of waiting for high-quality Internet access from big companies, farmers are building it themselves. Communities in and around Minnesota?s rural Sibley County are going from worst to best after building a wireless and fiber-optic cooperative. While federal programs throw billions of dollars to deliver last year?s Internet speeds, local programs are building the network of the future. In ?*RS Fiber**: Fertile Fields for New Rural Internet Cooperative* ,? the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and Next Century Cities documents a groundbreaking new model that?s sprung up in South Central Minnesota that can be replicated all over the nation, in the thousands of cities and counties that have been refused service by big cable and telecom corporations. ... Read the Report or Fact Sheet Here ... A New Cooperative Model for Fiber to the Farm - Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 198 Tue, April 19, 2016 | Posted by christopher When we launched this podcast in 2012, we kicked it off with an interview from Minnesota's farm country , Sibley County. We were excited at their passion for making sure every farm was connected with high quality Internet access. After the project took a turn and became a brand new cooperative, we interviewed them again in 2014 for episode 99 , but they hadn't finished financing. They broke ground 2015 and today we discuss the model and the new Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) case study that details how they built it. City of Winthrop Economic Development Authority Director Mark Erickson and Renville-area farmer Jake Rieke are both on the board of RS Fiber Cooperative and they join us to explain how their model works. We at ILSR believe this model could work in much of rural America, in any community that can summon a fraction of the passion of the citizens from Sibley and Renville counties. Having watched this project for all the years it was being developed, I cannot express how impressed I am with their dedication. And because they own it, I'm thrilled to know that no one can take it away from them. ... Listen to this Show Here ... Read the Transcript Here ... Berkman Center Releases Report on WiredWest Cooperative, MBI Wed, April 20, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez In 2010, communities in rural western Massachusetts began a group that would evolve into the WiredWest Cooperative . Over the past six years, the group, formed to bring better last-mile connectivity to the unserved and underserved areas of the state, has faced a number of challenges. Most recently, disagreements with the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), the state agency tasked with distributing funds for last-mile connectivity, have threatened WiredWest's regional cooperative model. In a new report released by the Berkman Center, authors David Talbot, Waide Warner, and Susan Crawford share the story of these communities' attempt to band together to establish a fiber-optic network. In *WiredWest: a Cooperative of Municipalities Forms to Build A Fiber Optic Network *, we learn not only how this region came together, but how they developed their business plan and procured funding, how they anticipate the network to affect affordability, and the ways they have adjusted the plan as circumstances required. The authors also take the time to share some history of cooperatives, and address how the cooperative model - used in the past for electricity and telephone - can benefit the communities in rural western Massachusetts. ... Read the Report, Get More Information Here ... RS Fiber Ignites - Community Connections Video Podcast Wed, April 20, 2016 | Posted by rebecca On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 Christopher Mitchell sat down with Bill Wallace of US Ignite and Mark Erickson of the city of Winthrop, Minnesota, to talk about the exciting applications communities can develop if they have the connectivity they need. This interview is paired with ILSR's report, *RS Fiber: Fertile Fields for New Rural Internet Cooperative* . The report documents a groundbreaking new model that?s sprung up in South Central Minnesota that can be replicated all over the nation, in the thousands of cities and counties that have been refused service by big cable and telecom corporations. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this video podcast on RS Fiber, to be released Thursday as part of our ongoing series featuring community and policy leaders in the field. ... Watch the Video Here ... RS Fiber Ignites - Community Connections Video Podcast Part 2 of 2 Thu, April 21, 2016 | Posted by rebecca On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 Christopher Mitchell sat down with Bill Wallace of US Ignite and Mark Erickson of the city of Winthrop, Minnesota. In part 2 of our ongoing series, Chris, Bill and Mark talk more about the "nuts and bolts" of building a network. Come back each Wednesday for new video content! This interview is paired with ILSR's report, *RS Fiber: Fertile Fields for New Rural Internet Cooperative* . The report documents a groundbreaking new model that?s sprung up in South Central Minnesota that can be replicated all over the nation, in the thousands of cities and counties that have been refused service by big cable and telecom corporations. ... Watch Part 2 Here ... Grass Will Be Greener With FairlawnGig In Ohio Fri, April 22, 2016 | Posted by hannah Fairlawn, Ohio, a quaint little city in Northern Ohio, it is about to get a big Gig ? lightning fast Internet speeds of up to one Gigabit (1000 Megabits) per second (Gbps ) ? for $75 a month. The city has considered the prospect of such a network since last year, and now the community is moving forward. On April 4th, Fairlawn City Council unanimously approved several ordinances to build a Fiber-to-the-Home network (FTTH ) called ?FairlawnGig.? For financing, the network will use revenue bonds in an agreement with the Development Finance Authority of Summit County. *A New FTTH Muni* In November 2015, Fairlawn hired a consultant and envisioned a public-private partnership for the FTTH plan of FairlawnGig. Now, however, these ordinances ensure that the $10 million network that will begin construction in May 2016 will in fact be a municipal network. The ordinances enable the city to enter into a contract with a firm to design and construct the network in the way that best meets the community?s needs. ... See the Expected Prices for Next-Gen Connectivity Here ... Savings and Connectivity for Allegheny County Pennsylvania Schools Thu, April 21, 2016 | Posted by hannah In Pennsylvania, many of Allegheny County?s schools are about to experience new and improved high-speed Internet access. This summer, school districts throughout Allegheny County will get better connectivity and save public dollars with a new Regional Wide Area Network. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Allegheny Intermediate Unit struck a deal with a new contractor to deliver better connectivity for less. The Allegheny Intermediate Unit, a branch of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, provides services to 42 schools and five career and technical centers in the county surrounding Pittsburgh. ... Learn More About the Savings Here ... Islesboro, Maine: RFP For FTTP Is Out There! Wed, April 20, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Islesboro is moving forward with plans to join Rockport , Sanford , and other Maine communities that want to improve connectivity for residents and businesses. They have released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to take them into the construction phase. From the Isleboro website: The Town of Islesboro, Maine is seeking a contractor to manage the construction of a Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) network spanning approximately 50 miles connecting 750 properties including a wireless component connecting outlying islands. The Town is seeking bids for an Owner's Project Manager (OPM) to oversee fiber optic and wireless construction, network equipment installation, and inside wiring and customer premise installation. *Bids are due April 28th, 2016*. The island town has also published a Question and Answer update to address common concerns. ... Learn More Here ... 2016 Municipal Technology Conference May 5, in Augusta, ME Sat, April 23, 2016 | Posted by ternste The 2016 Municipal Technology Conference is coming up on *Thursday, May 5th, 2016* at the Augusta Civic Center in the state capital. The conference is sponsored by the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) and the Maine GIS UserGroup (MEGUG) in cooperation with Maine?s ConnectME Authority . The conference title - ?*Ready. Set. Grow!*? - captures one of the major themes of the conference, where several panel sessions will focus on the topic of municipal networks. Several Maine communities, including Rockport , Sanford , Orono and Old Town , and Bar Harbor , have made progress in the past couple of years toward creating locally-grown fiber networks. ... We Enjoyed This Show Last Year ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - April 25 Mon, April 25, 2016 | Posted by Nick *Iowa* MediaCom is suing Iowa City to prevent broadband competition by Karl Bode, DSL Reports *Massachusetts* Holyoke Innovation District looks to take advantage of valley broadband Internet capacity by Jim Kinney, MassLive Massachusetts government stymies WiredWest municipal broadband initiative, report says by Samantha Bookman, FierceTelecom ... Read our 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 Thu Apr 28 14:41:55 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2016 14:41:55 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Fwd: Municipal Broadband Network In-Reply-To: <031a01d19ff6$f1d98270$d58c8750$@entpnt.com> References: <031a01d19ff6$f1d98270$d58c8750$@entpnt.com> Message-ID: <572283A3.1010007@omsoft.com> Hi Folks This would make a great advertisement for DavisGIG. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC-eqnU_eL8 Looks like this company makes an OSS that supports municipal networks. As does COS Systems and BRIKKS in Sweden. The RFP for the study was not able to be discussed at last nights BATF meeting. It is postponed to the May meeting. So that is kind of going to proceed at the speed it will be. Its important these folks get a chance to discuss and weigh in on the document. The next BATF meeting, I'd like 1-3 members of the list that have come to the DavisGIG meetings and helped chart the way, to kind of humanize our group a little and share your perspective. You wouldn't have to stay long just do a public comment. Its likely the last Wed of the month at 6:30 pm. Will remind folks again as we get closer to the date. I have 3 pretty solid commits from companies that will respond. So will let them know of the delay. Hope to see some of you at the KDRT Sudwerk benefit on Tuesday. RAN -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rob at omsoft.com Thu Apr 28 17:38:50 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2016 17:38:50 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Comcast Franchise ending and the Inet Message-ID: <5722AD1A.6090609@omsoft.com> Hi Both Autumn ( the ED of DMA) and Harriet (City Attorney) believe that Comcast will continue not charging the City anything at all for the Inet after the 09/30/2018 end of the Comcast Franchise. No agreement, just don't do anything, they wont do anything. This doesn't make sense to me, but I trust both of these people. Autumn has a pretty good understanding of whats happening in other communities after cable franchise turnovers and she is not seeing this happen. I'm sure glad we have an attorney that works with franchises so much that they won't mess with Davis. I've heard from other consultants about this happening in other jurisdictions, but that is really hearsay I suppose. It seems like Christine Crawford from LAFCO heard the same things. Got A DEEPER story of this happening much closer to home from the CEO of Spiral Net too, so its something we might want to look into just to be sure. Also, as Steve M pointed out, that is still a long time from now in Internet time, and looks like Comcast is going to start buying Content companies, so they might want to no longer leave money lying on the table. In my experience whenever ATT bought something in the BILLIONS prices would go up across the services to make up for the diff. Comcast will not sell the Inet fibers to Davis because each building on it gets 6 strands within likely a 32, 64, 144 or higher count bundle of fiber that Comcast puts customer traffic on. Thanks RN From rob at omsoft.com Thu Apr 28 17:57:21 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2016 17:57:21 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] What can we do with a gigabit fiber network Message-ID: <5722B171.50901@omsoft.com> Hi Ran across this at the BBCC - https://www.us-ignite.org/ Great place to collaborate and explore possible apps. Going up on the wiki. Thanks RAN