From christopher at newrules.org Tue Mar 1 12:13:14 2016 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2016 14:13:14 -0600 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 3/1 Message-ID: *Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom. Send feedback. Forward Widely.* Muni Network in Huntsville Draws Google Fiber Mon, February 22, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Huntsville Utilities and Google Fiber announced today that the utility will construct a dark fiber network and that Google Fiber will offer services to the community via the city's new fiber infrastructure investment. We applaud Huntsville and Google for helping develop an innovative model that will create more choices for local businesses and residents. We believe this is an important step that can lead to a true market for Internet access, allowing people a real choice in providers while ensuring the network is accountable to local needs. Next Century Cities (NCC) describes the arrangement as a "promising new model for ensuring greater access to high-quality broadband Internet." We see this as a significant step forward in creating competition and bringing high quality Internet access to every one. For many years, we have seen communities desire to invest in infrastructure but not have to engage in service competition with powerful rivals like Comcast or AT&T. ... We Like This Model and Are Excited ... Podcast Today on Huntsville With More Details ... Rural Broadband Expansion Ignores Economic Development Potential in Minnesota - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 190 Tue, February 23, 2016 | Posted by christopher For years, many rural communities suffered from a broadband donut hole problem - the investment in better-than-dial-up was in the population center, leaving a donut of poor access around it. Now policy to reverse that in places like Minnesota is perversely creating the opposite problem, to the detriment of the entire community. This week on the Community Broadband Bits podcast we welcome back Dan Dorman, Executive Director of the Greater Minnesota Partnership . He is also a former legislator and current small business owner in Greater Minnesota. We discuss how this problem developed and where we see it happening before our very eyes. Though we focus on Minnesota, this issue is broadly applicable to all states. We also talk about how Comcast lobbyists have cynically manipulated the program to prevent economic development or possible competition, despite the fact that Comcast serves practically no one outside of the metro region. ... Listen to the Show Here ... Read the Transcript Here ... Missouri's HB 2078 Advances Sat, February 27, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez *Dear Readers: **Since I first wrote this story with my attempt to analyze this bill, I have revisited my earlier interpretation. If you read this bill analysis before, you will notice some changes.* It is starting to become an annual pilgrimage to Jefferson City. Each year, House and Senate leaders on the telecom industry dole, introduce the same anti-competition bill. This year the bill we are watching is HB 2078 in the House, yet another AT&T bill. We briefly introduced you to it in January when we requested you call Republican Representative Lyndall Fraker and the other Members of the House Utility Infrastructure Committee. Fraker is Chair of the Committee, often an indication that the committee will hear the bill. AT&T donated $20,000 to the House Republican Campaign Committee, reports Ars Technica . Even though the check was deposited on February 15, 2016, Ars learned it was actually donated in September 2015, before session began. Regardless of when the money was donated, it is notable that AT&T contributed a total of $62,500 to political committees in Missouri, a place where the incumbent does not shy away from flexing its lobbying influence. ... Learn More About AT&T's Efforts to Crush Competition Here ... Nebraska Network Begins To Grow In Lincoln Conduit Tue, February 23, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Approximately 30,000 businesses and residential properties in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska, will have access to gigabit Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH ) by the end of 2016. ALLO Communications recently announced that is it ready to begin the first phase of its four-phase plan to bring better connectivity to the town of 269,000. ALLO will use the city owned network of conduit installed in 2012 to house its fiber and expand where necessary. The arrangement will bring a triple-play fiber network of video, voice, and data to the entire city by 2020. The minimum speed available will be 100 Megabits per second (Mbps ) and a 1 gigabit per second option will also be available. Both tiers will provide symmetrical speeds so upload will be just as fast as download . ... More Details on this Approach Here ... MN Coop to Rural Schools: Have A Gig, No Extra Charge Mon, February 22, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Minnesota's Paul Bunyan Communications ' is bringing better connectivity to homes and businesses across northern rural Minnesota via fiber. The cooperative is also helping local school districts save precious dollars while obtaining the Internet access kids need for a 21st century education. The cooperative recently announced it is now serving all schools in the GigaZone, the area served by its fiber network, and every school can *upgrade to gigabit Internet services* *at no extra charge*. >From the announcement : "The GigaZone will provide the school districts Gigabit Internet speeds throughout the school day so educators and students alike can use the Internet faster and more efficiently. This upgrade is being provided at no extra charge so districts can stay within their budget and prepare their students for the future and the new technologies it will bring," said Steve Howard, Paul Bunyan Communications IT & Development Manager. ... Learn More About These Suddenly Gigged Schools Here ... Not Nuclear Power, but the Power of Connectivity in Vernon, Vermont Fri, February 26, 2016 | Posted by hannah Vernon, Vermont , is a little town in search of a boost to the local economy. *The Commons *reports that residents formed a Fiber Optic Committee in June and now are exploring the possibility of a municipal network . *First an Idea, Now a Plan* In December of 2014, the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant in the town began to shutdown. Over the next few years, as the plant ends operations, it will eliminate a total of 400 jobs in a town of 2,200. Vernon is looking for other keys to economic development. A local resident came up with an idea -- fiber optics. Vernon's Munson Hicks, is now a member of the 5-person Fiber Optic Committee seeking to find a way to make the idea a reality: ... More Reality, Just Click This Link ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - February 23 Tue, February 23, 2016 | Posted by Nick *Alabama* Montgomery launches first city-owned Internet exchange point in Alabama by Colin Wood, GovTech *Kentucky* Center for Rural Development leading the efforts on broadband expansion in Eastern Kentucky by Kentucky Forward *Maine* Lakes Region towns collaborate to boost Internet speed by Tess Wrobelski, Keep ME Current ... Read the Rest of this Media Roundup Here ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - February 29 Mon, February 29, 2016 | Posted by Nick *Alabama* Google Fiber joins forces with municpal broadband network by Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica Google to use city-owned network to bring fiber to Hunstville by Wendy Davis, Media Post This private-public model for broadband could spread far beyond Huntsville, according to muni-broadband proponent Christopher Mitchell, director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Community Broadband Networks Initiative. "In many ways, I think this is a tremendously hopeful development," Mitchell tells MediaPost. "It gives cities a great confidence that if they build passive infrastructure, they will be able to work with ISPs." Google Fiber is coming to Hunstville, Alabama by Kent Wallace, Financial CV ... More Media, More Rounded Up 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 Mar 8 09:57:43 2016 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2016 11:57:43 -0600 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 3/8 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.* Exploring the Huntsville Fiber Model - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 191 Tue, March 01, 2016 | Posted by christopher Last week, we were excited at the announcement from Huntsville Utilities in Alabama. Huntsville is building a municipal dark fiber network to every premise in its territory that will be open to multiple service providers. Google has already committed to using it to bring real connectivity to the community. In this week's episode, 191, we are talking with Tom Reiman and Stacy Cantrell to understand the model. Tom is President of The Broadband Group , the consultant that is working with Huntsville on this project. Stacy Cantrell is the Vice President of Engineering for Huntsville Utilities . We talk about how the model originated, some of the technical details behind the network, and what benefits they expect to see. This is an excellent discussion with many implications for the thousands of communities that want to improve Internet access locally but would prefer not to offer services directly. ... Listen to the Show Here ... The transcript from this episode is available here . .. Springfield, Massachusetts Introducing Free Downtown Wifi Plus New Dark Fiber Capacity Tue, March 01, 2016 | Posted by ternste Starting this spring, the City of Springfield, Massachusetts will offer free municipal Wi-Fi and new dark fiber capacity to a 7-block area of the city?s downtown known as the ?Springfield Innovation District .? As Masslive.com reports , the new dark fiber will create a connection between the city?s Springfield Innovation Center and an existing network of dark fiber capacity in this part of downtown. The publicly owned fiber currently provides gigabit connectivity to municipal buildings but the city will lease out excess capacity. The new Wi-Fi and dark fiber services are part of a broader plan aimed at boosting economic development and innovation in Springfield, the state?s third largest city at 150,000 and the fourth largest city in all of New England. The project is phase one of a broader plan to soon expand the network even further in order to reach an additional downtown area and all of the city?s public parks. Springfield?s Chief Information Officer Kevin Kennedy estimates the project?s phase 1 total cost between $50,000 and $100,000. While users interested in connecting to the dark fiber will contract with a private provider for Internet service, the city will be the service provider for the free downtown Wi-Fi. ... Spring into the Rest of This Story Here ... Congrats to FreeUTOPIA for Victory In Utah Thu, March 03, 2016 | Posted by ternste *Jesse Harris over at FreeUTOPIA is noting an important shift in the discussions and controversies that surround Utah?s UTOPIA open access network . For starters, as the network is increasingly showing signs of financial success, he?s noticing that critics of the network have gone silent. Meanwhile, more and more people in the region seem to be interested in getting connected to the network. * *After almost a decade spent covering the UTOPIA open source network, Harris declared victory for UTOPIA and for local authority over broadband access in Utah.* *We?ll let Jesse take it from here:* *... Jesse Actually Takes it From Here ... * Albany, New York Studying Internet Access Needs Sat, March 05, 2016 | Posted by Scott The city of Albany, New York (pop. 100,000) recently hired a consulting firm to study the high-speed Internet needs of the community, including possibly the municipality building its own fiber optic network. The study will, among other things, ?assess the strengths and weaknesses of Internet access currently available in the city,? according to a city news release . According to Albany officials, an estimated 30 to 50 percent of children in Upstate New York communities live in households that cannot afford broadband service in their homes. The Albany study will also ?investigate the extent of a digital divide in Albany that prevents some residents from getting fast and affordable Internet service at home or elsewhere,? and ?recommend a prudent path, including funding opportunities, to ensure the City has a broadband network that is affordable and provides high-speed Internet access for all.? ... Many More Details with the Full Story Here ... Ammon, Idaho Preparing for FTTH Expansion Mon, February 29, 2016 | Posted by ternste Officials in the City of Ammon, Idaho, are moving closer to expanding their municipal network to residents with a Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH ) network. The FTTH expansion is the latest phase in their incremental approach in this community of 14,500 people in the southeast corner of Idaho. Ammon?s Director of IT, Bruce Patterson, told us the history of the network?s development in a 2014 Community Broadband Bits Podcast . After starting the network several years ago with just a single link between two municipal buildings, the network gradually expanded the network to community anchor institutions. They also decided to serve businesses on a case-by-case basis. Since the beginning, the city kept its eye on its goal: to offer fiber access to every home in Ammon. ... The Rest of the Update from Ammon ... Ting's Next Stop Greater Sandpoint, Idaho Thu, March 03, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Ting has chosen the Greater Sandpoint, Idaho , region as its next Internet access service area. The partnership will allow Ting to provide gigabit Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH ) Internet access to residents and businesses in Sandpoint, Dover ,Ponderay , and Kootenai. The four communities are located in Bonner County, in the panhandle area of the state; approximately 9,700 people populate the proposed service area. *Rural Subscribers Want It, Need It, Will Use It* Potential subscribers can pre-order right away as part of Ting's "demand assessment" phase. Construction will begin later in 2016 when Ting determines there is sufficient demand in the region. ... Idaho Gets Fiber, Part II ... Digital Northwest Broadband Summit: March 20 - 21, 2016 in Seattle Wed, March 02, 2016 | Posted by hannah Next Century Cities (NCC) is hosting *Digital Northwest: A Broadband Summit for Regional Broadband Leaders* at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle, Washington. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA ) is co-hosting the event. The summit will bring together federal, state, and local officials, industry representatives, and community leaders to celebrate successes and share resources. The summit will examine gaps that remain and strategize on how to expand high-speed Internet access. ... Hope to See you There! ... New Report on Digital Inclusion from Sesame Workshop Fri, March 04, 2016 | Posted by hannah A recent report by Victoria Rideout and Vikki S. Katz from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at the Sesame Workshop delves into detail on the experiences of lower income families and Internet access. The report, ?Opportunity for all? Technology and learning in lower-income families ,? points to the promises of digital inclusion for educational opportunities, but also to the current inequalities in Internet access. The researchers highlight several key findings from the study in an effort to inform policymakers of the root causes, and effects, of these inequalities on lower-income families. They include issues of race (families headed by Hispanic immigrants are less connected), of access (mobile-only and inconsistent connectivity), and of affordability (despite the existence of discounted programs). ... Read our Full Excerpt Here ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 7 Mon, March 07, 2016 | Posted by Nick *Connecticut* Connecticut high-speed Internet: Public or private utility? by John Dankosky & Tucker Ives, WNPR *Kentucky* This city's fight with AT&T could shape the future for Google Fiber by Brian Fung, Washington Post *Missouri* AT&T gave $62K to lawmakers months before vote to limit muni broadband by Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica ... And other Community BB Media News 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 Mar 8 16:36:36 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2016 16:36:36 -0800 Subject: [Davisgig] Fwd: City of Davis, CA and FNC/Symmetrical Network Financial model presentation In-Reply-To: <07FCB4A9971B694C96FC699AD1E253E3C601AB17@RCHEXMBP1.fnc.net.local> References: <07FCB4A9971B694C96FC699AD1E253E3C601AB17@RCHEXMBP1.fnc.net.local> Message-ID: <56DF7014.90001@omsoft.com> Hi ALL Last year we DavisGIG sponsored a presentation from Fujitsu Network Communications, by Bruce Greene. They are a group that deploys FTTP networks based on Fujitsu's optical equipment. It was a good meeting and we had some city folks in attendance. I'm sending this to the DavisGIG list, plus the people that were in attendance then. They have a "new financing model" that has a lower price point plus a recent success I suppose working with Lake Oswego, Or. Bruce has been emailing me, and I thought we'd best stay engaged and hear more This is a conference call to go over that new model, and it takes place this Friday. If you'd like to be on this call, feel free and let me know, so I can get the power point presentation to you. Thanks RAN -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: City of Davis, CA and FNC/Symmetrical Network Financial model presentation Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2016 23:34:45 +0000 From: Greene, Bruce To: Rob Nickerson (Rob at omsoft.com) , Kevin Padrick , Dann Wheeler (dwheeler at symmetricalnet.com) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Attached Message Part Type: text/calendar Size: 2125 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rob at omsoft.com Tue Mar 8 16:47:25 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2016 16:47:25 -0800 Subject: [Davisgig] Fwd: Om Networks - Telco Systems discussion In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <56DF729D.6020407@omsoft.com> Hi ALL This is another conference call, to get acquainted with one of the main FTTP vendors in the Marketplace, Telco Systems. They are an American company from MA! We will be discussing techie type product line stuff that would be pertinent to a DavisGIG fiber deployment. Anyone can join, just let me know so I can get a sense of whose attending. Other main (non Cisco) vendors would be, Adtran, Calix (in Santa Rosa), and Ciena We do have an invitation for someone from our city BATF / DavisGIG to attend a trip out to Adtran HQ, the Broadband Summitt, in Huntsville in the end of April. Its about the Adtran product line for FTTP. Our Omsoft Network Admin, Paul Biddle will go, if anyone is interested in that please let me know and I can provide more details. Its a free trip. Thx RAN -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Om Networks - Telco Systems discussion Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2016 13:58:55 -0600 From: lmaxwell at telco.com To: rob at omsoft.com, Deyan Dichev , Jeff Shepit , Pasquale Tagliarini , Reinhard Florin , Mike Cersosimo -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Attached Message Part Type: text/calendar Size: 14791 bytes Desc: not available URL: From christopher at newrules.org Tue Mar 15 09:01:18 2016 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2016 11:01:18 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks ... Week of 3/15 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.* Colorado Bill Aims To Hinder Opt-Out, Restrict Local Authority Even More Fri, March 11, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez When local elected officials in Colorado put the issue before constituents last fall,voters in almost 50 communities chose overwhelmingly to reclaim local telecommunications authority. Colorado's state law that strips away local authority, SB 152, permits opt-out through referendum. Referendums are expensive for local communities, but at least they are a way to reclaim the power to decide their own future. That ability to opt out will get more expensive and more burdensome if a new bill becomes law. Even though the state removed local authority with SB 152, this bill demonstrates that the legislature can still find a way to strip away more local control when big corporate providers feel threatened. ... Get the Scoop on this Disappointed Effort to Restrict Local Choice ... Pulaski, Tennessee: "A Community Investing In Itself" With Better Connectivity Thu, March 10, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Pulaski, located in the area Tennesseans describe as the southern middle region of the state, has a fiber network other communities covet. When we contacted Wes Kelley, one of the people instrumental in establishing the network, he told us that the community always wanted to be more than "just Mayberry." Rather than settle for the sleepy, quaint, character of the fictional TV town, local leaders in Pulaski chose to invest in fiber infrastructure for businesses and residents. *A Legacy That Lives On* The county seat of Giles County, Pulaski has a long history of municipal utility service. The electric system was founded in 1891, and is the oldest in the state. The city also provides municipal water, sewer, and natural gas service. The electric utility, Pulaski Electric System (PES), serves most of Giles County , which amounts to approximately 15,000 customers. PES receives power from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and then distributes it throughout the county. ... Read our Full In-Depth Coverage of Pulaski Here ... Nevada Electric Coop Gets Fiber, Creates Jobs Mon, March 07, 2016 | Posted by hannah A growing number of electric coops are providing Internet access to residents and businesses in areas of the country where big providers don't offer services. It?s not a big leap because many electric coops already use fiber for communication between electric substations. Expanding in order to offer high quality Internet access is a logical next step. In Nevada, the Valley Electric Association (VEA) is bringing Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH ) to members in 2016 and helping create new jobs in Pahrump and Fish Lake Valley. The coop's subsidiary Valley Communications Association (VCA), will operate the network. Details on speeds and rates are yet to be determined, but the coop plans to offer Internet access up to 1 gigabit. ... More Details on Another Rural Coop Investing in Fiber ... The FCC's Pro-Competition Agenda - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 192 Tue, March 08, 2016 | Posted by christopher This week we welcome Gigi Sohn, Counselor to Chairman Wheeler of the Federal Communications Commission, to Community Broadband Bits for episode 192. Before joining the FCC, Gigi was a founder of Public Knowledge . Gigi discusses the pro-competition agenda that Chairman Wheeler has advanced, including the efforts to ensure communities can decide locally whether to build a municipal network or partner. We also discuss other elements of FCC action to encourage competition in the Internet access market, even how television set-top boxes fit in. Echoing some of the comments I regularly hear from some thoughtful listeners, I asked if competition was the best approach given the argument that telecom, and particularly fiber, has the characteristics of a natural monopoly. ... Listen to the Show Here ... Update on Santa Cruz: Banana Slug City, Say Goodbye to Sluggish Internet Tue, March 08, 2016 | Posted by hannah Back in June 2015, Santa Cruz announced a municipal fiber project with Cruzio , a local company that offers Internet access, colocation services, and a range of other data solutions. After finalizing details of the partnership, the city is officially moving forward with the plan. This past December, the Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to begin the$45 million fiber network . Cruzio intends to complete the project in the next 3 years, bringing next-generation, high-speed Internet access to the home of theUCSC banana slugs . ... More Information About this Public-Private Partnership ... TN and NC vs. FCC: Oral Arguments Scheduled for Thursday, March 17th Mon, March 14, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez This Thursday, March 17th, attorneys for the FCC and the states of Tennessee and North Carolina will present arguments to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on a case that could define parameters for publicly owned Internet networks. The proceedings begin at 9 a.m. eastern. Each side has 15 minutes to present. As we reported a year ago , the FCC ruled that state barriers in Tennessee and North Carolina limiting expansion of publicly own networks are too restrictive and threaten the U.S. goal of expanding ubiquitous access. The FCC overruled the harmful state laws but soon after, both states filed appeals. ... Our Post on Thursday's Arguments ... 2016 IAMU Broadband Conference: Explore Muni Possibilities, March 30 - 31 Sat, March 12, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) is presenting the 5th Annual Broadband Conference on March 30 & 31 in Des Moines. This year, the organization is adding the Municipal Broadband Explorers Track to provide information for communities seeking more information as they consider the publicly owned option. Our own Chris Mitchell will lead the Expedition and will be accompanied by a number of community leaders who know a thing or two about municipal broadband. Some of the presenters will be: - Jim Baller, Baller, Herbst, Stokes & Lide - Vincent Turner, Longmont, CO - Paul Scott, Decorah Fast Fiber, IA - Mark Erickson, Sibley County, MN - Mike Litterer, Waverly Utilities, IA - Eric Lampland, Lookout Point Communications The Municipal Broadband Explorers Track offers specialized conversations that community leaders seek as they consider whether or not a muni is right for their town, city, or county. You can view thefull agenda here to plan your visit. ... You can also register for the conference at the IAMU website ... Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 14 Mon, March 14, 2016 | Posted by Nick *Alabama* You didn't notice it, but Google Fiber just began in the Golden Age of high-speed Internet access by Susan Crawford, Back Channel *Indiana* 'Game of Gigs' organization aims to expand Bloomington, Ind., broadband by Megan Banta, GovTech For Bloomington, Ind., citywide broadband should be less a question of if and more a question of how, local and national experts said Tuesday. ?Today is a beginning, not an ending,? Mayor John Hamilton said at the end of a four-hour symposium focusing on the benefits of high-speed network connectivity for economic development and quality of life in Bloomington. ?My head is buzzing ... in a good way.? Hamilton repeatedly has pushed for the creation of a citywide, community-controlled broadband network since his campaign. ... Read the Full Community Broadband Media Roundup here ... -- You can always find our most recent stories and other resources at http://MuniNetworks.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Community Networks Weekly Updates" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to communitynetworks-weekly+unsubscribe at ilsr.org. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/ilsr.org/d/optout. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rob at omsoft.com Thu Mar 17 10:00:26 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2016 10:00:26 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Fwd: Join CLIC's (free) Webinar Next Thursday: Legal Considerations When Building Broadband Public Private Partnerships In-Reply-To: <09c6fc743c87e862042edd5d5d1bb241e3d.20160317123415@mail92.suw17.mcsv.net> References: <09c6fc743c87e862042edd5d5d1bb241e3d.20160317123415@mail92.suw17.mcsv.net> Message-ID: <56EAE2AA.4030304@omsoft.com> Hi If anyone is interested! Also looks like the BATF will finally meet on 3.23 at 6:30 pm. I think its in the Council Conference Room. Congrats to Steve McMahon for getting on the committee in one of the Public-At-Large positions. Thanks RAN -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Join CLIC's (free) Webinar Next Thursday: Legal Considerations When Building Broadband Public Private Partnerships Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2016 12:34:32 +0000 From: Coalition for Local Internet Choice Reply-To: Coalition for Local Internet Choice To: Robert Join CLIC's (free) Webinar Next Thursday: Legal Considerations When Building Broadband Public Private Partnerships CLIC's Free Webinar Next Thursday at Noon (eastern): Legal Considerations When Buildings Public-Private Broadband Partnerships View this email in your browser The introduction of anti-competitive legislation, like Colorado Senate Bill 136 , illustrates the importance of recognizing various legal hurdles that could develop when planning public-private broadband partnerships. Please join CLIC *next* *Thursday, March 24*, at noon for a free webinar on *Legal Considerations in Building Broadband Public-Private Partnerships . *This session will provide an overview of the legal issues (state, local and federal) that are likely to arise for communities as they conceptualize, plan, and negotiate such partnerships. *Register here .* The Webinar will start at Noon Eastern Time. An archive recording of the session will be emailed to all registrants. ** Don't miss our P3 Library -- the first generation of an evolving set of resources we will provide to localities and companies that are seeking models for expanding broadband Internet infrastructure in communities throughout the country. And meet us in Austin, April 4th, for a full CLIC Day addressing these important topics for local net choice. (CLIC members qualify for a discount registration fee of $350 to the full BBC conference by using our code CLIC2016.) To be a (free) CLIC member, JOIN US or: CLIC HERE Website Website Tweet Forward *Our mailing address is:* info at localnetchoice.org unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences This email was sent to rob at omsoft.com /why did I get this?/ unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Coalition for Local Internet Choice ? 2014 P Street, NW ? Washington, DC 20036 ? USA Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mattwill at pacbell.net Thu Mar 17 11:36:30 2016 From: mattwill at pacbell.net (Matthews Williams) Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2016 18:36:30 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Davisgig] Article in Davis Senior High Newspaper -- On Council Campaign with reference to FTTP Initiative In-Reply-To: <56CF8C6A.3040103@omsoft.com> References: <56CF8C6A.3040103@omsoft.com> Message-ID: <1979151479.355127.1458239790693.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> See Page 2 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9SXKbrIwRcKUHZFQ0E1M2x4UnM/view?pref=2&pli=1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tdkaiser at ucdavis.edu Mon Mar 21 10:42:03 2016 From: tdkaiser at ucdavis.edu (Todd Kaiser) Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 10:42:03 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Share our Facebook Page Message-ID: Hi Everyone! Please like our group's facebook page and share it with local friends. It would be great to generate some online conversations, and may prove to be a valuable metric when the city begins to gauge public interest in this project. https://www.facebook.com/davisca.gig/info/ Thanks! Todd Kaiser -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mike790 at gmail.com Mon Mar 21 11:41:23 2016 From: mike790 at gmail.com (Mike Adams) Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 11:41:23 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Share our Facebook Page In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks Todd! While you are at it, please stop by the DCN page as well: https://www.facebook.com/dcn.org/ The City's Broadband Advisory Task Force is (finally!) meeting this Wednesday, March 23, at the City Hall Conference room, at 6:30 pm. It is open to the public. Come see the first meeting and demonstrate your interest in a fast fiber network. Information, including agenda, can be found at http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/commissions-and-committees/broadband-advisory-task-force Mike Adams DCN VP and Task Force Representative On Mon, Mar 21, 2016 at 10:42 AM, Todd Kaiser wrote: > Hi Everyone! > > Please like our group's facebook page and share it with local friends. It > would be great to generate some online conversations, and may prove to be a > valuable metric when the city begins to gauge public interest in this > project. > > https://www.facebook.com/davisca.gig/info/ > > Thanks! > Todd Kaiser > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > -- Mike Adams -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jmischki at dcn.davis.ca.us Mon Mar 21 20:17:04 2016 From: jmischki at dcn.davis.ca.us (Jeff Mischkinsky) Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2016 20:17:04 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Broadband Advisory Task Force [BATF] representation/goals Message-ID: <2E7FAA9C-4EFE-4E0F-A9DA-3B375F646131@dcn.davis.ca.us> hi, I will be representing DavisSIG on the city?s newly established Broadband Advisory Task Force (BATF) First meeting is this wed evening 6:30 at city hall. See http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/commissions-and-committees/broadband-advisory-task-force for more information. Please feel free to email or call me if there is something specific relating to the BATF that you would like to discuss. Better yet, start a discussion on the davisgig list serve. Please stick a [BATF] somewhere in the subject line so my filters will catch it. To start things off, I asked Rob for his opinion on what he thought was important from a DavisGIG POV. I?ve pasted in his response below: 1) Fiber Optic - All homes and business. Built in such a way that its forward looking. Extra capacity at the edges that sort of thing. No limited downtown deployments, no just WiFi 2) Community Owned and Operated 3) Open Access for Multiple companies 4) BATF feel free to access our resources (our wiki, Trello board, volunteer knowledge and skill pool) 5) Please accept a Feasibility Study, paid for by the community though DCN to consider options to present to the council. We can share the link to the RFP for that, and people can edit on it if they wish, but let us get it out so its out quickly. In time for an upcoming conference. Please feel free to comment/add, etc. I?ll try to keep the group updated as we go along. cheers, jeff --- Jeff Mischkinsky jmischki at dcn.davis.ca.us +1 530-758-9850 From jmischki at dcn.davis.ca.us Wed Mar 23 21:49:35 2016 From: jmischki at dcn.davis.ca.us (Jeff Mischkinsky) Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2016 21:49:35 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] 2016-03-23 BATF Meeting Notes Message-ID: 2016-03-23 BATF Meeting Notes These are MY PERSONAL INFORMAL notes from the meeting. The formal minutes will be posted on the city website: http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/commissions-and-committees/broadband-advisory-task-force Intros everyone gave a short intro on their background, goals, and interests Oath of Office I have now sworn to uphold the Constitutions of the US and CA (all 1000+ pages) and defend the country and state from all enemies, domestic and foreign. etc., etc. Agenda Approval Public Comment there were 4 observers Protocol/Meeting rules BATF members need to make sure that their discussions on the davisGIG listserve do not inadvertently constitute a non-public ?meeting? as defined by the Brown Act. Practically this means that there probably won?t be a lot of discussion by many of the BATF members about formal BATF business on the list serve. (A ?meeting? in this case is defined as 6 or more BATF members discussing a (BATF) topic on an email thread.) NOTE: this doesn?t apply to non-BATF members, so feel free to comment away. NOTE: as the DavisGIG rep, i should be able to respond to comments/questions, as long as the other BATF members pretty much just lurk. Broadband Primer - Rob Nickerson DavisGIG background and high-level intro to internet and network architecture intro to how signals travel over the internet (OSI 7 layer mode), different broadband speeds, different technologies, etc. slides will be posted on http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/commissions-and-committees/broadband-advisory-task-force in a few days Scope of Work a brief review of the scope of work (decided by the City Council) and topics for future agenda ? comcast contract expiration, survey mechanics, feasibility study (possibly funded by dcn) Selection of Chair/Vice-Chair chair - chris clements vice-chair - christine crawford Meeting Schedule wed nights were decided upon as the regular meeting night. There was a long debate and disagreement on what the meeting schedule should be. Several of us argued that there is some urgency in getting started and the group should meet twice/month. Some members didn?t have time to meet that often. I *think* (the vote was 5-4-1 and there was disagreement about whether a majority was 5-4 or whether abstentions count as a no and hence the decision was not passed) the decision was to meet once/month (4th wed) and have an extra meeting as needed. I *think* we voted to have an extra meeting on april 6, but it is not clear if there will be a quorum. If we meet, an agenda item will be discussion of a feasibility study. (I think this is the most important item from a DavisGIG perspective). -jeff --- Jeff Mischkinsky jmischki at dcn.davis.ca.us +1 530-758-9850 From mattwill at pacbell.net Wed Mar 23 21:58:20 2016 From: mattwill at pacbell.net (Matthews Williams) Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2016 04:58:20 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Davisgig] 2016-03-23 BATF Meeting Notes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <69002557.128465.1458795500613.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Thanks for the update Jeff. From: Jeff Mischkinsky To: davisgig at list.omsoft.com Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 9:49 PM Subject: [Davisgig] 2016-03-23 BATF Meeting Notes 2016-03-23 BATF Meeting Notes ? ? These are MY PERSONAL INFORMAL notes from the meeting. The formal minutes will be posted on the city website: ? ? ? ? http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/commissions-and-committees/broadband-advisory-task-force ? ? ? Intros ? ? ? everyone gave a short intro on their background, goals, and interests ? ? Oath of Office ? ? ? I have now sworn to uphold the Constitutions of the US and CA (all 1000+ pages) and defend the country and state from all enemies, domestic and foreign. etc., etc. ? ? Agenda Approval ? ? Public Comment ? ? ? there were 4 observers ? ? Protocol/Meeting rules ? ? ? ? BATF members need to make sure that their discussions on the davisGIG listserve do not inadvertently constitute a non-public ?meeting? as defined by the Brown Act. Practically this means that there probably won?t be a lot of discussion by many of the BATF members about formal BATF business on the list serve. (A ?meeting? in this case is defined as 6 or more BATF members discussing a (BATF) topic on an email thread.) NOTE: this doesn?t apply to non-BATF members, so feel free to comment away. NOTE: as the DavisGIG rep, i should be able to respond to comments/questions, as long as the other BATF members pretty much just lurk. ? ? Broadband Primer - Rob Nickerson ? ? ? DavisGIG background and high-level intro to internet and network architecture ? ? ? intro to how signals travel over the internet (OSI 7 layer mode), different broadband speeds, different technologies, etc. ? ? ? ? ? slides will be posted on http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/commissions-and-committees/broadband-advisory-task-force in a few days ? ? Scope of Work ? ? ? a brief review of the scope of work (decided by the City Council) and ? ? ? topics for future agenda ? comcast contract expiration, survey mechanics, feasibility study (possibly funded by dcn) ? ? Selection of Chair/Vice-Chair ? ? ? chair - chris clements ? ? ? vice-chair - christine crawford ? ? Meeting Schedule ? ? ? ? wed nights were decided upon as the regular meeting night. ? ? ? ? There was a long debate and disagreement on what the meeting schedule should be. ? ? ? ? Several of us argued that there is some urgency in getting started and the group should meet twice/month. Some members didn?t have time to meet that often. I *think* (the vote was 5-4-1 and there was disagreement about whether a majority was 5-4 or whether abstentions count as a no and hence the decision was not passed) the decision was to meet once/month (4th wed) and have an extra meeting as needed. ? ? ? ? I *think* we voted to have an extra meeting on april 6, but it is not clear if there will be a quorum. If we meet, an agenda item will be discussion of a feasibility study. (I think this is the most important item from a DavisGIG perspective). -jeff ? ? ? ? --- Jeff Mischkinsky jmischki at dcn.davis.ca.us? ? ? +1 530-758-9850 _______________________________________________ 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 dawalter at dcn.org Wed Mar 23 23:29:24 2016 From: dawalter at dcn.org (Douglas A. Walter) Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2016 23:29:24 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] 2016-03-23 BATF Meeting Notes In-Reply-To: <69002557.128465.1458795500613.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> References: <69002557.128465.1458795500613.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Also, thank you Jeff for being one of the people feeling a sense of urgency! On Mar 23, 2016, at 9:58 PM, Matthews Williams wrote: > Thanks for the update Jeff. > > > From: Jeff Mischkinsky > To: davisgig at list.omsoft.com > Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 9:49 PM > Subject: [Davisgig] 2016-03-23 BATF Meeting Notes > > 2016-03-23 BATF Meeting Notes > These are MY PERSONAL INFORMAL notes from the meeting. The formal minutes will be posted on the city website: > http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/commissions-and-committees/broadband-advisory-task-force > > Intros > everyone gave a short intro on their background, goals, and interests > Oath of Office > I have now sworn to uphold the Constitutions of the US and CA (all 1000+ pages) and defend the country and state from all enemies, domestic and foreign. etc., etc. > > Agenda Approval > > Public Comment > there were 4 observers > > Protocol/Meeting rules > BATF members need to make sure that their discussions on the davisGIG listserve do not inadvertently constitute a non-public ?meeting? as defined by the Brown Act. Practically this means that there probably won?t be a lot of discussion by many of the BATF members about formal BATF business on the list serve. > (A ?meeting? in this case is defined as 6 or more BATF members discussing a (BATF) topic on an email thread.) > NOTE: this doesn?t apply to non-BATF members, so feel free to comment away. > NOTE: as the DavisGIG rep, i should be able to respond to comments/questions, as long as the other BATF members pretty much just lurk. > > Broadband Primer - Rob Nickerson > DavisGIG background and high-level intro to internet and network architecture > intro to how signals travel over the internet (OSI 7 layer mode), different broadband speeds, different technologies, etc. > slides will be posted on http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/commissions-and-committees/broadband-advisory-task-force in a few days > > Scope of Work > a brief review of the scope of work (decided by the City Council) and > topics for future agenda ? comcast contract expiration, survey mechanics, feasibility study (possibly funded by dcn) > > Selection of Chair/Vice-Chair > chair - chris clements > vice-chair - christine crawford > > > Meeting Schedule > wed nights were decided upon as the regular meeting night. > There was a long debate and disagreement on what the meeting schedule should be. > Several of us argued that there is some urgency in getting started and the group should meet twice/month. Some members didn?t have time to meet that often. I *think* (the vote was 5-4-1 and there was disagreement about whether a majority was 5-4 or whether abstentions count as a no and hence the decision was not passed) the decision was to meet once/month (4th wed) and have an extra meeting as needed. > I *think* we voted to have an extra meeting on april 6, but it is not clear if there will be a quorum. If we meet, an agenda item will be discussion of a feasibility study. (I think this is the most important item from a DavisGIG perspective). > > -jeff > > > --- > Jeff Mischkinsky > jmischki at dcn.davis.ca.us +1 530-758-9850 > > > =-=-= Doug Walter, home edition dawalter at dcn.org Wag more (bark less) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From omrob at omsoft.com Sat Mar 26 14:29:08 2016 From: omrob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2016 14:29:08 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Initial fundraiser Letter Message-ID: <56F6FF24.6000008@omsoft.com> Hi All So we have a Feasibility Study to fundraise for. We want to drive as much funding on the Big Day of Giving as we can, which is May 3rd. So we want to start the fundraising effort next week at the latest. Please see this letter https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vjmyKRbGENvqgJnUfRwtsrNNbz6mZAM_8_HxCJoqiAI/edit?usp=sharing Comment if you wish. We will be sending it out to our DavisGIG email list, plus the DCN News / Omsoft News. If anyone else can distribute the finished version to their groups it would be appreciated. Thanks RAN From pofish at gmail.com Mon Mar 28 13:27:24 2016 From: pofish at gmail.com (Patrick Fish) Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2016 13:27:24 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] AT&T Wants $100 Million From California Taxpayers For Aging DSL Message-ID: Article: https://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-Wants-100-Million-From-California-Taxpayers-For-Aging-DSL-136565 AT&T is asking California taxpayers to give them $100 million so that AT&T can provide several parts of the state with unreliable, slow and expensive DSL service. As Steve Blum?s blog notes, under Assembly Bill 2130 (written by AT&T lobbyists), AT&T would receive $100 million from state taxpayers. In return, AT&T would only need to provide 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload and would have little to no oversight over whether the $100 million is even being used for the DSL service. According to Blum, AB 2130 would: 1. freeze the current California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) broadband infrastructure subsidy program, 2. authorise the collection of $100 million more from taxpayers, 3. distribute it according to byzantine rules that all but guarantee that the money would go to AT&T to spend as it pleases, while 4. tightening its monopoly stranglehold on rural residents. Currently, the California Public Utilities Commission says that 1.5 Mbps upload is the minimum acceptable speed in order to receive state subsidies under the California Advanced Services Fund. Therefore, AT&T wants taxpayer money for a service that isn?t even deemed acceptable under current state rules. This type of move shouldn?t surprise anyone with knowledge of AT&T?s past. For years, AT&T has taken billions from federal and state governments in order to provide a DSL service that AT&T has no interest in upgrading, instead wanting to fill in coverage gaps with the company's LTE network. In most areas, AT&T is making it abundantly clear that it's giving up on DSL and fixed-line broadband entirely, and were one to do an audit (which will never happen), it's guaranteed they'd find billions in past subsidies that never resulted in tangible improvements. Whether it is pushing the FCC to keep the National Broadband Map from listing prices, fighting competition wherever possible, or lobbying hard for little oversight over how AT&T uses federal taxpayer money, both AT&T and Verizon have quite the history of taking taxpayer money and providing little to nothing in return. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dawalter at dcn.org Mon Mar 28 13:44:15 2016 From: dawalter at dcn.org (Douglas A. Walter) Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2016 13:44:15 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] AT&T Wants $100 Million From California Taxpayers For Aging DSL In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Other than one hearing, this bill is waiting for a big push (or for someone to notice and mock it). I don't know too much about Assemblymember W. Quirk, and why he's working with AT&T on this. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2130 On Mar 28, 2016, at 1:27 PM, Patrick Fish wrote: > Article: https://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-Wants-100-Million-From-California-Taxpayers-For-Aging-DSL-136565 > > AT&T is asking California taxpayers to give them $100 million so that AT&T can provide several parts of the state with unreliable, slow and expensive DSL service. As Steve Blum?s blog notes, under Assembly Bill 2130 (written by AT&T lobbyists), AT&T would receive $100 million from state taxpayers. In return, AT&T would only need to provide 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload and would have little to no oversight over whether the $100 million is even being used for the DSL service. According to Blum, AB 2130 would: > > 1. freeze the current California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) broadband infrastructure subsidy program, > 2. authorise the collection of $100 million more from taxpayers, > 3. distribute it according to byzantine rules that all but guarantee that the money would go to AT&T to spend as it pleases, while > 4. tightening its monopoly stranglehold on rural residents. > > Currently, the California Public Utilities Commission says that 1.5 Mbps upload is the minimum acceptable speed in order to receive state subsidies under the California Advanced Services Fund. Therefore, AT&T wants taxpayer money for a service that isn?t even deemed acceptable under current state rules. > This type of move shouldn?t surprise anyone with knowledge of AT&T?s past. For years, AT&T has taken billions from federal and state governments in order to provide a DSL service that AT&T has no interest in upgrading, instead wanting to fill in coverage gaps with the company's LTE network. In most areas, AT&T is making it abundantly clear that it's giving up on DSL and fixed-line broadband entirely, and were one to do an audit (which will never happen), it's guaranteed they'd find billions in past subsidies that never resulted in tangible improvements. > > Whether it is pushing the FCC to keep the National Broadband Map from listing prices, fighting competition wherever possible, or lobbying hard for little oversight over how AT&T uses federal taxpayer money, both AT&T and Verizon have quite the history of taking taxpayer money and providing little to nothing in return. > _______________________________________________ > > 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 -- ?Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.? -- Elizabeth Alexander Doug Walter ? dawalter at dcn.org ? (home address) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rob at omsoft.com Mon Mar 28 20:45:33 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2016 20:45:33 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Put some new documents on the WiKi that people have sent in Message-ID: <56F9FA5D.2000704@omsoft.com> Hi Check it out: http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~help/dokuwiki/doku.php Thanks to RL, MA, plus I put up a good webinar I took from CLIC. CLIC is a new non profit that is advocating for more communities to build their own locally controlled gigabit networks. The Building a Gigabit City seems to have a lot of good information. Thx RAN From christopher at newrules.org Tue Mar 29 08:40:52 2016 From: christopher at newrules.org (Christopher Mitchell) Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2016 10:40:52 -0500 Subject: [Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 3/29 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.* Santa Monica's Muni To Help Bridge The Digital Divide Tue, March 22, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Earlier this month, the Santa Monica City Council met to approve rates for the city's Digital Inclusion Pilot Program. The program is already in place, bringing free Gigabit per second (Gbps ) Internet access to computers in community rooms in ten affordable housing complexes. The March 1st vote expands the program to offer residents the opportunity to sign up for services in their homes. According to the Santa Monica Mirror , official monthly rates are set at $69 for 1 Gbps and $360 for 10 Gbps. People receiving Public Assistance will be able to obtain a discount to lower the rates to $48 and $252 per month respectively. An additional FCC Lifeline subsidy for those who qualify will lower the cost further to $38.25 per month for 1 Gbps Internet access. Download and upload speeds are the same. ... An Exciting New Step for Santa Monica's Muni Fiber Approach! ... ISP US Internet Gets More Respect Than Rodney Dangerfield - Community Broadband Bits 194 Tue, March 22, 2016 | Posted by christopher In Minneapolis, a small and privately owned ISP has been steadily building fiber across the city and developing a stunning reputation for great customer service, low and predictable pricing, and generally being a great company to do business with. Co-founder Travis Carter of US Internet joins us for episode 194 of the Community Broadband Bit s podcast. We discuss their approach to building networks, especially their philosophy around customer service and just how poorly some of US Internet's competitors treat their customers. As a small firm that is carving out its own path in a world of giants, its experiences are important lessons and points of consideration for community networks. We also discuss how US Internet interacts with local governments. Though the company has high praise for Minneapolis, it discusses where some of the challenges have been in navigating local government zoning and permitting. Travis also offers some advice based on how smart investments and a well-organized approach to leasing fiber have helped US Internet to begin expanding in suburb Saint Louis Park. USI coverage map is available here. For more information on USI's pricing, see their website forFiber-to-the-Home and telephone service . ... Listen to this Exciting Interview Here ... Read the Transcript Here ... Mancos Voters The Latest To Decide Local Authority In Colorado Fri, March 25, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Mancos , a rural community of about 1,300 in rural southwest Colorado, hopes to join over 50 other communities across the state that have reclaimed local telecommunications authority. On April 5th, the town will decide whether to exempt itself from SB 152, Colorado's 2005 state law that removed local choice from municipalities and local governments. Located at the base of the Mesa Verde National Park, Mancos is best known for outdoor recreation and as the gateway to the park, home to the historic Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. Rangeland and mountains surround the community. The Pine River Times Journal reports that Mancos is looking to utilize 3,300 feet of fiber optic assets already in place. The fiber now connects municipal facilities but community leaders want to have the option to use the network for businesses, residents, or to provide Wi-Fi to visitors. SB 152 precludes Mancos from using their publicly owned fiber for any of those purposes without first opting out. ... Still More Communities in Colorado to Restore Local Authority ... CLIC to Host Preconference Day in Austin on April 4th Mon, March 21, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Are you going to the Austin Broadband Communities Conference this spring? If you plan on attending the April 5 - 7 event, you may want to head out one day early so you can check out the Coalition for Local Internet Choice (CLIC) Preconference Day event on April 4. >From the CLIC email invite: CLIC's pre-conference day will focus on how communities can facilitate the development of local gigabit networks. Our interactive panel of experts will share best practices and how successful community-led networks have responded to various fiber deployment hurdles, including political, legal, financial, market or resource barriers. You will be able to meet in-person and hear from the public officials who are facilitating, and the private companies who are engaged in and seeking, local public-private broadband partnerships. ... I'll be there! ... Holland, Michigan Pilot Project Could Lead to More Wed, March 23, 2016 | Posted by ternste A pilot project in the City of Holland, Michigan is now delivering gigabit speed Internet service via a dark fiber network built by the city more than two decades ago; three commercial buildings are connected. The project, led by the Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW), is the first phase in an effort to develop a municipally owned and operated fiber network. Holland is home to about 33,500 people and situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. The community is known for its roots in Dutch culture and is a popular summer tourist destination. Windmills and tulips dot the landscape. Daniel Morrison, the president of a software company in Holland and a member of a local public interest group called Holland Fiber , recognizes that businesses need fast, affordable, reliable connectivity: ?Our whole business is online,? he told the Holland Sentinel newspaper. ?We?re working with clients all over the world and we want to be able to work as quickly as possible.? ... A Good Start That Deserves More Attention ... OECD Study on Munis Digs Deep, Discovers Dividends Fri, March 25, 2016 | Posted by ternste A recent large-scale cross-national study from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) offers strong evidence that municipal broadband networks provide numerous benefits for communities around the world. Among the study?s major findings include evidence that municipal networks contribute to efforts aimed at improving local economic development, stimulating business productivity and innovation, and enhancing people?s quality of life. The study's analysis of European nations is of special interest to us as European municipal networks are the only international municipal networks in the study that closely resemble U.S. municipal networks. In particular, the findings from the study?s central econometric analysis of Swedish municipal networks have direct implications for our understanding of the impact of municipal networks in the United States. ... The Data on Sweden's Municipal Fiber Are Intriguing ... Listen to the Lawyers: Audio of Oral Arguments Now Available in TN/NC vs FCC Tue, March 22, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez Attorneys argued before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on March 17th in the case of Tennessee and North Carolina vs the FCC. The attorneys presented their arguments before the court as it considered the FCC's decision to peel back state barriers that prevent local authority to expand munis. A little over a year ago, the FCC struck down state barriers in Tennessee and North Carolina limiting expansion of publicly own networks. Soon after, both states filed appeals and the cases were combined. You can listen to the entire oral argument below - a little less than 43 minutes - which includes presentations from both sides and vigorous questions from the Judges. To review other resources from the case, be sure to check out the other resources, available here , including party and amicus briefs. ... Listen to the Audio Here ... OpenCape Institutional User Sees Internet Speed Double Thu, March 24, 2016 | Posted by Scott A major institutional customer on the OpenCape fiber optic network in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts is now enjoying Internet access at double the speed. CapeCod.com reports that local CapeNet , the supplier of service over the OpenCape network, has doubled the Internet speed for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) from 1 Gigabits per second (Gbps ) to 2 Gbps. By switching to CapeNet as its primary provider, WHOI now also has the ability to expand up to 10 Gbps. Previously, CapeNet provided 100 megabits to WHOI as a secondary provider, but the research and educational organization was interested in dramatically increasing its Internet capacity. In order to increase capacity, WHOI needed to make the switch to CapeNet. ... Read our Full Coverage of the http://muninetworks.org/content/opencape-institutional-user-sees-internet-speed-double Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 28 Sat, March 26, 2016 | Posted by Nick *Colorado* Without SB 152 on the books, Colorado municipalities would not have to spend taxpayer dollars to reclaim local authority to build broadband networks. Mancos seeks more Internet options by Jacob Klopfenstein, Pine River Times SB 152 requires local government to seek voter approval before providing telecommunications services. It also prevents municipalities from entering into private-public partnerships or expanding networks to provide those services. The Mancos Board of Trustees passed a resolution March 9 urging citizens to vote in favor of authorizing the town to opt out. *Maine* Small Maine town hopes boosted broadband will stimulate economic development by Nick Sambides Jr., GovTech ... Read the Full Community Network Media Roundup ... -- 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 Mar 31 15:06:09 2016 From: rob at omsoft.com (Robert Nickerson) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2016 15:06:09 -0700 Subject: [Davisgig] Finalizing Documents Message-ID: <56FD9F51.6030604@omsoft.com> Hi All 1) Here is a just about finalized fundraiser letter, thanks for the feedback from those who provided it. If there are any last minute comments or reality checks, please let me know. I intend to send it out on Friday, and really make a sustained effort to fundraise throughout April and May . https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vjmyKRbGENvqgJnUfRwtsrNNbz6mZAM_8_HxCJoqiAI/edit?usp=sharing It would make a very powerful statement to the Council if we raise this money from the community. If there is anyone on this list that would be able to provide MATCHING FUNDS for this effort PLEASE email me the amount you would be able to provide as a match. This will be used on the Big Day of Giving to help motivate residents to give generously to have a better broadband future. 2) Here is just about a finalized RFP, I've incorporated everyone's great comments, thanks! I plan to turn this into a pdf on Friday and shop it around next week at the Broadband Communities conference. Again any last minute updates please get them in by Friday, or email me if you think we need more time. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CXe3RYBXrm4QcZOYn6fcDEgfdJDitIxw34URtLXpa7g/edit?usp=sharing Thanks RAN