[Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of - "You Voted, Didn't You?"

Christopher Mitchell christopher at newrules.org
Tue Nov 8 08:39:12 PST 2016


*Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for
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*Seriously, vote.*


Pinetops Threatened by Hurricane and NC Legislature - Community Broadband
Bits Podcast 226
<https://muninetworks.org/content/pinetops-threatened-hurricane-and-nc-legislature-community-broadband-bits-podcast-226>
Tue, November 01, 2016 | Posted by christopher
<https://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/pinetops-threatened-hurricane-and-nc-legislature-community-broadband-bits-podcast-226>

Pinetops, a town of about 1,300 outside Wilson, North Carolina, is
suffering a double calamity as Hurricane Matthew has left floods and
incredible damage in its wake. Less natural but no less frustrating is the
unforced error by the North Carolina Legislature in effectively prohibiting
municipal broadband networks.

This week, we have a doubleheader interview with Will Aycock, the General
Manager of Wilson's fiber-optic
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term10> Greenlight
service, and Suzanne Coker Craig, a local business owner and town council
member. They talk discuss the devastation from the hurricane and the threat
from the town's only broadband provider being forced to leave town by an
ill-conceived state statute.

We often talk about how important modern Internet networks are, but the
Pinetops reaction to this storm is a stirring reminder of how true that is.
Whether it was as the hurricane approached, hit, or left town, local
leadership had to continue fighting to retain Wilson's Internet service
because it is that important to them.

Fortunately, Wilson has announced that it will not cut off Pinetops as
expected. Instead, it will offer free service, which is not prohibited by
current law. Wilson is generously giving the state six months to fix the
law so Pinetops is not economically harmed by losing high quality Internet
access.

... Listen to the Show Here
<https://muninetworks.org/content/pinetops-threatened-hurricane-and-nc-legislature-community-broadband-bits-podcast-226>
... Read the transcript of the show here
<https://muninetworks.org/content/transcript-community-broadband-bits-episode-226>
 ...

San Francisco Proposal Aims at Giving Multi-Tenants Access Choice of ISPs
<https://muninetworks.org/content/san-francisco-proposal-aims-giving-multi-tenants-access-choice-isps>
Wed, November 02, 2016 | Posted by Scott
<https://muninetworks.org/users/scott>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/san-francisco-proposal-aims-giving-multi-tenants-access-choice-isps>

If San Francisco Board of Supervisor Mark Farrell
<http://sfbos.org/supervisor-farrell-district-2> gets his way, tenants in
multiple-occupancy buildings will have a greater opportunity to choose
their Internet Service Providers.

In October, Farrell introduced a proposed ordinance that would require
owners of multi-tenant residential and commercial properties to give
building access to all state-licensed ISPs.

*Choice Effectively Denied *

Farrell’s proposal comes amidst reports of tenants denied access to ISPs of
their choice.

... Read More and Consider This Approach For Your Community ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/san-francisco-proposal-aims-giving-multi-tenants-access-choice-isps>

Paul Bunyan Communications Keeps Expanding Gigabit Territory
<https://muninetworks.org/content/paul-bunyan-communications-keeps-expanding-gigabit-territory>
Mon, October 31, 2016 | Posted by Scott
<https://muninetworks.org/users/scott>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/paul-bunyan-communications-keeps-expanding-gigabit-territory>

Paul Bunyan Communications  <http://www.paulbunyan.net/index.html>in
Minnesota reports it has expanded its “GigaZone” Internet service territory
to Turtle River, Puposky, and Tenstrike and to additional areas of Bemidji.

More than 2,800 additional locations now have access to, among other
services, Internet speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term14>) following the recent upgrades
to its fiber-optic <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term10> communications
network, the Bemidji-based co-op notes.
<http://www.paulbunyan.net/cooperative/news/index.html#GigaZone>

"Over the next several months we'll be activating the GigaZone in many more
areas,” Gary Johnson, CEO of Paul Bunyan Communications, said in a company
statement. "We will continue to do as much as we can to bring the GigaZone
to all our members and the communities we serve as fast as we can."

... More on this Rural Minnesota Co-op Here ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/paul-bunyan-communications-keeps-expanding-gigabit-territory>

FCC's New Privacy Rules Irk Big ISPs, Munis Mellow
<https://muninetworks.org/content/fccs-new-privacy-rules-irk-big-isps-munis-mellow>
Fri, November 04, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/fccs-new-privacy-rules-irk-big-isps-munis-mellow>

Consumers should be able to expect a certain amount of privacy and recent
rules adopted by the FCC are a step in the right direction. That step has
also revealed some key differences between profit-driven national Internet
service providers, smaller ISPs, and municipal networks. The different
attitudes correspond with the different cultures, proving once again that
small ISPs and munis have more than just profit in mind.

On October 27th, the FCC adopted an Order
<https://prodnet.www.neca.org/publicationsdocs/wwpdf/fcc16148.pdf?mc_cid=9cbb5a7474&mc_eid=e00c29a42c>
to
allow ISP customers to determine how their data will be collected and used.
According to the FCC, they made the decision in response to public comments
about the concern for personal data protection.

... Read Our Full Story and Reactions from Small Providers Here ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/fccs-new-privacy-rules-irk-big-isps-munis-mellow>

El Paso County, CO, Commissioner Urges "Yes" On Local Authority
<https://muninetworks.org/content/el-paso-county-co-commissioner-urges-yes-local-authority>
Thu, November 03, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/el-paso-county-co-commissioner-urges-yes-local-authority>

This has been a “loud” general election. The candidates, the campaign ads,
and the supporters have all blasted their messages to voters in every
state, drowning out some initiatives that are equally important. In
Colorado, 26 local governments are asking voters to decide whether or not
to opt out of SB 152 <https://muninetworks.org/tags/tags/sb-152>, the
state’s restrictive law passed in 2005 that looted local telecommunications
authority.

In addition to seven counties, 19 municipalities have the issue on the
ballot. Most of them use similar language from years past, when dozens of
Colorado local governments presented the same question to voters.

*El Paso County*

There are about 664,000 people in the county, with approximately 456,000
living in the county seat of Colorado Springs. Rural residents and
businesses typically struggle to obtain Internet access.

... More Information on This Colorado Community Considering Local Internet
Choice ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/el-paso-county-co-commissioner-urges-yes-local-authority>

Aspen Public Radio Digs Into Local SB 152 Ballot Measures
<https://muninetworks.org/content/aspen-public-radio-digs-local-sb-152-ballot-measures>
Mon, November 07, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/aspen-public-radio-digs-local-sb-152-ballot-measures>

On November 4th, Aspen public radio news featured a story
<http://aspenpublicradio.org/post/what-do-about-sb-152#stream/0> about
local ballot initiatives to opt out of state law SB 152 in Aspen,
Carbondale, and Garfield County. The western communities are three of 26
that have the measure on their ballots this election. El Paso County
<https://muninetworks.org/content/el-paso-county-co-commissioner-urges-yes-local-authority>
, Montezuma County
<https://muninetworks.org/content/co-editors-want-yes-its-only-logical>,
and the small town of Dolores are only a few others.

*Justification*

Reporter Wyatt Orme spoke with Jim English, head of IT at Colorado Mountain
College (CMC) who described how, because of lack of redundancy, a single
fiber-optic <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term10> cut a year ago
left the community isolated. "It took down all services between South
Glenwood to Aspen, including 911 in Aspen. [It] got people’s attention," he
said.

... Read More Here ... Stayed Tuned This Week for 26 Vote Results ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/aspen-public-radio-digs-local-sb-152-ballot-measures>

Rural Electric Co-ops Power Up a Gig in Pacific Northwest
<https://muninetworks.org/content/rural-electric-co-ops-power-gig-pacific-northwest>
Tue, November 01, 2016 | Posted by hannah
<https://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/rural-electric-co-ops-power-gig-pacific-northwest>

Rural electric cooperatives are providing next-generation connectivity
<https://muninetworks.org/content/midwest-energy-cooperative-connects-rural-michigan-community-broadband-bits-podcast-225>.
In Oregon a consortium of electric cooperatives called LS Networks
built a middle
mile <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term456>network a few years ago
and now are taking the next step with last mile
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term17>connectivity.

LS Networks’ Connected Communities program hopes to bring last mile fiber
connectivity to 25 communities
<http://cascadebusnews.com/central-oregon-grows-powered-local-broadband-networks/>
in
rural Oregon and Washington. Internet access will officially be available
in early 2017 in some communities. Depending on the needs of each
community, the solution could be Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13>), or fixed wireless using the
fiber-optic <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term10> network for
backhaul <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term812>.

... Read More on How Co-ops Are Improving Internet Access in Oregon Here ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/rural-electric-co-ops-power-gig-pacific-northwest>

Jamming At DAPL Protest? Ask The FCC To Investigate
<https://muninetworks.org/content/jamming-dapl-protest-ask-fcc-investigate>
Fri, November 04, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/jamming-dapl-protest-ask-fcc-investigate>

According to a 2014 Enforcement Advisory
<https://www.fcc.gov/document/warning-jammer-use-public-and-local-law-enforcement-illegal>,
cell phone and Wi-Fi <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term29> jamming
by state and local law enforcement is illegal by federal law. And yet,
persistent allegations of jamming are coming from Water Protectors at the
Standing Rock protests in North Dakota. Any jamming by law enforcement to
monitor protestor cell phone communications is a serious breach of their
Fourth Amendment rights as it amounts to unreasonable search and seizure.
First Amendment rights of freedom of speech are also compromised when the
method of transmitting reports is purposely blocked.

In order to pressure the FCC to determine whether jamming is happening in
North Dakota, MoveOn.org has posted an online petition.

... Jamming is a Big Deal and Has Been Increasingly Common. More Here ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/jamming-dapl-protest-ask-fcc-investigate>

Research on Rural Connectivity Power from Electric Co-ops at BBC Mag
Conference
<https://muninetworks.org/content/research-rural-connectivity-power-electric-co-ops-bbc-mag-conference>
Sat, November 05, 2016 | Posted by hannah
<https://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/research-rural-connectivity-power-electric-co-ops-bbc-mag-conference>

In October in Minneapolis, Broadband Communities Magazine hosted the “Fiber
for the New Economy” conference
<https://muninetworks.org/content/broadband-communities-regional-conference-fall-minneapolis>.
The first day featured a set of four panels on the role of rural electric
cooperatives in providing much-needed connectivity to far-flung communities.

We want to provide the highlights and give further context to some of the
most fascinating stories. In this post, we’ll cover some of the latest
research coming out of Ball State University’s Center for Information and
Communication Sciences.
<http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/cics>

... Read More on Hannah's Story Here ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/research-rural-connectivity-power-electric-co-ops-bbc-mag-conference>

Community Broadband Media Roundup - November 7
<https://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-7>
Mon, November 07, 2016 | Posted by Nick
<https://muninetworks.org/users/nick>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-7>

*Colorado*

26 Colorado communities will vote on building their own Internet networks
<http://motherboard.vice.com/read/26-colorado-communities-will-vote-on-building-their-own-internet-networks>
by
Jason Koebler, Motherboard Vice

Next Tuesday, November 8, 26 separate Colorado communities will vote on
whether their local governments should build high speed fiber internet
networks to compete with or replace big telecom internet service providers.

So-called municipal fiber ballot initiatives have become an annual
tradition in Colorado, as roughly 100 communities have voted on measures
that provide legal cover to governments who want to build new networks.

Broadband: A necessity for building our economy
<http://www.montrosepress.com/opinion/broadband-a-necessity-for-building-our-economy/article_fbee82fa-9e61-11e6-b7b2-13f465198da3.html>
by
David White, Montrose Daily Press (subscription required to view the entire
article)

... Read the Full Community Networks Media Roundup Here ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-november-7>

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