[Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 9/27

[Christopher Mitchell]

*Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for
Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom.  Send
feedback.  Forward Widely.*



Broadband Communities Regional Conference Fast Approaching: Oct. 18 - 20
<https://muninetworks.org/content/broadband-communities-regional-conference-fast-approaching-oct-18-20>
Tue, September 20, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/broadband-communities-regional-conference-fast-approaching-oct-18-20>

As you say good-bye to September, consider making your way to Minneapolis,
Minnesota, to attend the 2016 Broadband Communities Mag Annual Conference
<https://muninetworks.org/content/broadband-communities-regional-conference-fall-minneapolis>at
the downtown Radisson Blu. The event is scheduled for October 18 - 20 and
you can still register online
<https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1838385>.

The Economic Development Conference Series brings *Fiber For The New
Economy*to the "City of Lakes" as part of its Community Toolkit Program.
The conference is full of information you can use if your community is
looking for ways to improve local connectivity through fiber. There will be
presentations on economic development, financing, and smart policies that
help lay the groundwork for future fiber investment. There are also some
special sessions that deal specifically with rural issues and a number of
other specialized presentations and panel discussions.

... I'll Be (T)Here - Yeah Minnesota! More Details ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/broadband-communities-regional-conference-fast-approaching-oct-18-20>

Local Authority "A-Number One" Priority For Congress, Says Wheeler
<https://muninetworks.org/content/local-authority-number-one-priority-congress-says-wheeler>
Wed, September 21, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/local-authority-number-one-priority-congress-says-wheeler>

*“A-number one importance.”*

On September 15th, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee gathered to discuss FCC oversight and telecommunications issues.
Among those issues, the Committee discussed municipal networks.

Senator Cory Booker (D - NJ) asked FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to provide his
thoughts on how important it is that Congress takes action. The matter he
put before Wheeler was the prospect that Congress act to allow local
communities to have local authority on issues relating to Internet
infrastructure and advanced telecommunications capabilities. How important
is it?

Wheeler’s answer: “A-number one importance.”

... More Background and the Video of this Interaction Here ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/local-authority-number-one-priority-congress-says-wheeler>

"We Just Can't Go Back In Time": Pinetops Calls For Repeal Of State Law
<https://muninetworks.org/content/we-just-cant-go-back-time-pinetops-calls-repeal-state-law>
Fri, September 23, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/we-just-cant-go-back-time-pinetops-calls-repeal-state-law>

*In a September 22nd press release, the community of Pinetops, North
Carolina, called out their Governor as they lose access to high-quality
Internet access. Read the full statement here:*

A state law is forcing the termination of Gigabit Internet service to the
small rural town of Pinetops, NC. Last week, members of the Wilson, NC City
Council expressed their deep regrets as they voted to approve the city
attorney’s recommendation to disconnect Wilson Greenlight services in
Pinetops under the North Carolina law commonly known as H129 (S.L. 2011-84).

Wilson was able to bring fiber-to-the-home Gigabit service to our town in
April 2016, after the FCC preempted H129 on the grounds that it is
anti-competitive and creates barriers to the deployment of advanced
telecommunications capacity. Under Governor Pat McCrory, North Carolina
challenged that ruling in May, 2015 in the United States Court of Appeals
for the Sixth Circuit and won a reversal
<http://www.localnetchoice.org/connections/clic-statement-on-the-sixth-circuit-decision-to-reverse-the-fccs-order-that-removed-state-broadband-barriers/>
last
August.

... It Will be a Tragedy for the North Carolina Legislature to Force Wilson
to Disconnect Pinetops ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/we-just-cant-go-back-time-pinetops-calls-repeal-state-law>

Medina County Aims to Be Mecca of Fiber - Community Broadband Bits Podcast
220
<https://muninetworks.org/content/medina-county-aims-be-mecca-fiber-community-broadband-bits-podcast-220>
Tue, September 20, 2016 | Posted by christopher
<https://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/medina-county-aims-be-mecca-fiber-community-broadband-bits-podcast-220>

Medina County has built a fiber network to connect its core facilities and
leases its fiber to multiple ISPs to improve connectivity in its
communities. David Corrado, CEO of the Medina County Fiber Network
<http://www.medinacountyfibernetwork.com/>, joins us to discuss their
approach on Community Broadband Bits episode 220.

We discuss how the Port Authority became the lead agency in building the
network and the challenges of educating potential subscribers on the
benefits of using a full fiber network rather than the slower, less
reliable connections they were used to.

Medina's approach allows carriers to buy lit services or dark fiber from
the county network. And as we have seen elsewhere, the biggest challenge
can be getting the first and second carriers on the network. After that, it
can really pick up steam as other carriers realize they are missing out if
not using it.

... Listen to the Show Here
<https://muninetworks.org/content/medina-county-aims-be-mecca-fiber-community-broadband-bits-podcast-220>
... Read the Transcript Here
<https://muninetworks.org/content/transcript-community-broadband-bits-episode-220>
...

Ammon Model In Louisiana? Ask The Voters!
<https://muninetworks.org/content/ammon-model-louisiana-ask-voters>
Tue, September 20, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/ammon-model-louisiana-ask-voters>

Voters in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana <http://www.wfparish.org/>, will
get the chance in December to decide if they wish to invest in a fiber-optic
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term10> network, reports the Advocate
<http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/st_francisville/article_5ecf0dba-7692-11e6-bc93-d31e3ea00de9.html>
.

*Louisiana Looks At Idaho*

This past summer
<http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/st_francisville/article_40984e8c-4d17-11e6-82c3-dbac390704a2.html>,
Parish President Kevin Couhig presented the plan to create a new parish
fiber optic utility. His plan includes an open access network
<https://muninetworks.org/content/open-access> to draw competition that
will be based on the Software-Defined Network (SDN) of the Ammon model:

Couhig’s plan would get away from single Internet service providers, which
control speed, innovation,bandwidth
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term2>, data limits and price.
Instead, the ISPs would compete through the parishwide network. Each
consumer could control what they would have available through the open
access such as internet, phone, video and interactive gaming.

... Read More Here and Watch our Video Explaining the Ammon Model ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/ammon-model-louisiana-ask-voters>

Designing A Faster Anacortes Starts With NoaNet
<https://muninetworks.org/content/designing-faster-anacortes-starts-noanet>
Fri, September 23, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/designing-faster-anacortes-starts-noanet>

Anacortes, Washington <http://www.cityofanacortes.org/>, is officially on
the road to better connectivity via publicly owned infrastructure.
Community leaders voted on September 19th
<http://www.goskagit.com/news/local_news/anacortes-to-start-designing-fiber-optic-network/article_72e1bcaa-1a19-5336-80cc-93c1f8035587.html>
to
collaborate with the statewide middle mile
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term456> network, Northwest Open
Access Network (NoaNet), to get the project started.

*One Piece At A Time*

Public Works will be the first to use the fiber backbone to monitor and
control its facilities; the community’s current radio-based system is prone
to frequent failure. Water and sewer utility funds will pay for the design
and construction of this section of the network. Officials estimate the
fiber backbone will cost around $3 million.

... NoaNet Remains an Important Asset in Expanding Fiber in Washington, Go
Anacortes! ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/designing-faster-anacortes-starts-noanet>

Coverage Of Pinetops: Hear Us On PRX
<https://muninetworks.org/content/coverage-pinetops-hear-us-prx>
Wed, September 21, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/coverage-pinetops-hear-us-prx>

As part of our coverage on the events in Pinetops, North Carolina, we
recently published "*Rural Pinetops Disconnected from Internet Thanks to
Telecom Monopolies*" on PRX. The audio story runs for 3:28.

Readers are familiar with the small rural community that could only get
high-quality Internet access from Greenlight, a nearby municipal electric
utility. Wilson, the home of Greenlight, was forced to cut off service
<https://muninetworks.org/content/wilson-forced-turn-service-pinetops> to
Pinetops due to restrictive state laws. We talk a local business owner and
community leader, to Suzanne Coker Craig, about the situation.

... Get more details at PRX ... <https://beta.prx.org/stories/187465>

"Go West, Young ISP!" Ting Moving Into Centennial, Colorado
<https://muninetworks.org/content/go-west-young-isp-ting-moving-centennial-colorado>
Wed, September 21, 2016 | Posted by lgonzalez
<https://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/go-west-young-isp-ting-moving-centennial-colorado>

What do Maryland’s Westminster
<https://muninetworks.org/content/westminster-homes-now-receiving-gig-internet-access-ting>
; Sandpoint
<https://muninetworks.org/content/tings-next-stop-greater-sandpoint-idaho> in
Idaho; Holly Springs
<https://muninetworks.org/content/ting-holly-springs-nc-get-gig>, North
Carolina; Charlottesville
<https://muninetworks.org/content/ting-offer-fiber-internet-service-charlottesville>,
Virginia; and now Centennial, Colorado, all have in common? Ting's "crazy
fast fiber" Internet access.

In a press release, the Toronto Internet Service Provider (ISP) announced
that as of today, it is taking pre-orders
<https://ting.com/internet/town/centennial> to assess demand in Centennial.
The results will determine if the company will take the next step and offer
Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13>)
Internet access to Centennial’s 107,000 residents and its local businesses.
Ting estimates residential symmetrical
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term24> Gigabit Internet access (1,000
Megabits per second download <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term8>
 and upload <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term28>) will cost
approximately $89 per month; business subscriptions will cost about $139
per month. According to the Ting blog, they are also planning to offer a
low-cost option of 5 Megabits per second (Mbps
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term18>) symmetrical Internet access
for $19.99 per month.

... Ting Continues Tradition of Leasing Muni Fiber to Rapidly Expand Its
Investments ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/go-west-young-isp-ting-moving-centennial-colorado>

Iowa Knows Co-op Connectivity
<https://muninetworks.org/content/iowa-knows-co-op-connectivity>
Thu, September 22, 2016 | Posted by hannah
<https://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/iowa-knows-co-op-connectivity>

Once again we return to Iowa to learn about community networks and
high-speed connectivity. Home to municipal networks such as in Cedar Falls,
Lenox, and Harlan, Iowa also grows publicly owned networks of a different
kind - cooperatives’ networks. The Winnebago Cooperative Telecom
Association (WCTA) <http://www.wctatel.net/>provides next-generation
connectivity to rural areas, and is now upgrading infrastructure in its
service area. WCTA uses Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13>) technology to provide
Internet access of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term18>).

*Small Towns and Cities To Get An Upgrade*

WCTA is now installing fiber in Forest City
<http://www.cityofforestcity.com/>, home to about 4,000 people and the
county seat of Winnebago County.

... More Information About a Community Getting Co-op Fiber ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/iowa-knows-co-op-connectivity>

Connectivity's Community Impact: Looking At The Numbers
<https://muninetworks.org/content/connectivitys-community-impact-looking-numbers>
Sat, September 24, 2016 | Posted by hannah
<https://muninetworks.org/users/hannah>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/connectivitys-community-impact-looking-numbers>

People rave about next-generation connectivity’s possibilities in rural
economies, but what does that mean for locals? A recent survey quantified
the actual impact of a reliable high-speed Internet connection in an
underserved area.

Central Minnesota telephone cooperative, Consolidated Telephone Company
(CTC), released the results of an impact survey
<https://blandinonbroadband.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/ctc-broadband-impact-study-final-report.pdf>
on
their newest fiber Internet service customers. CTC had extended their
Fiber-to-the-Home
(FTTH) network to an underserved area south of Brainerd
<http://www.connectctc.com/broadband-grant/>, with funding from a 2015
state broadband grant.

... Read the Full Post Here and Watch Accompanying Video ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/connectivitys-community-impact-looking-numbers>

AT&T Gets Snagged In Giant Loophole Attempting To Avoid Merger
Responsibility
<https://muninetworks.org/content/att-gets-snagged-giant-loophole-attempting-avoid-merger-responsibility>
Mon, September 19, 2016 | Posted by KateSvitavsky
<https://muninetworks.org/users/katesvitavsky>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/att-gets-snagged-giant-loophole-attempting-avoid-merger-responsibility>

They're at it again. Recently, they have been called out for taking
advantage of E-rate
<https://muninetworks.org/content/feds-are-fed-atts-lame-excuse-abusing-e-rate>;
now
they are taking advantage of their own lack of infrastructure investment to
worm their way out of obligations to serve low-income residents.
Fortunately, a nonprofit group caught up with AT&T's shenanigans and held
their feet to the fire.

*"Nah, We Don't Have To Do That..."*

As part of FCC-mandated conditions
<https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-15-94A1.pdf> under which
AT&T was allowed to acquire DirecTV in 2015, the telecommunications
conglomerate created the "Access from AT&T" program, offering discount
Internet access to low-income households. The program consists of tiered
services - download <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term8> speeds of
10 Megabits per second (Mbps <https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term18>)
for $10 per month, 5 Mbps for $10 per month, and 3 Mbps for $5 per month.

... More Details on Just One of the MANY Ways AT&T Harms Communities ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/att-gets-snagged-giant-loophole-attempting-avoid-merger-responsibility>

Community Broadband Media Roundup - September 26
<https://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-september-26>
Mon, September 26, 2016 | Posted by Nick
<https://muninetworks.org/users/nick>
<https://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-september-26>

*Colorado*

Centennial's gigabit Internet service now taking pre-orders
<http://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/22/centennials-gigabit-internet-service-pre-orders/>
by
Tamara Chuang, Denver Post

Centennial was one of the first communities in the state to opt out of a
2005 state law known as SB152, which restricts municipalities from using
taxpayer money to build broadband networks. By the time Centennial voted in
2013, the city of Longmont was alreadygetting its gigabit Internet service
up and running. In Colorado, 71 cities and counties passed
<https://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term20> a measure freeing them to look
into municipal broadband. Another 14 will try on the Nov. 8 ballot,
according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

*Iowa*

Community gets broadband update
<http://www.nhtrib.com/news/community-gets-broadband-update> by Brittany
Bierle, New Hampton Tribune

... Read the Full Community Network Media Roundup Here ...
<https://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-september-26>

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