<div dir="ltr"><div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><div style="font-size:13px"><i>Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom.  Send feedback.  Forward Widely.</i><br></div><div><i><br></i></div><div><i>Got Social Media?  Please use it to support local choice - <a href="https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/21222-local-internet-choice?locale=en">here is how</a>!</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div><i>We'll be talking about Community Networks and Local Choice in Austin in April!  <a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/clic-presents-special-pre-conference-event-2015-broadband-summit-austin">We got a deal for you to attend</a>! </i></div><div><i><br></i></div></div></div><div><br></div><div><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/ting-delivering-ftth-great-news-community-fiber-community-broadband-bits-episode-134" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Ting Delivering FTTH Is Great News for Community Fiber - Community Broadband Bits Episode 134</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-size:14px;font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Tue, January 20, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">christopher</a></span></div><div class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/ting-delivering-ftth-great-news-community-fiber-community-broadband-bits-episode-134" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-community-bb-bits_0.png" alt="" title="" width="125" height="125" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">In recent weeks, we have been excited to see announcements from <a href="http://ting.com/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Ting</a>, a company long known for being a great wireless provider (both Lisa and I are customers), that is now getting into <a class="" href="http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13" style="text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:rgb(0,136,0);color:rgb(121,80,37)"><cite title="Fiber-to-the-home.  As most telecommunications networks use fiber in some part of it, FTTH is used to specify those that use fiber to connect the subscriber.  Some claim they have a fiber-optic network because they use fiber to the node even when they use phone lines or a cable network over the last mile.  FTTH may be more expensive to install currently, but offers significant savings in terms of maintenance when compared to copper alternatives.">FTTH</cite></a> deployments. The first <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/ting-offer-fiber-internet-service-charlottesville" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">announcement was from Charlottesville</a> where it acquired another company. Last week they<a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/gigabit-muni-fiber-partnership-westminster-and-ting" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">announced a partnership with Westminster, Maryland</a>.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">This week we interview Elliot Noss, CEO of <a href="http://www.tucows.com/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Tucows</a>, which is the parent of Ting. Elliot has long been active in preserving and expanding the open Internet.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">We discuss many issues from Ting's success in wireless to cities dealing with permitting and access in rights-of-way to Ting's willingness and enthusiasm to operate on municipal fiber <a class="" href="http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term625" style="text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:rgb(0,136,0);color:rgb(121,80,37)"><cite title="An arrangement in which the network is open to independent service providers to offer services.  In many cases, the network owner only sells wholesale access to the service providers who offer all retail services (ie: triple play of internet, phone, tv).  Open access provides much more competition from which potential subscribers can choose.">open access</cite></a>networks. We finish with some musings on upcoming over the top video technologies like SlingTV from Dish.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/ting-delivering-ftth-great-news-community-fiber-community-broadband-bits-episode-134">... Listen to the Show or Read the Transcript Here ...</a></p></div></div><div><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/most-municipal-networks-built-conservative-cities" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Most Municipal Networks Built in Conservative Cities</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-size:14px;font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Tue, January 20, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">christopher</a></span></div><div class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><p style="margin:1em 0px">We've been curious about voting patterns from communities that have built their own networks so we took our <a href="http://muninetworks.org/communitymap" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">community broadband networks map</a> and analyzed some election data. A substantial majority of communities that have built their own networks vote Republican.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">We decided to stick with the citywide networks, where a community has taken the greatest risk in building a citywide <a class="" href="http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13" style="text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:rgb(0,136,0);color:rgb(121,80,37)"><cite title="Fiber-to-the-home.  As most telecommunications networks use fiber in some part of it, FTTH is used to specify those that use fiber to connect the subscriber.  Some claim they have a fiber-optic network because they use fiber to the node even when they use phone lines or a cable network over the last mile.  FTTH may be more expensive to install currently, but offers significant savings in terms of maintenance when compared to copper alternatives.">FTTH</cite></a> or cable network. This gave us more than 100 communities to analyze. We looked at the Presidential elections from 2008 and 2012 as well as the House election from 2012. This was to guard against any anomalies from a single election or type of election.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/muni-nets-red-blue.png" width="625" height="332" alt="Municipal network voting patterns" style="border: 0px;"></p><p style="margin:1em 0px">Some 3 out of 4 communities have voted Republican in recent elections, a trend that has become more pronounced across these elections. And as elections in non-presidential years tend to skew more conservative, we would expect the results to show an even greater trend toward voting for Republicans.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/most-municipal-networks-built-conservative-cities">... More Details here ...</a></p></div></div><div><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/maine-legislature-all-about-broadband-2015" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Maine Legislature All About That Broadband in 2015</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-size:14px;font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Thu, January 22, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">lgonzalez</a></span></div><div class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/maine-legislature-all-about-broadband-2015" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/seal-maine_0.jpg" alt="" title="" width="98" height="125" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">Maine continues to be a hot spot in the drive to improve connectivity as the 2015 state legislative session opens. <a href="https://bangordailynews.com/2015/01/15/business/maine-officials-search-for-ways-to-slingshot-state-from-back-of-pack-on-internet-speed/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">According to the Bangor Daily News</a>, 35 bills have been introduced that deal with broadband issues.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The story also notes that several lawmakers have introduced bills that propose funding from the state. <a href="http://mehousegop.org/reps-l-p/norm-higgins/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">House Republican Norman Higgins</a> advocates broadband infrastructure in rural areas of the state:</p><blockquote style="margin:1em 2em;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:0.9em;line-height:1.5em;font-style:italic"><p style="margin:1em 0px">“I think most people understand that in this day and age for us to be competitive, that’s one of the necessary tools,” Higgins said, noting he’s found bipartisan support on the issue. “The question, I think becomes: How do we do it? And who does it?”</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">He proposes allocating millions of dollars to expand the availability of <a href="http://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/bills_127th/billtexts/HP006201.asp" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">grants to municipalities</a> that want to build and own high-speed <a class="" href="http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term10" style="text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:rgb(0,136,0);color:rgb(121,80,37)"><cite title="A system that uses glass (or plastic) to carry light which is used to transmit information.  Typically, each side of the fiber is attached to a laser that send the light signals.  When the connection reaches capacity, the lasers may be upgraded to send much more information along the same strand of fiber.  This technology has been used for decades and will remain the dominant method of transmitting information for the foreseeable future.">fiber-optic</cite></a> networks that would be open to companies that want to serve businesses and homes, similar to the model pursued by Rockport, South Portland, Orono and Old Town.</p></blockquote><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/maine-legislature-all-about-broadband-2015">... We are Excited to see What Happens in Maine! ...</a></p></div></div><div><br></div><div><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/new-article-economic-development-and-fiber-killer-app-local-fiber-networks" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">New Article on Economic Development and Fiber: "The Killer App for Local Fiber Networks"</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-size:14px;font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Mon, January 19, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">lgonzalez</a></span></div><div class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/new-article-economic-development-and-fiber-killer-app-local-fiber-networks" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/bbp-mag-cover-jan-2015.jpg" alt="" title="" width="92" height="125" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">Time and again, we share <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/tags-17" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">economic development stories</a> from communities that have invested in fiber networks. <a href="http://www.bbpmag.com/MuniPortal/EditorsChoice/1114editorschoice.php" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">A new article</a> by Jim Baller, Joanne Hovis, and Ashley Stelfox from the <a href="http://www.localnetchoice.org/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Coalition for Local Internet Choice</a> (CLIC) and Masha Zager from<a href="http://www.bbpmag.com/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Broadband Communities </a>magazine examines the meaning of economic development and the connection to fiber infrastructure.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">Economists, advocates, and policymakers grapple with how to scientifically measure the link between the two but:</p><blockquote style="margin:1em 2em;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:0.9em;line-height:1.5em;font-style:italic"><p style="margin:1em 0px">As Graham Richard, former mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind., observed, “From the point of view of retaining and gaining jobs, I can give you example after example [of the impact of broadband]. … What I don’t have is a long term, double-blind study that says it was just broadband.” But, “as a leader, sometimes you go with your gut.”</p></blockquote><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/new-article-economic-development-and-fiber-killer-app-local-fiber-networks">... Read Our Writeup Here ...</a></p><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/bill-establish-broadband-grant-program-montana-state-legislature" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Bill to Establish Broadband Grant Program in Montana State Legislature</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Thu, January 22, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">lgonzalez</a></span></div><div class="" style="line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/bill-establish-broadband-grant-program-montana-state-legislature" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/seal-montana_0.jpg" alt="" title="" width="125" height="125" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">In <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/missoula-releases-results-broadband-feasibility-study" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Missoula</a> and <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/bozeman-kicks-broadband-planning-effort" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Bozeman</a>, momentum is building for improved connectivity by way of community network infrastructure. As usual, funding a municipal network is always one of the main challenges, but the state appears uninterested in helping them. <a href="http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/64th/leg_info.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=109&LAWSID=15250" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">State Representative Kelly McCarthy</a> recently dropped <a href="http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2015/BillPdf/HB0014.pdf" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">HB 14</a> into the hopper, a bill to create a broadband development fund primarily for private companies.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The bill authorizes $15 million in <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/generalobligationbond.asp" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">general obligation bonds</a> for broadband infrastructure projects for middle-mile and last-mile connectivity in rural areas. Unfortunately, projects built and maintained by private entities have priority per the language of section 3(2)(b).</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/bill-establish-broadband-grant-program-montana-state-legislature">... A Few More Details Here ...</a></p><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/los-angeles-times-supports-local-authority" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Los Angeles Times Supports Local Authority</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Fri, January 23, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">lgonzalez</a></span></div><div class="" style="line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/los-angeles-times-supports-local-authority" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-la-times_0.jpeg" alt="" title="" width="125" height="125" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">President Obama's <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/national-press-follows-president-obama-cedar-falls-iowa" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">recent appearance in Cedar Falls</a> infused adrenaline into the debate about local authority for telecommunications decisions. As a result, some of the media outlets from large cities are now coming out in support of local authority. The Editorial Board of the LA Times <a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-broadband-obama-20150122-story.html" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">published an opinion</a> on January 21st <strong>supporting the notion of restoring local authority</strong> in states where laws prevent community decision making.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The Times recognizes that rural areas will benefit most from reversing these restrictions, that the restrictions need to be removed for us to compete globally, and that there are numerous municipal networks that are up to the challenge of improving connectivity. The LA Times also recognizes the value of <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/new-york-medias-metrofocus-talks-chris-about-city-wi-fi" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">public-private partnerships in New York</a> and in other places where local government has forged productive relationships with the private sector.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">... Contact Your Local Editorial Board! ...</p></div><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/us-senator-cory-booker-introduces-community-broadband-act" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">U.S. Senator Cory Booker Introduces Community Broadband Act</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Thu, January 22, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">christopher</a></span></div><div class="" style="line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/us-senator-cory-booker-introduces-community-broadband-act" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/sen-cory-booker.jpg" alt="" title="" width="125" height="59" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">Senator Booker has taken the lead in introducing the Community Broadband Act to the U.S. Senate along with Senators McCaskill and Markey. We are thankful for their leadership on the issue. As part of their <a href="http://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=190" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">announcement</a>, they included the following statements:</p><blockquote style="margin:1em 2em;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:0.9em;line-height:1.5em;font-style:italic"><p style="margin:1em 0px">“As Mayor of Newark, I saw firsthand the value of empowering local communities to invest and innovate. The Community Broadband Act provides cities the flexibility they need to meet the needs of their residents,” Sen. Booker said. “This legislation will enhance economic development, improve access to education and health care services, and provide increased opportunity to individuals in underserved areas. At a time when local governments are looking for ways to ensure their communities are connected and have access to advanced and reliable networks, the Community Broadband Act empowers local governments to respond to this ever-increasing demand.”</p></blockquote><span style="line-height:18.003999710083px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/us-senator-cory-booker-introduces-community-broadband-act">... Read More on This News Here ...</a></span><br></div><div class="" style="line-height:18.003999710083px"><span style="line-height:18.003999710083px"><br></span></div></div><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/cap-times-weighs-mayoral-race-muni-broadband-and-free-internet-we-need-it" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Cap Times Weighs In on Mayoral Race, Muni Broadband, and Free Internet: We Need It!</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Wed, January 21, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">lgonzalez</a></span></div><div class="" style="line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/cap-times-weighs-mayoral-race-muni-broadband-and-free-internet-we-need-it" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-cap-times.png" alt="" title="" width="125" height="29" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">The Madison Cap Times <a href="http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/editorial/madison-mayoral-race-should-be-all-about-big-ideas/article_30c83456-db08-5b52-8c9c-277e389c4fd0.html" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">recently ran an editorial</a> focusing on the surprising nature of mayoral races. We were also surprised - pleasantly so - to read the intention of the editorial board (emphasis ours):</p><blockquote style="margin:1em 2em;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:0.9em;line-height:1.5em;font-style:italic"><p style="margin:1em 0px">The Capital Times will add its proposals to the mix, with a special focus on using emerging technologies to promote high-wage job creation and economic development. <strong>In particular, we'll advocate for the establishment of a municipal broadband system that can provide free high-speed Internet access to all Madisonians.</strong> </p><p style="margin:1em 0px">...</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">Madison is a great city that does plenty of things right. But it faces major challenges, some of its own making, some imposed by reactionary state government, some dictated by our complex times. A mayoral race is the pivot point at which to discuss those challenges and the proper responses to them.</p></blockquote><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/cap-times-weighs-mayoral-race-muni-broadband-and-free-internet-we-need-it">... Read the Story Here ...</a></p><h2 class="" style="line-height:1.3em;margin:0px 0px 0.5em;font-family:Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-january-23" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Community Broadband Media Roundup - January 23</a></h2><div class="" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-style:italic;margin-bottom:10px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><span class="" style="font-size:0.9em">Mon, January 26, 2015 | Posted by <a href="http://muninetworks.org/users/rebecca" title="View user profile." style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">rebecca</a></span></div><div class="" style="line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-january-23" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/media-roundup-community-bb.png" alt="" title="" width="125" height="125" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p class="" style="margin:1em 0px">We continue to see reverberations from President Obama's speaking out in favor of municipal networks. The presidential nod sparked state lawmakers to propose bills,<a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-broadband-obama-20150122-story.html" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"> news organizations to write editorials</a>, and to give communities a better sense of how they can take action locally.</p><p class="" style="margin:1em 0px">As <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/upshot/obama-calls-for-more-internet-service-options-for-consumers.html?_r=1&abt=0002&abg=0" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Claire Cain Miller with the New York Times wrote</a> in her article for “The Upshot”:</p><blockquote style="margin:1em 2em;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:0.9em;line-height:1.5em;font-style:italic"><p class="" style="margin:1em 0px">“The goal is not to replace the big companies with small, locally run Internet providers. It is to give people more than one or two options for buying Internet – and spur everyone, including the incumbents, to offer more competitive service and pricing.”</p></blockquote><p class="" style="margin:1em 0px">Jeff Ward-Bailey reported on <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2015/0120/State-of-the-Union-What-are-Obama-s-views-on-the-biggest-tech-questions" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Obama’s interest in tech issues</a> in the State of the Union, specifically the laws limiting local deployment of networks.</p><p class="" style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-january-23">... Full Roundup Here ...</a></p></div></div></div></div><div><br></div></div>

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