<div dir="ltr"><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><br></i></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/fcc-opinion-and-order-striking-down-local-authority-limits-tn-and-nc-highlights" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">FCC Opinion and Order Striking Down Local Authority Limits in TN and NC: Highlights</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, March 16, 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/fcc-opinion-and-order-striking-down-local-authority-limits-tn-and-nc-highlights" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-fcc-2012.PNG" alt="" title="" width="111" height="102" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">The FCC has found that it has the authority to remove aspects of Tennessee and North Carolina law that limit local authority to build or expand Internet networks. In short, states seem to retain the authority to restrict municipalities from offering service at all. However, if states allow local governments to offer services, then the FCC has the power to determine whether any limitations on how they do it are a barrier to the deployment of advanced telecommunications services per its authority in section 706 of the Telecommunications Act.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The FCC has removed a restriction in Tennessee law that prevented municipalities with fiber networks from expanding to serve their neighbors, per a petition from Chattanooga.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">In North Carolina, the FCC has removed multiple aspects of a 2011 law, HB 129, that effectively outlawed municipal networks by presenting local governments with a thicket of red tape, including territorial restrictions on existing networks. The city of Wilson had petitioned the FCC for this intervention. </p><p style="margin:1em 0px">Listen to our <a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/explaining-fcc-muni-order-removing-state-barriers-community-broadband-bits-episode-143" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">podcast with Jim Baller</a> about this decision.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/fcc-opinion-and-order-striking-down-local-authority-limits-tn-and-nc-highlights">... We Pulled out Key Paragraphs from the Decision Here ...</a><br><br></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/missouri-anti-muni-bill-advances-out-committee" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Missouri Anti-Muni Bill Advances Out of Committee</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, March 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="line-height:18.003999710083px"><div class="" style="float:left;margin:0px 10px 1em 0px"><div class=""><div class=""><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/missouri-anti-muni-bill-advances-out-committee" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/seal-missouri.gif" alt="" title="" width="125" height="125" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">The Missouri Senate Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee voted to pass <a href="http://www.senate.mo.gov/15info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=1518337" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">anti-local choice SB 266</a> on March 18th. This bill, sponsored by Senator Kurt Schaefer, will increase barriers for municipal networks and damage the possibility of highly-effective partnerships with the private sector. <strong>Call your <a href="http://www.senate.mo.gov/15info/SenateRoster.htm" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Missouri State Senator</a> and let them know you consider this bill anti-competitive, hostile to local interests, and that you will remember their vote at the next election.</strong></p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The bill was discussed in the same committee <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/missouri-senate-committee-hears-anti-muni-bill-private-companies-and-groups-ask-no-vote" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">earlier this month </a>when a number of private tech firms, industry associations, and utilities groups wrote to members to express their concern with the bill. A dozen entities, including Google, <a class="" href="http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term261" 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="National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers.  NATOA is comprised of local government officials and employees that work on cable and broadband issues - from public access television to managing the community's rights-of-way.  ">NATOA</cite></a>, and APPA wrote that the provisions in the bill would prevent public private partnerships that improve connectivity at the local level. [See a <a href="http://www.baller.com/wp-content/uploads/JointOppMissouriSB2662-18-15.pdf" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">PDF of the letter here</a>.]</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/missouri-anti-muni-bill-advances-out-committee">... Don't Let Missouri Go Backward! ...</a></p></div></div></div><div><i><br></i></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/mount-vernon-mayor-local-authority-has-been-good-our-city" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Mount Vernon Mayor: Local Authority Has Been Good For Our City</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, March 16, 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/mount-vernon-mayor-local-authority-has-been-good-our-city" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-mt-vernon.png" alt="" title="" width="125" height="49" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">As the time approached for <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/cable-companies-lose-big-fcc-barriers-community-broadband-struck-down" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">FCC Commissioners to choose</a> to allow Wilson and Chattanooga to serve surrounding communities, leaders from municipalities with publicly owned networks shared their experiences. Jill Boudreau, Mayor of Mount Vernon, Washington, published her <a href="http://www.goskagit.com/opinion/editorials_and_columns/the-podium-high-speed-internet-and-the-next-entrepreneur/article_e65c0e0f-7f4b-5150-904f-4d5ed1d5304f.html" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">community's experience with their muni in GoSkagit.com.</a> </p><p style="margin:1em 0px">As in the recent testimonial <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/opelika-speaks-experience-support-local-authority" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">from Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller</a>, Mayor Boudreau described how Mount Vernon's network has created a quality of life where high-tech has enhanced local medicine, encouraged new businesses, and created and environment rich with competition.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/mount-vernon-mayor-local-authority-has-been-good-our-city">... Get the Rest of the Story Here ...</a><br><br></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/bozemans-public-private-approach-depth-community-broadband-bits-podcast-142" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Bozeman's Public-Private Approach In-Depth - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 142</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">Tue, March 17, 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/bozemans-public-private-approach-depth-community-broadband-bits-podcast-142" 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 Montana, local businesses and the city of Bozeman have been working on a public-private partnership approach to expanding Internet access that is likely to involve the city building an <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> fiber network. We discuss their approach this week with Brit Fontenot, Economic Development Director for the city of Bozeman; David Fine, Bozeman Economic Development Specialist; and the President of Hoplite Industries, Anthony Cochenour.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">Bozeman has long been known as a city with opportunities for outdoor activities but it also has a significant tech presence though like nearly every other community in the United States, many recognize the need for more investment in better options for connectivity.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">A group of citizens, local businesses, and city staff have been examining their options, how they might finance it, and how to encourage the existing providers to work with them in improving Internet access.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">... <a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/bozemans-public-private-approach-depth-community-broadband-bits-podcast-142">Listen to the Show Here</a> ... <a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/transcript-community-broadband-bits-episode-142" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Read the transcript from this episode here</a> ...<br><br></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/center-public-integrity-and-reveal-radio-get-trenches-local-choice" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Center for Public Integrity and Reveal Radio Get Into the Trenches of Local Choice</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, March 18, 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/center-public-integrity-and-reveal-radio-get-trenches-local-choice" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-center-public-integrity.png" alt="" title="" width="125" height="28" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">The Center for Public Integrity has followed the local choice debate closely. Their team has travelled to Tennessee and North Carolina to talk to lawmakers, visited communities seeking high-speed networks, and dug deep into the source of influential campaign funds. Allan Holmes and his team have assembled a collection of articles and audio that offers the right amount of history, backstory, and anecdotes to properly understand these issues.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">Holmes published <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/08/28/15404/how-big-telecom-smothers-city-run-broadband" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">an article last August </a>that took a deep look at telecommunications laws at the state level. Along the way, he spoke with <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/republican-tennessee-leader-endorses-local-authority" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">State Senator Janice Bowling from Tullahoma</a>. MuniNetworks.org readers know that the community is known for <a href="http://www.tub.net/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">LightTUBe</a>, the fiber network offering an oasis of high quality connectivity in an otherwise broadband desert. At the time, the Wilson and Chattanooga petitions were still fresh but Tennessee communities had long dealt with the problem of poor connectivity from incumbents. </p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/center-public-integrity-and-reveal-radio-get-trenches-local-choice">... This is Such a Great, In-Depth Effort - More Here ...</a><br><br></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/other-side-network-neutrality-content-neutrality" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">The Other Half of Network Neutrality - Content Neutrality</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, March 20, 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/other-side-network-neutrality-content-neutrality" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-full-channel.jpg" alt="" title="" width="125" height="67" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px"><em>We are pleased to bring you a guest post from <strong>Levi C. Maaia</strong>, president of <a href="https://www.fullchannel.com/contact/labs/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Full Channel Labs</a> and a graduate research fellow at the Center for Education Research on Literacies, Learning & Inquiry in Networking Communities (LINC) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Levi is a strong advocate for local, family owned businesses and an open Internet without government or corporate gatekeepers.</em></p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><strong>The Other Half of Net Neutrality Regulation</strong></p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The Internet was originally founded on principles of public service and education. In the past two decades, tremendous commercial potential has also been realized and the Internet is now the engine behind our new global economy. This potential, however, is predicated on the network’s original open and neutral methods of communication. </p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/other-side-network-neutrality-content-neutrality">... This is Very Important for Small ISPs! ...</a></p></div></div></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/waverly-next-gigabit-community-iowa" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Waverly: The Next Gigabit Community in Iowa</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, March 17, 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/waverly-next-gigabit-community-iowa" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-waverly-power-iowa.png" alt="" title="" width="125" height="55" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">Remember Waverly, Iowa? <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/tags/tags/waverly" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">We introduced you</a> to the town of 10,000 back in 2013 when they revived the community choice to develop a telecommunications utility. Recently in February, the Waverly Light and Power Board of Trustees approved a long awaited gigabit project <a href="http://www.publicpower.org/Media/daily/ArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=43173" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">reported American Public Power</a>.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">According to a <a href="http://waverlylp.com/News/lets-get-wired-up.aspx" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">WLP press release</a>, the $12 million project will be financed with revenue bonds which have already been secured. As we note in our <a href="http://www.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/financing-munis-fact-sheet.pdf" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Financing Municipal Networks fact sheet [PDF]</a>, this is one of the most common ways of funding deployment. Revenue from subscribers pays the private investors that buy the bonds used to finance the deployment.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/waverly-next-gigabit-community-iowa">... More Coverage from Waverly Here ...</a><br><br></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/community-broadband-media-roundup-march-20" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 20</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">Sun, March 22, 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="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/community-broadband-media-roundup-march-20" 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"><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/blog/netneutrality/articles/20150313/05200530309/fcc-outlines-plan-to-crush-awful-state-protectionist-broadband-laws.shtml" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">FCC Outlines Plan To Crush Awful State Protectionist Broadband Laws</a>: from the it's-about-time dept by Karl Bode, Tech Dirt</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">While net neutrality rules are designed to protect consumers from a lack of last-mile competition, the agency's moves on municipal broadband are intended to actually strike at the issue of limited competition at the root. As we've noted a few times, ISPs (with ALEC's help) have passed laws in twenty states preventing those towns and cities from deciding their own infrastructure needs for themselves. </p><p class="" style="margin:1em 0px">It's pure, unabashed protectionism: the bills do little more than protect regional duopolies from change while hamstringing local communities desperate for better service. Usually the laws are passed under the auspices of protecting taxpayers from themselves, ignoring that the bills' sole purpose is to protect<a class="" href="http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term606" 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 situation in which two companies own all or nearly all of the market for a given type of product or service.">duopoly</cite></a> revenues. </p></blockquote><p class="" style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://internet.itbusinessnet.com/article/TV-and-Internet-Service-Providers-Deliver-the-Worst-Customer-Experience-According-to-Temkin-Group-Research-3804643" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">TV and Internet Service Providers Deliver the Worst Customer Experience</a>: Fifth Annual Temkin Experience Ratings Evaluates 293 Companies Across 20 Industries.</p><p class="" style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-march-20">... Read the Full Roundup Here ...</a></p></div></div><div><br></div>
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