<div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><i style="font-size:13px">Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the </i><i style="font-size:13px">Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom.  Send feedback.  Forward Widely.<br></i></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><i style="font-size:13px"><br></i></div><div style="font-size:12.8000001907349px"><i style="font-size:13px">This is your periodic reminder that<b> we need your support to do our work!</b> All of our work on Community Broadband Networks is part of the larger Institute for Local Self-Reliance. <b><a href="https://www.razoo.com/story/Institute-For-Local-Self-Reliance">Please support us with a donation today</a></b>!<br><br></i></div><div><i style="font-size:13px"><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/recent-advances-wireless-future-community-broadband-bits-episode-154" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Recent Advances in the Wireless Future - Community Broadband Bits Episode 154</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, June 09, 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/recent-advances-wireless-future-community-broadband-bits-episode-154" 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">After reading "<a href="http://www.newamerica.org/the-weekly-wonk/amtraks-lessons-for-access-to-the-airwaves/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Amtrak's Lessons for Access to the Airwaves</a>," I knew we wanted to talk to Michael Calabrese and Patrick Lucey of the <a href="https://www.newamerica.org/oti/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Open Technology Institute at the New America Foundation</a> to discuss wireless policy. Unfortunately, scheduling challenges kept Patrick off the this show but we do have a great discussion for this week's Community Broadband Bits podcast with Michael Calabrese, who runs the <a href="http://www.newamerica.org/tags/wireless-future/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Wireless Future</a> program at OTI.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">We discuss the wireless technology Amtrak has wanted to deploy and alternatives that would have been less costly and more quickly to implement. However, this is really just an opportunity to begin the larger discussion about where wireless is going.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">We also talk about a recent FCC decision to create much more shared spectrum and how the new system will work, which was also described in a <a href="http://livestream.com/internetsociety/F2C2015/videos/79080774" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">presentation by Milo Medin at the 2015 Freedom to Connect event</a>.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/recent-advances-wireless-future-community-broadband-bits-episode-154">... Listen to the Show Here ...</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/another-rural-telephone-cooperative-deploy-gigabit-fiber-network" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Another Rural Telephone Cooperative to Deploy Gigabit Fiber Network</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, June 08, 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/another-rural-telephone-cooperative-deploy-gigabit-fiber-network" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/Craw-Kan-telephone-coop.jpg" alt="" title="" width="123" height="125" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">Residents in the southeast rural town of <a href="http://www.frontenacks.net/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Frontenac, Kansas</a>, will have access to fiber by the spring of 2016, <a href="http://www.fourstateshomepage.com/story/d/story/frontenac-city-council-approves-new-fiber-optic-ne/11667/HUCeoxUhyEO-IMejs87YLg" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">reports the FourStatesHomePage.com</a>. </p><p style="margin:1em 0px">After receiving approval from the Frontenac City Council, the <a href="http://web.ckt.net/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative</a> announced that it intends to deploy fiber within the city of 3,400. Each home will have access; gigabit service will cost approximately $70 per month. Construction will begin this summer.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">From the article and the video embedded below:</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">"It's just superior to anything out there. I mean, we've been doing fiber for several years. We have well over 2,000 customers, and I think we just finally asked ourselves why are we restricting the use of this fiber optic cable when it can do so much more than what most people are receiving?" said Craig Wilbert, Craw-Kan General Manager.</p></blockquote></div></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Tahoma,'DejaVu Sans',sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18.003999710083px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/another-rural-telephone-cooperative-deploy-gigabit-fiber-network">... Watch the Video Here ...</a></span><br></div><div><br></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/fort-collins-local-media-endorses-muni-option" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Fort Collins Local Media Endorses Muni Option</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">Wed, June 10, 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/fort-collins-local-media-endorses-muni-option" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/logo-fort-collins-co.gif" alt="" title="" width="125" height="83" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">Communities all over Colorado have <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/republicans-and-democrats-alike-restore-local-authority-colorado" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">voted to reclaim local authority</a> during the past year. Even though elected officials in Fort Collins are exploring the municipal network option, the City Council has yet to present the question to voters. Editors at the local news outlet, the Coloradan, <a href="http://www.coloradoan.com/story/opinion/2015/05/31/fort-collins-municipal-broadband/28072195/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">recently expressed</a> their support for a municipal broadband network, urging community leaders to let voters decide.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The Editorial Board focuses on the benefits Fort collins can expect from increased economic development, telemedicine capabilities, and relieved congestion from telecommuting. They see Internet access as one of the essential services cities provide such as water and electricity. The Editorial Board notes that city leaders have <a href="http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2015/03/20/fort-collins-eyes-municipal-broadband/25048831/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">already budgeted $300,000</a> to create a strategic plan that includes community broadband.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/fort-collins-local-media-endorses-muni-option">... Read the Full Story Here ...</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/epb-fiber-keeps-electric-rates-check" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">EPB Fiber Keeps Electric Rates in Check</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, June 09, 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/epb-fiber-keeps-electric-rates-check" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/epbfiber.jpg" alt="" title="" width="125" height="93" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">For the first time in four years, EPB is asking its board of directors to approve a rate increase for electric power charges, <a href="http://www.chattanoogan.com/2015/5/22/300956/EPB-Seeks-3.5-Rate-Increase-First.aspx" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">reports the Chattanoogan</a>. According to EPB, revenue from the Fiber Optic division has kept electric power prices in check for the past four years.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">Price increases are always a frustration for residents and businesses, but this is actually another example of how the entire community, even those who may not subscribe to EPB's fiber network, have beneifted via reduced energy rates. We <a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/chattanooga-fiber-network-reduces-cost-electricity-all-customers" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">wrote about this last in 2012</a>.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">According to the article, several years of deadly storms have caused damage that have increased the average cost of cleanup from $2 million per year to $6 million per year. </p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/epb-fiber-keeps-electric-rates-check">... Read 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/ld-1185-advances-maine-overwhelming-support" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">LD 1185 Advances in Maine With Overwhelming Support</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, June 09, 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/ld-1185-advances-maine-overwhelming-support" 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">On June 5th, the Main House of Representatives voted 143 - 0 in favor of<a href="http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0818&item=1&snum=127" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"> LD 1185</a>, the Maine bill to provide state planning and implementation grants for local municipal networks. Representative Norm Higgins, the sponsor of the bill, contacted us to let us know about the incredible support for the bill.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">LD 1185 proposes to provide $6 million this year for local communities seeking to establish networks that want to take advantage of the state's middle-mile network, the Three Ring Binder. The House amended the bill to include general goals for the fund and its purpose in bringing better connectivity to Maine. </p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The amendment also creates specifications between planning and implementation grants and establishes caps on awards. Planning grants cannot exceed $25,000 and implementation grants cannot exceed $200,000. Implementation grants require a 25 percent match from the requesting municipality; planning grants require a one-to-one match. The amendment is <a href="http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0818&item=2&snum=127" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">available online</a>.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">Now that the House has put their stamp of approval on the bill, it is up to the Maine Senate to  approve the measure and send it on to the Governor. According to Higgins, it appears to have strong bipartisan support; funding is the only area of uncertainty. He anticipates it will be before the Appropriations Committee within the next two weeks.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/ld-1185-advances-maine-overwhelming-support">... Link to this Story Here ...</a><br><br></p></div></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/sonicnet-lights-brentwood-ca" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Sonic.net Lights Up In Brentwood CA</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, June 11, 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/sonicnet-lights-brentwood-ca" class="" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"><img src="http://muninetworks.org/sites/www.muninetworks.org/files/imagecache/teaser/seal-brentwood-ca.png" alt="" title="" width="125" height="89" class="" style="border: 0px;"></a></div></div></div><p style="margin:1em 0px">Last summer the community of<a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/conduit-policy-foundation-affordable-gig-service-bay-area" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none"> Brentwood began working with Sonic.net</a> in a plan to use publicly owned conduit for a privately owned fiber network. Earlier this month, the partners celebrated completion of part of that network and officially lit-up the first residential neighborhood served by Sonic.net's fiber gigabit service.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">The <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_28155550/sonic-partners-brentwood-bring-high-speed-internet-town" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Mercury News reports</a> that residents are much happier with the new Internet service provider than they were with incumbents Comcast and AT&T:</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 had no lag, no buffering, no waiting -- it almost feels like the Internet's waiting on you, rather than you waiting for the Internet," said Brentwood resident Matt Gamblin, who was one of the first residents to sign up for the service. "The hardest part about the process was canceling my old Internet."</p></blockquote><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/sonicnet-lights-brentwood-ca">... More Details on Cost Savings 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-june-15-2015" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);text-decoration:none">Community Broadband Media Roundup - June 15, 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">Mon, June 15, 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-june-15-2015" 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 style="margin:1em 0px">This week's big news came out of Washington, specifically Seattle. The city just published a report examining the feasibility of a Chattanooga-type citywide municipal fiber network. The <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/broadband/broadband-study" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">report and related materials are available here</a>; read the <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail.asp?ID=15079&Dept=29" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">news release here</a>. In short, duplicating a Chattanooga-type approach appears too risky given the likely response from incumbents Comcast and CenturyLink.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><strong>Seattle</strong></p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/06/10/public-internet-is-supposed-to-lower-prices-in-seattle-it-could-work-too-well/?postshare=3151433990774010" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Public Internet is supposed to lower prices. In Seattle, it could work too well</a> by Brian Fung Washington Post</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/Is-Muni-Broadband-Feasible-in-Seattle-Not-Likely-Report-Finds.html?utm_campaign=Newsletters&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Is Muni Broadband Feasible in Seattle? Not Likely, Report Finds</a> by Colin Wood, GovTech</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 numbers don't bode well for proponents of municipal broadband in Seattle, but the city has other plans.</p><p style="margin:1em 0px">“The broadband market has been changing incredibly fast just in the past six months, since the president mentioned the need for strong broadband access in his State of the Union address," he said. "And we’re starting to see some interesting joint ventures that allow cities to meet their policy objectives around equity and around economic development through broadband."</p></blockquote><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2015/seattle-councilmember-calls-for-mass-citywide-movement-against-comcast-and-centurylink-in-support-of-municipal-broadband/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Seattle councilmember calls for ‘mass citywide movement’ against Comcast and CenturyLink in support of municipal broadband</a> by Taylor Soper, Geekwire</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2015/geekwire-radio-amazon-meeting-hijacked-again-big-twitter-changes-and-municipal-broadband-in-seattle/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">GeekWire Radio: Amazon meeting hijacked; Twitter shakeup; and the future of municipal broadband</a> by Todd Bishop, GeekWire</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/cost-of-municipal-broadband-for-seattle-less-than-estimated/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Cost of municipal broadband for Seattle less than estimated</a> by Daniel Beekman, Seattle Times</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">Building a municipal broadband network in Seattle wouldn’t cost as much as the city once thought, but the city would still need additional funds. </p></blockquote><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://kuow.org/post/bad-news-municipal-run-broadband-internet" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Bad News For Municipal-Run Broadband Internet</a> by Ross Reynolds, KUOW</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2015/06/report-says-municipal-broadband-too-expensive-for-seattle-to-build-alone/" style="color:rgb(121,80,37);text-decoration:none">Report says municipal broadband too expensive for Seattle to build alone</a>, Capitol Hill Seattle Blog</p><p style="margin:1em 0px"><a href="http://muninetworks.org/content/community-broadband-media-roundup-june-15-2015">... Read the Full Media Roundup Here ...</a></p></div></div></div>

<p></p>

-- <br />
You can always find our most recent stories and other resources at <a href="http://MuniNetworks.org">http://MuniNetworks.org</a><br />
--- <br />
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Community Networks Weekly Updates" group.<br />
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to <a href="mailto:communitynetworks-weekly+unsubscribe@ilsr.org">communitynetworks-weekly+unsubscribe@ilsr.org</a>.<br />
For more options, visit <a href="https://groups.google.com/a/ilsr.org/d/optout">https://groups.google.com/a/ilsr.org/d/optout</a>.<br />