Public Knowledge, a nonprofit organization devoted to ensuring that "copyright, telecommunications, and Internet law" evolve and continue to be regulated in pursuit of what is best for the public at large, will be holding its 18th annual Intellectual Property, Information Policy, and Internet Protocol (IP3) awards virtually this September 23rd, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Register here.

Entering it's 20th anniversary this year, Public Knowledge has and continues to do pioneering, nuanced, and impactful work in pursuit of towards healthier markets, broadband access, media consolidation, net neutrality, spectrum reform, consumer privacy, and an array of other issues. The organization's Senior Policy Counsel John Bergmeyer joined the Community Broadband Bits podcast in 2017 to talk about cable monopolies, content providers, and market competition.

Three individuals will be presented awards for their work by Joy Boulamwini of the Algorithmic Justice League:

Our Intellectual Property Award will be posthumously presented to Sherwin Siy. He was a tech policy activist whose expertise spanned a range of fields including copyright, privacy, telecommunications, and free expression.

Our Internet Protocol Award will be presented to Chris Mitchell, Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis.

And our President's Award will be presented to Senator Amy Klobuchar — one of the Senate’s foremost leaders on tech issues like platform regulation and broadband opportunity.

Register for the event here to join the event and support the ongoing work by Public Knowledge.

With an estimated 22 percent of Americans in rural areas and 28 percent of indigenous Americans on Tribal lands living without access to broadband that meets the federal minimum definition of 25/3 Mbps, the Wireless Communication Alliance is bringing together a panel of experts to explore how broadband deployment will transform rural America and Native Nations in the years ahead.

On Tuesday July 27, the Wireless Communication Alliance will host the virtual event – Broadband in Underserved Rural Areas 2021. It will feature a panel discussion and Q & A session, which is open to the public, that will cover present challenges, the various technologies being deployed, and the promise of what high-speed Internet connectivity can deliver.

Our own Chris Mitchell will be one of four feature panelists. The other panelists are: Richard Bernhardt, National Spectrum Adviser with the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA); Samantha Schartman-Cycyk, Executive Director of the Marconi Society; and Chris Frost, Director of Technology and Infrastructure at Cruzio.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Mohammad (Mo) Shakouri, Chairman of the WiMAX Forum, Director of the Community Broadband Initiative at Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and Founder and CEO of Microsanj.

Participants must register in advance of the event and will then be sent a confirmation email along with a Zoom invite. As an added bonus, the Wireless Communication Alliance will raffle off a Steampunk Retro Rocket Lamp.  

The hour-and-a-half long event will start at 1 p.m. PST on July 27.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has partnered with Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD) and the Nebraska Economic Developers Association (NEDA) to present a broadband seminar series to provide education to local elected officials, economic developers and other stakeholders. The series covers everything from the basics of broadband infrastructure and technology to financial models to the longterm benefits of investing in fast, reliable Internet access.

The series was developed by Christopher Mitchell, in collaboration with SENDD and NEDA, and produced and edited by ILSR Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer Maren Machles.

Episode 1

In the first episode, Christopher introduces broadband technology and terminology, including network basics, infrastructure development, and business models. 

 Episode 2

In the second episode, Christopher is joined by Brent Comstock (CEO and Founder, BCom Solutions), Thomas Magnuson (Geriatric Psychiatrist at University of Nebraska Medical Center), Kyle Arganbright (Mayor of Valentine, NE and Executive Vice President and co-founder of Sandhills State Bank), and Brook Aken (Economic Development Manager, Omaha Public Power District) to discuss the longterm benefits of fast, reliable broadband on everything from economic development to telehealth. 

Episode 3

Christopher is joined by David Young, Chief Information Officer for the City of Lincoln and Lancaster County in the third episode of the series. The two give guidance on state and federal broadband programs as well as barriers, challenges, and solutions for broadband infrastructure deployment.

Episode 4

ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative Director Christopher Mitchell recently joined Drew Clark, Editor and Publisher of Broadband Breakfast, for a live discussion centered on the “Investment Implications of a Federal Broadband Infrastructure Bill.”

During the discussion, Christopher breaks down the various pots of money the federal government has dedicated to expanding Internet infrastructure and access to date. He points to the shortcomings of current federal programs, among which are provisions that set aside funds in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for the Emergency Broadband Benefit and the Emergency Connectivity Fund going to short-term, incumbent-friendly solutions.

Christopher noted that while the Emergency Broadband Benefit has helped income eligible households by providing $50 to $75 a month subsidies for home Internet subscriptions, it leaves uncertain what the future holds for these communities when the funds run out. Similarly, he points to restrictions placed on the Emergency Connectivity Fund, which limit the ability of schools and libraries to use the funds to build their own networks. Throughout the discussion, Chris maintains that public dollars should be spent on more sustainable, long-term solutions. 

After pausing for a year, the 2021 Mountain Connect conference is scheduled to return this year, taking place the second week of August in picturesque Keystone, Colorado. 

Panel topics are arranged, as usual, on key topics, including: "Intelligent/Smart Infrastructure, Funding, Economic Development, Healthcare, Education, Emerging Technologies, Policy Impacting Broadband, and Broadband 101 Education for Elected Officials."

The agenda is still being finalized, but the conference will feature a list of industry veterans, policy advocates, nonprofit leaders, and local officials, including ILSR's Christopher Mitchell. Other scheduled speakers include Deb Socia (The Enterprise Center), Brian Worthen (Mammoth Networks), Monica Webb (Ting), Matt Rantanen (Arcadian Infracom and Tribal Digital Village), and many others. 

Panels at this time range across a variety of timely topics, including municipal partnerships, middle mile challenges, resilient communities, and digital inclusion. It will also present the opportunity to hear about network project efforts and municipal success stories from Wyoming, Colorado's Front Range, Iowa. See the current agenda here. 

Register here.

Learn more about Mountain Connect below.

Part of the Michelson 20MM Foundation's digital equity focus area has been its Connecting California learning series, which seeks to "strengthen [our] collective understanding of the history and root causes of the 'digital divides' - the economic and educational gaps created by inequitable access to high-speed internet, computing devices, and digital literacy resources" in the Golden State.

The panel features introductory remarks from Dr. Gary Michelson (Founder, Michelson 20MM Foundation) and Congressman Jerry McNerney (U.S. Representative for California’s 9th Congressional District) before ILSR's Christopher Mitchell takes over as moderator and runs a lively conversation about what the below panelists have done (and learned along the way) in closing the digital divide before and during the ongoing pandemic.

The webinar includes discussion from Seth Hoedl (President & Chief Science Officer, Post Road Foundation), Joanne Hovis (CEO, Coalition for Local Internet Choice; President, CTC Technology and Energy), Bruce Patterson, (Director of Technology, Entry Point Networks) and Preston Rhea (Director of Engineering, Policy Program, Monkeybrains).

Watch here, or below.

Christopher took a break from his hosting duties and joined The Broadband Bunch podcast  recently as a guest to talk about the roles and responsibilities of cities in expanding Internet infrastructure and access. 

He talks about the quiet success of most municipal networks around the country in terms of the value they bring, as an engine driving reinvestment in the community, and the benefits of local accountability and transparency. The episode also covers the different models available to cities - including open access - and how the venerable Community Broadband Bits Podcast got its start.

Listen to the episode over at The Broadband Bunch, or below.

Here's the 2011 debate Christopher refers to in the episode with Jim Baller, Rob Atkinson, and Jeff Eisenach.

Separating the physical and service layers of our telecommunications infrastructure offers a host of benefits that communities should consider when investing in their future: from encouraging lower prices through competition, to offering schools and hospitals the ability to set up secure and instantaneous networks on the fly, to providing a seedbed for experimentation as we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century.

Tuesday, April 27th at 2pm ET will feature a free webinar with a panel of experts on the obstacles to and promise of open access networks. 

From the event description:

The goal of Open Access Networks extends beyond access to the Internet. OANs should be a sustainable network that provides the freedom of information exchange, fosters a competitive ecosystem, [and] enables digital innovation essential for its growth and long-term affordability. In this panel, we examine the obstacles that prevent this vision becoming reality. We talk with OAN practitioners to identify how they have progressed towards this vision.

The webinar is moderated by CEO of consulting firm HBG Strategies, Heather Burnett Gold.

Panelists include ILSR's Christopher Mitchell, Sean Colletti (Mayor, City of Ammon, Idaho), David Corrado (CEO, UTOPIA Fiber), and Kim McKinley (CMO, UTOPIA Fiber).

Register here

We’ve been having a lot of conversations with cities and communities recently looking for solutions to bridging the digital divide. If you’re new to the broadband space and looking for guidance on short- and long-term results, here’s a good place to start. Christopher joined the Michigan Moonshot's Community Education series recently with a presentation titled “A Community Guide to Solving the Digital Divide.”

It breaks down in an accessible way the key concepts, options, and costs to consider. Communities across the country face an array of situations in bridging the broadband gap, including city size, the scope of the problem, available infrastructure, existing ally organizations, and funding avenues.

Christopher covers all of these, as well as inventorying local resources and talent, energizing community officials, and how important it is to define success early on in the process.

His presentation also includes as examples a lot of the gap-network successes we’ve seen over the last year, including San Rafael, California, Providence, Rhode Island, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Tucson, Arizona. Read about those stories to learn more about the goals set, challenges faced, and successes by local officials, nonprofit leaders, and residents in those cities.

Watch the webinar below, and be sure to stay tuned for the questions at the end.

In a recent presentation to ILSR staff, Christopher Mitchell, Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative, shared key takeaways from six recent books on monopoly power in the United States. While the books share similar themes — the history of antitrust policy, the impact of monopolies on our everyday lives — each one has a slightly different focus within the American antitrust movement.

This presentation is not meant to be comprehensive and assumes a basic background in monopoly policy discussions. We think all of these books offer important contributions to our understanding of what the problems are and how to deal with them.

• Liberty from All Masters: The New American Autocracy vs. the Will of the People by Barry Lynn
• Break ‘Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money by Zephyr Teachout
• The Curse of Bigness:Antitrust in the New Gilded Age by Tim Wu
• Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy by Matt Stoller
• Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power by David Dayen
• Monopolies Suck: 7 Ways Big Corporations Rule Your Life and How to Take Back Control by Sally Hubbard

Watch the full discussion below:

Related ILSR Resources: