Community Broadband Media Roundup - August 5

California

Most Internet service providers are gone. Sonic has survived — and thrived by Sophia Kunthara, San Francisco Chronicle

Huntington Beach, Calif., revitalization includes broadband by Priscella Vega, Daily Pilot

Council approves fiber-optic network deal with Astound Broadband by Edward Booth, Davis Enterprise 

Colorado

Fort Collins unveils new details about municipal broadband rollout by Jacy Marmaduke, Fort Collins Coloradoan

In the city: Connexion broadband service launch marks community milestone by Darin Atteberry, Fort Collins Coloradoan 

Boulder holding public hearing on broadband fiber backbone construction by Sam Lounsberry, Daily Camera

Florida

Neighboring cities, other entities weigh partnering with Gainesville to improve Internet by Joseph Hastings, WUFT

Georgia

Ferguson takes part in local Internet crawl at local businesses by Jenna Oden, Valley Times-News 

New Hampshire

It’s time to let all towns bond for broadband by Katie Kienbaum, New Hampshire Business Review

New York 

Affordable broadband for all of Dryden? by Andrew Sullivan, Ithaca.com 

Oregon 

Multnomah County and Portland take steps toward public Internet access by Blair Stenvick, Portland Mercury 

Pennsylvania

Groundhog Day? Rural Internet firm says Comcast messes up its bill every month, squashing its prospects by Bob Fernandez, Philadelphia Inquirer

Tennessee 

EPB partners with other municipal providers to bring gigabit broadband beyond Chattanooga by Joan Engebretson, Telecompetitor

Texas

United Co-op hosts open house for possible broadband services by Ashley Rose, Cleburne Times Review

Vermont

Broadband access vital for rural America and the economy by Joanna Lidback, AgWeb

This isn’t a problem just for farmers, however. It’s a problem for all of us because it means that our economy falls short of its potential. A USDA report earlier this year showed that if every farmer could make the most of digital technologies through rural broadband, our economy would grow by as much as $23 billion per year. 

Virginia

Broadband hole hoping to be filled in Rockbridge County, WFXR

General 

OTI urges FCC to abandon misguided cap on Universal Service Fund that would worsen digital divide, New America

Should satellite broadband be subsidized? By Doug Dawson, POTs and PANs

The Census could undercount people who don’t have Internet access by Jessica Rosenworcel, Slate

Getting this right matters. Census data affects congressional districts and representation. It also informs how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed. So undercounting could mean that states are shortchanged when it comes to federal dollars that provide funding for education, health care, agriculture, and investment in infrastructure. In short, it can mean the difference between communities growing and thriving or being left behind.

How states support broadband projects, PEW Research

Having broadband issues? This tool helps you learn local laws by Klint Finley, WIRED

Signs of progress on broadband mapping, but more work still to do by John Kahan, Microsoft

FCC takes important first step to improve broadband-deployment maps while maintaining public access to underlying data, FreePress

What to expect when you're expecting a net neutrality decision by Andrew Jay Schwartzman, Benton Foundation 

Public Knowledge finds FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund insufficient to end digital divide by Shiva Stella, Public Knowledge

Disconnected: Seven Lessons on Fixing the Digital Divide, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City 

Today, many parts of the U.S. are left without broadband. Just 53 percent of adults with incomes less than $30,000 have broadband at home. Nearly 68 percent of people without broadband at home live in rural communities. 

The role states are playing in expanding broadband access by Bill Lucia, Nextgov