Community Broadband Media Roundup - July 25

Massachusetts

Leyden opens broadband discussions with MBI by Shelby Ashline, The Recorder

Tennessee

Tennessee needs more competition between Internet providers, according to state report by Emily Siner, Nashville Public Radio

But almost all businesses — more than 90 percent — reported that they're not happy with their current options for getting online and aren't finding affordable alternatives.

The study says one of the keys to better internet in Tennessee is increasing competition, noting that businesses with more internet options had much faster speeds. It recommended that the state to reduce regulations, making it easier for more companies to provide internet in more places.

Tennessee study shows state remains a broadband backwater thanks to AT&T lobbyists, clueless politicians, and protectionist state law by Karl Bode, TechDirt

Broadband is a key part of today's infrastructure by Johnson City Press

General

Are Public-Private Partnerships the best path to municipal broadband? by Jen Kinney, Next City & Public CEO

Municipal broadband has become a key issue among those who believe internet access is increasingly central to individuals’ and cities’ prosperity...Developing such networks can be prohibitively expensive, however, so more and more municipalities are turning to public-private partnerships to finance and build them. A new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) takes a look at what makes those deals successful — and what causes them to fail.

Rural and urban America divided by broadband access by Jack Karsten and Darrell M. West, Brookings Institution

There's an obvious way to create more jobs by Susan Crawford, BackChannel

Nearly 80 community-based providers delivering Gigabit broadband to rural communities by Telecompetitor