Community Broadband Media Roundup - July 29

Alabama 

Broadband mapping effort to ramp up in Alabama — ‘Absolutely essential’ by Sean Ross, Yellowhammer News

Arkansas

Poorly connected Arkansas appoints statewide broadband manager by Colin Wood, StateScoop

California

AT&T redlines poor and rural Californians because it can, Frontier because it can’t afford otherwise, CPUC study says by Steve Blum, Tellus Venture Associates 

Corporate choices made by AT&T and Verizon, and Frontier Communications’ dire financial condition created the growing divide between relatively modern telecoms infrastructure in affluent urban and suburban communities, and the decaying infrastructure in poor and rural ones. The result is “deteriorating service quality”, “persistent disinvestment”, an “investment focus on higher income communities” and an “increased focus on areas most heavily impacted by competition”, according to a study done for the California Public Utilities Commission by a Boston-based consulting company.

Colorado 

As Colorado nears 100% broadband access, funds for rural support shrink by Tamara Chuang, The Colorado Sun 

Florida

New estimate puts $80M price tag on citywide broadband in Lakeland by Sara-Megan Walsh, The Ledger

Georgia

Georgia approves subsidy plan for rural Internet expansion by Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

Iowa

City seeks input on broadband communication by Chad Thompson, The Messenger 

Massachusetts

CEL to start building the city’s first ‘fiberhood’ by G. Michael Dobbs, The Reminder

Ohio

Broadband utility is gone, downtown network on the table by Thomas Robertson, Zanesville Times Recorder

Pennsylvania

Community, education and business officials join governor in calling for statewide broadband access by Kevin Randolph, The Pennsylvania Business Report 

Officials call for statewide broadband access, Wayne Independent 

Virginia

‘We’re all in this together’: Va. governor commends co-ops’ broadband efforts by Cathy Cash, America’s Electric Cooperatives

Homegrown economic development bears sustainable fruit in Virginia by Steve Dubb, Nonprofit Quarterly

Municipal broadband, Fallows add, has been the third key to Danville’s economic development. “A dozen years ago,” Fallows writes, Danville “began building a municipally owned high-speed fiber-optic network, which now offers lower-cost, higher-speed connections to existing and start-up businesses than in most communities of its location and size. That network is called nDanville.”

Another rural county’s march to broadband by Christopher Connell, Fauquier Times

Governor, Franklin County officials announce local broadband projects by Jason Dunovant, Franklin News Post 

General

Municipal bonds: Funding the infrastructure of connections by Barnet Sherman, Forbes 

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund: A proposal to include local community support in the RDOF auction, Conexon

Senate Commerce OK's Broadband DATA Act by John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable 

The state of broadband in America, Q2 2019, BroadbandNow

Are states having a change of heart on electric cooperative broadband legislation? By Joan Engebretson, Telecompetitor

Municipally run Internet tops national speed test rankings by Ryan Johnston, StateScoop

Broadband roundup: Muni broadband fare well in PCMag study, CenturyLink intercity fiber, Facebook and kids’ privacy by Emily McPhie, BroadbandBreakfast