Community Broadband Media Roundup - June 1

Colorado

Internet speed wars escalate in region by Joshua Lindenstein, BizWest

Editorial: Fort Collins needs municipal broadband, The Coloradoan Editorial Board

Other potential benefits, as we see it, include increased telecommuting (which will get cars off the road and ease the congestion issues as Fort Collins grows). Some people would also be able to cut ties with their satellite dishes and cable boxes — and the associated costs — because everything is available and, presumably, faster to access online.

Sure, being able to download and watch a movie online faster would be more convenient, but it's not life-changing. However, as innovations like telemedicine — communicating with care providers via a video conference online before stepping into a doctor's office — become more common, we need to have Internet speeds that can keep up with advancements.

Maine

Islesboro acts to become Maine’s most ‘wired’ island: Residents OK steps to bring fiber-optic 'gigabit' Internet service to the community in Penobscot Bay. by J. Craig Anderson, Portland Herald

Massachusetts

Broadband competition, Cajun style by Dante Ramos, Boston Globe

When communities aren’t being served — or, as in Lafayette’s case, they want better service than they’re getting — why should they wait for Comcast Corp., Cox Communications, or other broadband giants to come to their rescue?

 At least 500 communities have community-owned broadband networks, according to data from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, an organization that promotes the idea. Except for a few newer details — you know, minor stuff like fiber optics and the Internet — the argument over such networks has been raging since the Roosevelt administration.

New York

Hoodlinked: Do-it-yourself Internet network reaches Ridge by Max Jaeger, The Brooklyn Paper

A group of techies aiming to build a citywide, community-owned wifi network is making inroads into Bay Ridge. Called NYC Mesh, the network links computers together using standard wifi routers — allowing users to share internet connections, set up openly accessible community message boards, and even communicate with one another when internet service is not available.

North Carolina

Departing Raleigh CIO Gail Roper leaves high-speed legacy in Triangle, WRAL Techwire

Wisconsin

Madison municipal Internet projects fall behind due to mayoral election, disagreement by Bryna Godar, Capital Times

FCC

FCC Aims to Overhaul Phone Subsidy Program to Cover Broadband by Jim Puzzanghera, LA Times

About 12 million households participated last year in the Lifeline program, which began 30 years ago to ensure that all Americans had access to basic telecommunications services.

 

Charter/Time Warner Cable Merger

Charter Deal for Time Warner Cable Signals Shift in TV Industry by Michael J. de la Merced

Charter nears Time Warner Cable deal for $55 billion by Alex Sherman and Ed Hammond

Dealmaking is heating up in an industry facing waning demand for traditional pay-TV packages and competition from Netflix, Amazon and other online services.

5 reasons your Internet bill keeps climbing by Erik Sherman, MoneyWatch

What We Must Demand From Charter, Time Warner Cable by Sascha Sega, PC Mag