Community Broadband Media Roundup - June 19

California

Closing the digital divide in the Inland Empire by Paul Granillo San Bernardino County Sun

Colorado

Louisville to weigh municipal broadband question for November ballot by Anthony Hahn, Louisville News

Regional partnership opportuinities propel Craig, Moffat broadband efforts by Lauren Blair, Craig Daily Press

Florida

Living without Internet accessibility in the digital age by Danielle Ellis, WJHG-TV

Maine

Rural broadband bill cruises through Maine legislature by Colin Wood, StateScoop

Municipal broadband advocacy groups like the Institute for Local Self-Reliance label bills like this one as tools for the telecommunications industry to limit competition, while taxpayers associations typically argue the measures are necessary to ensure that large scale projects are entered carefully. Controversial research published byUniversity of Pennsylvania Law School professor Christopher Yoo in May found that, according to certain projections, municipal networks are frequently financially unviable.

Minnesota

Blandin Foundation awards multi-project broadband grants by CTP Staff, Hibbing Daily Tribune

North Carolina

Broadband group begins mapping plans for service by Kurt J. Volker, Smoky Mountain News

West Virginia

West Virginia backs broadband competition, with tough consequences for state Senate's president by Colin Wood, StateScoop

Christopher Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, told StateScoop that this law will make it easier for cities to build connectivity where the market hasn't.

"West Virginia is a very challenging state to deploy broadband in," Mitchell said. "It's largely served by a company that has almost no ability or interest in improving broadband service, which is Frontier."

The state is a microcosm of spotty broadband coverage nationally. Ten percent of Americans lack access to broadband, while rural residents are worse off — 23 million people living in rural areas lack access. And 41 percent of schools, or 47 percent of students, also lack connectivity.

General

Communities take the search for broadband into their own hands by Craig Settles, The Daily Yonder

Roads to node-where: UW-Madison researchers have mapped out the Internet by Nathan J. Comp, Isthmus

Rep. Collins introduces broadband tax break bill by John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable

Image of the cow in the pasture courtesy of DominikSchraudolf via pixaby.