Community Broadband Media Roundup - June 4

Colorado

Why you might want to buy (or not) Fort Collins broadband bonds by Nick Coltrain, The Coloradoan

Cortez reveals results of fiber project feasibility study by Stephanie Alderton, The Cortez Journal

 

Maine

Broadband: What Will It Take For Connectivity Across Maine? by Jonathan P. Smith, Maine Public

We’ll hear from experts and entrepreneurs about ways to bring high-speed internet to all of Maine. This is in advance of the statewide 2018 Maine Broadband Coalition Conference, in which Maine communities and national experts will share lessons learned to date, look at new ways for solving shared challenges, and identify what’s next for broadband funding and policy in Maine.

 

Missouri

Missouri U.S. Senators Sign Letter to Address Rural Broadband Coverage by Jason Taylor, MissouriNet

Rural broadband could receive a boost by Ray Scherer, News Press Now

 

North Carolina

“Tweaking” North Carolina’s state budget fails to address the underlying issue of failure to invest by Luis Toledo, NC Policy Watch -- Progressive Pulse

 

Oregon

Wyden, Bonamici announce new fight for net neutrality by Zane Sparling, Pamplin Media

Hillsboro's planned ISP is good news for residents by Geoff Pursinger, Pamplin Media

Starting in 2019, residents in a handful of Hillsboro neighborhoods will be able to sign up for internet through the city, the same way city residents receive their water.

But instead of quality H2O coming out of the taps, residents will be able to surf the internet with ease.

This decision has been a long time coming and has been a regular item on the city's bucket list for years.

 

Virginia

Fredericksburg aiming to have fastest broadband of any Virginia city by Cathy Jett, The Free Lance Star

 

General

Senators Challenge FCC Rural Broadband Map by John Eggerton, MultiChannel News

How the Government Could Win the AT&T-Time Warner Case by James B. Stewart, The New York Times

24 Million Americans Don't Have Access to Broadband—Why Isn't It an Election Issue? by Kaleigh Rogers, Motherboard Vice

Consider Mississippi, a state with one of the worst rates of access to broadband in the country. In urban areas, more than a quarter of Mississippians don’t have high speed internet, according to the Federal Communications Commission’s latest assessment. In rural areas, more than half the population doesn’t have broadband access. Mississippi is also the home of multiple highly contested midterm races—all four House seats, as well as both Senate seats, are up for grabs. Yet in all these races, I could find only a single, passing mention about broadband access, from one Democratic primary candidate, Jerone Garland, in an interview with the Clarion Ledger.

"I am afraid that it is mostly talk [for politicians],” said Christopher Mitchell, the director of Community Broadband Networks for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Even those that may intend to do something about it will run into the powerful cable and telephone lobbyists and then have to make a hard decision: are they more afraid of their constituents or the cable and telephone companies? Historically, most have quietly sided with the cable and telephone monopolies and we are hard-pressed to name a single rural elected official that has lost his or her job because they made that choice.”

Study: All Major ISPs Have Declined in Customer Satisfaction by Karl Bode, DSL Reports

How Community-Owned Wi-Fi Changes the Game for Poor Neighborhoods by Angely Mercado, Nationswell