Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 25

Arkansas

City of Fayetteville seeks broadband expansion by Hicham Raache, KNWA

"We want to make sure that the people in NWA and Fayetteville have the tools they need to understand the technology and to use it effectively to participate in the digital economy," Jordan said. 

California

Garamendi aims to ‘save the Internet’ with focus on rural communities by Matthew Keys, Daily Republic 

Colorado

Introducing community-owned and operated broadband, Estes Park News

Florida

Flagler business town hall focuses on broadband access by Aaron London, St. Augustine Record 

“We’ve gotten to a point today where having high-speed access is no different from turning on your water in the morning or turning your lights on,” she said. “It’s not something that separates us from an economic development standpoint when we have it to make us better than anybody else, but the differentiating point today is when you don’t have it.”

Iowa

Vinton pushes forward with fiber-to-home by Mitchell Schmidt, The Gazette

Maine

Maine picks new director to lead broadband push, The News & Observer

New York

Poloncarz wants to close county's digital divide with $20M high-speed network by Sandra Tan and Caitlin Dewey, The Buffalo News

Oregon

Better rural broadband speed: Fiber optic comes to Maupin, Hood River News 

Tennessee

VEC receives $1.3 million grant for broadband in McMinn County, Daily Post Athenian

Texas 

O’Brien supports broadband for rural areas by Jimmy Galvan, The Bay City Tribune

“If we can help by getting broadband brought to their houses faster and cheaper, then that is what that bill would help us do,” O’Brien said. “This would be greatly beneficial to both the school district and the community. If I have a child through their high school career, most of their life will be spent on a computer. 

Virginia

Broadband plan in the works, NRVN News

Virginia electric utilities wiring rural areas for broadband by Daniel Berti, Capital News Service

Washington

Seattle Internet access study: Nearly universal access but more should be paying less, Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

Washington lawmakers struggle to close rural Internet gaps by Jake Goldstein-Street, The Seattle Times 

General 

FCC spectrum auction tops $1 billion by John Eggerton, Multichannel

Bridging the digital divide: Getting high-speed Internet to everyone, AgWeb

The U.S. desperately needs a “fiber for all” plan by Ernesto Falcon, Electronic Frontier Foundation 

Ending bans on broadband deployment by Doug Dawson, POTs and PANs

Three important points on broadband competition by Jonathan Sallet, Benton Foundation 

A broadband agenda for the (eventual) infrastructure bill by Blair Levin, Brookings

Microsoft says the FCC 'overstates' broadband availability in the US by Karl Bode, Motherboard