Community Broadband Media Roundup - March 6

California

SF Internet access ordinance under fire from trade group by Dominic Fracassa, San Francisco Gate

City officials back Riverside County broadband Internet plan by Alicia Robinson, The Press-Enterprise

 

Colorado

City Council signaling split on broadband by Amy Hamilton, Grand Junction Sentinel

Progress is coming city broadband initiative by John Fogle, Loveland Reporter Herald

Bringing broadband to rural areas hits roadblock in General Assembly by Marianne Goodland, Colorado Independent

 

Florida

Gainesville City Commission approves potential study to improve Internet connection by Nealy Kehres, WUFT-5

At the city commission general policy meeting yesterday, GRUCom’s chief business service officer, Lewis Walton, gave a PowerPoint presentation that explained GRUCom’s current business model, general costs for implementation of residential internet service and potential models Gainesville can implement as solutions.

Walton outlined the first model, the electric utility model, which would entail an expansion of GRUCom’s internet services throughout residential areas. He said similar models have worked in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Scottsboro, Alabama.

 

Massachusetts

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State agrees to release engineering money to towns for rural broadband by Mary Serreze, MassLive

 

Minnesota

Klobuchar, Peterson go to bat for rural broadband by Nathan Bowe, Duluth News Tribune

 

Virginia

Richmond gets it right on broadband legislation by Rick Gerhardt, Fauquier Now

Del. Kathy Byron’s Broadband Deployment Act (HB 2108) was a farce, but under a new name, the Virginia Wireless Services Authority Act, it passed the Virginia Senate last week and will go to Gov. Terry McAuliffe for consideration. 

The name change is indicative of how much has changed with this bill in the past month. Gone are the 12 pages of Freedom of Information Act changes; the entire bill is now a mere four paragraphs. HB 2108 no longer limits municipal broadband efforts, like those here in Fauquier County. Instead, the bill now focuses on adding transparency requirements for municipal broadband entities. 

Roanoke mayor urges federal leaders to include broadband in infrastructure plan by Alicia Petska, Roanoke Times

 

West Virginia

Groups push for broadband expansion in WV by Eric Eyre, West Virginia Gazette Mail

 

General

Trump's FCC is already canceling Internet services for low-income customers by Mike Ludwig, Truthout

Think the Internet is polarized? Just look at the FCC these days by Klint Finley, Wired

The alternative facts of cable companies by Susan Crawford, BackChannel

Photo of the Highlander calf courtesy of robertobarresi via Pixaby.