Community Broadband Media Roundup - October 23

Colorado

Colorado cities voting on taxes, pot, broadband and bees this year by Joey Bunch, The Denver Post

Ten towns and cities already have approved — by wide margins — the push for faster Internet under a 10-year-old Colorado law that restricts how municipalities provide broadband.

"Today it's viewed very much as a utility, a basic, fundamental service," Mamet said of Internet service. "It's also very much an economic-development issue in cities large and small."

We need municipal broadband; vote yes on 2B by Edgar Peyronnin, The Coloradoan

Delaware

What Reason.com got wrong about Newark’s municipal broadband project by Tony Abraham, Technical.ly

North Carolina

Networking leaders talk gig cities, broadband future in North Carolina by MCNC, PR Newswire

Oregon

Should LO create its own Internet service network? by Saundra Sorenson, Lake Oswego Review

“Just getting this network would put Lake Oswego on the map,” Lazenby told the council. “I think increasing that level of service, especially for the demographics we have here — highly educated, many tech-oriented folks in our community — that would be a real service to make available.”

Mitchell emphasized that municipal fiber networks allow for community self-reliance and provide protection from price-gouging.

“When I think about relying on Google, if Google decides to get out of this business, the community has no say about who takes it over,” he said.

Mitchell made the case that Lake Oswego had some unique advantages over other cities in establishing a municipal fiber-based utility.

“You have a collection of high-tech companies, various entities that appear together, in ways that communities don’t have access to in their backyard,” he said. “Not everyone has that regional connectivity that you have here.”

Pennsylvania

Inside Bamboowifi: A sneak peek at the new mesh network on N3rd Street by Andrew Zaleski, Technical.ly

Tennessee

Panel mulls role of utilities offering broadband in Tenn. by Erik Schelzig, The Washington Times

City that was once sued by Comcast now offers 10Gbps Internet service by Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica

General

FCC Opens Probe Into ‘Special Access’ Market by Ryan Knutson, The Wall Street Journal

We're Still Fighting for Competition by Carol Wilson, Light Reading

Reps. Walden, Eshoo Introduce 'Dig Once' Bill by John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable