Community Broadband Media Roundup - September 19

Alaska

Feds offer $1 billion to improve broadband access in rural, remote Alaskan communities by Tim Ellis, KUAC

Colorado

High-speed Internet in Silverton pulls mining village out of digital desert by Jason Blevins, Denver Post

City evaluating options for broadband service by Mike Beckstead, The Coloradoan

Longmont power to ask for $7M budget boost for NextLight project by Karen Antonacci, Longmont Times Call

Kentucky

City moving forward broadband plan by Andrew Adkins, Ashland Daily Independent

North Carolina

Greenlight likely to disconnect Pinetops by Brie Handgraaf, The Wilson Times

Officials said the city attorney is expected to discuss the city’s options with council members following an August ruling by the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals that barred the city from expanding high-speed internet service beyond the county borders. The Federal Communications Commission supported the expansion of Greenlight Community Broadband into Pinetops, but the court determined the commission didn’t have the authority to supersede a state law limiting municipal services areas. 

Tennessee

Bledsoe Telephone Co-op adds Gig service in Sequatchie Valley by Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Seattle City Council expected to add municipal broadband to long-term master plan by Monica Nickelsburg, GeekWire

General

Legislation would eliminate state laws that restrict city Internet services by Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica

AT&T finally offers low-income users affordable Internet access after using loophole to deny them by AJ Dellinger, Daily Dot

America needs a public option for the Internet by Ryan Cooper, The Week

And just like in Johnson's day, rural America is being left out, because private industry prizes profits over breadth and quality of service. That's why the government must step in with anti-trust regulation and a public option for internet.

Netflix asks FCC to declare data caps "unreasonable" by Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica

The Congressional bill that would save community broadband networks nationwide by Sam Gustin, Motherboard Vice

House Dem. puts forward bill to protect municipal broadband networks from state laws by Alex Koma, StateScoop

This bill could stop protectionist state broadband laws, but ISP control over Congress means it won't pass by Karl Bode, TechDirt

Photo of the cow courtesy of Dominik Schraudolf via pixaby