Cambridge Community Television - February 8, 2017

Cambridge Broadband Matters: The Future of Community Broadband

Hosted by Pat McCormick

See the original story here.

Republican Delegates in the Virginia House Labor and Commerce Committee advanced HB 2108 yesterday, despite opposition from constituents, local leaders, and members of the telecommunications industry. A revised version of Byron’s Bad Broadband Bill now heads to the House Floor today for a vote from the entire body.

A bill titled the “Virginia Broadband Deployment Act” by its sponsor now contains nothing about “deployment” but retains provisions forcing publicly owned networks to reveal proprietary information that limit competition. In the hearing yesterday, President and CEO of the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority (RVBA) testified that this bill is overkill:

In front of the committee, Smith argued the Virginia Freedom of Information Act stipulations already codified in the Wireless Services Authority Act are sufficient and the new requirements in Byron’s bill could require the broadband authority to reveal proprietary information about its customers.

Under this bill, the broadband authority could have been forced to reveal information about Meridium — that GE Digital was planning to purchase the Roanoke-based company for $495 million, Smith said.

“There’s nothing hidden under the table,” Smith said. “The Wireless Services Authority Act is sufficient because you all did your job in 2003.”

The broadband authority’s rates, books and board meetings already are open to the public.

Our Christopher Mitchell noted that the attempt to force publicly owned networks into a state of "ultra-transparency" was also a thinly veiled attempt to ward off competition from potential public-private partnerships:

The 2017 Mountain Connect Broadband Development Conference is set for May 22-24 at the Keystone Resort & Conference Center in Colorado. This year’s theme is Building Sustainable Communities through Smart Networks and you can now register online.

Some of the topics to be discussed at the conference:

• Navigating Rights of Way and Pole Attachment Agreements
• Intelligent Transportation Systems
• Wireless Considerations
• Smart Utilities
• Evolution and Impact of Over the Top Content
• Digital Government Services
• How can we Partner with our Incumbent Providers
• Navigating Financing Options

The agenda is still being developed but we know that Christopher is planning on attending, either moderating or participating on one or several panels. We'll report back when we know more about who is speaking. Until then, check the event website for more.

Attendees who sign up early can get special pricing, so planning now can help you save.

Ars Technica - January 25,2017

Google and Netflix join fight against municipal broadband restrictions

Written by Jon Brodkin

Google and Netflix joined a handful of advocacy groups and other companies lobbying against a proposed Virginia state law that would make it far more difficult for municipalities to offer Internet service.

As we previously reported, the "Virginia Broadband Deployment Act" would prohibit municipal broadband deployments except in very limited circumstances. For example, localities wouldn't be allowed to offer Internet service to residents if an existing network already provides 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload speeds to 90 percent of potential customers. Even if that condition is met, municipalities would have to jump through several legal hoops before being allowed to build a network.

...

"A number of local governments have already passed resolutions condemning the legislative attack on their right to make local telecommunications decisions and we expect to see more," the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Community Networks project wrote Monday. The 10Mbps/1Mbps speeds specified in the legislation are "reminiscent of antiquated DSL," the group said.

...

Read the full story here.

Motherboard Vice - January 17, 2017

Local Activism Is the Best Way to Preserve Net Neutrality

Written by Jason Koebler

Before President-elect Donald Trump takes office this week, take a moment to remember the height of the net neutrality battles of 2014 and 2015. Remember the letter writing campaigns, the comments filed to the Federal Communications Commission (some of them handwritten), remember John Oliver’s rant. Remember that the people fought, and the people won, and for a brief moment, big telecom monopolies had at least some limits placed on them by the federal government.

Remember it now, because very likely, the anti-regulation commissioners of the FCC, reporting to an anti-regulation president, are about to undo the rules millions of Americans fought so hard for. Under Trump, big telecom and its sympathizers will call the shots.

...

“Because we have net neutrality now, those seeds are out there,” Christopher Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative, told me. “Our biggest enemy is ignorance, so when things go badly and cable bills go up under Trump, and we have to pay more to access certain sites, people will say ‘Wait a minute, this is a violation of net neutrality.’ We’re in such a better position to fight now.”

...

For the next month, everyone can access the most recent webinar from the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB). The topic is "Partnerships and Rural Broadband Needs" and the webinar is the second in SHLB’s Grow2Gig+ webinar series. After February 10, 2017, the webinar will only be available to SHLB members.

SHLB Executive Director John Windhausen headed up the discussion which included information from Joanne Hovis, President of CTC Technology & Energy, ILSR’s Christopher Mitchell, and Mark O’Connor, Senior Vice President from Carlson Wireless.

The group discussed challenges in rural communities, the role of Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs), the potential of TV White Space technology for wireless connectivity in rural areas, and potential partnership models. John Windhausen also presented SHLB's recent American Broadband Connectivity (ABC) Proposal for the Trump Administration. 

You can access the archived video on the SHLB website or watch it here.

The next webinar in SHLB’s Grow2Gig+ series will be "Subsidies for Community Anchor Institutions," to be scheduled in mid-February.

Tune in to the Grow2Gig+ webinar from the Schools, Health, & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. The topic will be "Partnerships and Rural Broadband Needs" and our Christopher Mitchell will moderate the discussion. The hour-long event starts at 11 a.m. EST.

Christopher will offer information on steps local communities can take to bridge the digital divide. Joanne Hovis, President of CTC Technology & Energy, will address some of the challenges found in rural areas. SHLB Executive Director John Windhausen will spend some time on the potential role of public-private partnerships. John will discuss partnerships as envisioned by SHLB in its American Broadband Connectivity (ABC) Proposal for the Trump Administration. You can follow the discussion with #Grow2Gig and #RuralBB.

The webinar and is free and open to the public. It’s the second in the Grow2Gig+ webinar series. You can register online for the webinar and check out the other events on deck at the SHLB website.

If you weren’t able to attend the Transforming Communities: Broadband Goals for 2017 and Beyond event in DC on Nov. 29 - 30, or were not able to watch the live stream, you can still be there in spirit. The November 30th panel discussions are now available to view on YouTube.

The entire video runs for 4:53 and includes discussion and comments from:

• Senator John Boozman (R-AR)
• Mayor Berke, Chattanooga, TN
• Susan Crawford, John A. Reilly Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and co-director of the Berkman Center
• Blair Levin, Senior Fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings
• Gigi Sohn, Counselor to the Chairman at the Federal Communications Commission

A number of other leaders in the field of telecommunications participated in the panels and discussions, including our own Christopher Mitchell who led the panel discussion on "Leveraging High-Speed Internet for Success." The event was sponsored by Next Century Cities; the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB), and US Ignite.

On November 8th, 2016, local voters in 26 Colorado communities chose to reclaim telecommunications authority. They voted to opt out of the state’s 2005 SB 152, the law lobbied heavily by national cable and DSL companies that prevents local governments from providing advanced services and telecommunications services to the general public. There are now 95 local communities that have opted out of SB 152.

To understand the situation in Colorado and to get a better understanding of the benefits and challenges of municipal networks, Tom Merritt and Justin Robert Young from the Daily Tech News Show (DTNS) spoke with Christopher.

The online news show streamed live on November 10th, 2016, but it is now available for you to watch. The guys get into the law, how it limits local Colorado communities, and why these local governments are asking voters to opt out. The show runs for 38:23.

As 2016 comes to a close, we face a new connectivity landscape. Next Century Cities, SHLB, and US Ignite are coming together to help community leaders prepare for the future with smart policies and keys to expanding local broadband efforts. The organizations are presenting Transforming Communities: Broadband Goals for 2017 and Beyond, bringing together connectivity leaders from the world of federal, state, and local agencies, as well as policy advisors, mayors, and leaders from anchor institutions.

The entire event will be in Washington, DC, at the Google offices - 25 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 900. Participants will gather with a networking reception tonight at 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. The main event will be tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. EST.

Christopher, as Policy Director of Next Century Cities, will moderate the first panel tomorrow, titled "Leveraging High-Speed Internet for Success." 

If you can’t make it to DC, the panel discussions will be live streamed YouTube. If you'll be in DC, you can register online through Eventbrite.

The Full Agenda:

• Welcome: John Burchett, State Policy Counsel at Google
• Welcome: Deb Socia, Next Century Cities, John Windhausen, SHLB, Bill Wallace, US Ignite
• Opening Remarks: Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator, NTIA
• Keynote: Senator John Boozman (R-AR)

Leveraging High-Speed Internet for Success (First Panel)

• Mayor Berke, Chattanooga, TN
• Mayor Kirkham, Ammon, ID
• Ed Bostick, CEO, Colorado Telehealth Network
• S. Dallas Dance, Superintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools
• Crosby, Kemper, Head of Kansas City Public Library

Moderated by Chris Mitchell, Policy Director, Next Century Cities and Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative, Institute for Local Self Reliance

Broadband Policy Priorities for a New Administration (Second Panel)