Tag: "christopher mitchell"

Atlanta November 7 - 9: Broadband Communities Conference Almost Here

Posted October 25, 2017 by lgonzalez

There’s still time to register and make your plans to attend the Fiber for the New Economy: Economic Development Conference presented by Broadband Communities Magazine. A fall trip to Atlanta on November 7 - 9 will include workshops, a range of economic development discussions, and the opportunity to view a new film on the broadband struggle in Pinetops, North Carolina.

There will be panel discussions and/or workshops on:

Financial modeling for community networks, CAF II, and other funding sources
Smart City and IoT initiatives
Rural communities, jobs, attracting entrepreneurs, and connectivity
Fiber and gigabit connectivity and their impact on local jobs, education, and residential access
State legislative efforts to improve connectivity and federal policies
Electric Cooperatives and connectivity
TV White Spaces, 5G, small cell deployment
Cooperative efforts between economic development and broadband experts
Latest research on broadband, economic development, and investment
Marketing for broadband networks
Partnerships between the private and public sectors
Fiber connectivity and MDUs
Approaches to addressing and reducing the digital divide

Pass The Popcorn

As an added bonus, attendees will be able to screen Do Not Pass Go: The Battle For Broadband, a short documentary film about Pinetops, North Carolina. The community was able to obtain gigabit fiber optic service from Greenlight, the municipal network from nearby Wilson. Shortly after, an appellate court determined that Wilson was acting outside of state law, forcing the two communities to find another way for Pinetops to keep high-quality Internet access. Their situation is still uncertain.

Christopher will be participating on the "Broadband Champions Speak Out" panel at 10 a.m. on Nov. 8th and will also lead the panel on "Spawning an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem" at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 9th.

CLIC Day

If you’re able to come to the conference by Tuesday, November 7th, attend a special program offered by the Coalition for Local Internet Choice (CLIC). Members and leaders from CLIC will present updates on key legislative events, coping with misinformation, and the drive to...

Couldn't Make It To Ammon? Event Videos Now Available

Posted October 9, 2017 by lgonzalez

You may not have been able to get to Ammon, Idaho, to attend the official lighting ceremony of the community’s open access fiber network. Perhaps you weren’t able to watch the stream to the event either; life is demanding and sometimes we just can’t fit everything into our day. But you can still watch the event at your own pace because we’ve broken down the presentations and panels for you.

Deb Socia (NCC) & Jeff Christensen (EntryPoint) Introduce Ammon Mayor Dana Kirkham :

https://youtu.be/YvBTjaoPRuc?t=35m30s

Mayor Dana Kirkham :

https://youtu.be/YvBTjaoPRuc?t=43m46s

State Senator Brent Hill :

https://youtu.be/YvBTjaoPRuc?t=47m38s

Keynote: How Does the City of Tomorrow Get ‘Smart’?

Glenn Ricart, Founder and CEO, US Ignite :

https://youtu.be/YvBTjaoPRuc?t=53m5s

Panel - How do we make ‘smart cities’ a reality?

Glenn Ricart, Founder and CEO, US Ignite
Shawn Irvine, Economic Development Director, Independence, Oregon
Aarushi Sarbhai, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Utah
Jeff Peterson, CTO, EntryPoint Networks
Moderated by Deb Socia, Executive Director, Next Century Cities

https://youtu.be/YvBTjaoPRuc?t=1h14m20s

Bobbi-Jo Meuleman, Chief Operations Officer, Idaho Department of Commerce :

https://youtu.be/YvBTjaoPRuc?t=2h27m29s

Policy Discussion: Does government have a role to play?

Christopher Mitchell, Director, Community Broadband Networks :

https://youtu.be/YvBTjaoPRuc?t=2h29m58s

...

Can't Be There? Livestream of Ammon Launch Oct. 5th

Posted October 4, 2017 by lgonzalez

If you can’t make it to Ammon to attend the launch of the city’s ground breaking open access fiber network, you can still enjoy the festivities. The event will be livestreamed starting at 10:30 eastern at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmATax9osBK4K2ZUiAtjXmQ/live

Ammon’s Mayor Deb Kirkham, State Senator Brent Hill, and even former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, in a video address, will share thoughts about the city’s pioneering infrastructure and what it means for this Idaho city of about 14,000 people. Christopher is in Ammon to celebrate with the community and speak on the significance of this local project.

If you need to brush up on Ammon’s software defined network (SDN) and the ways it has already improved life in the community, read our coverage before the event on October 5th. You can also take a few minutes to listen to episodes 259, episode 207, episode 173, and episode 86 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast to listen to conversations that describe the evolution of Ammon’s network.

Lastly, check out our video about the network and hear from the people in Ammon who are early adopters:

Fiber Launch Event In Ammon Oct. 5th

Posted September 28, 2017 by ChristopherBarich

The City of Ammon, Idaho, in partnership with Next Century Cities will host an event titled “The Launch of the Ammon Fiber Utility” to bring together representatives from Ammon and the region, policy and broadband experts, and key stakeholders to show off Ammon’s open access fiber network.

The City’s open access fiber network, named 2016 Community Broadband Project of the Year by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), is delivering gigabit connectivity to a community of 14,500 people.

The Launch of the Ammon Fiber Utility

The event will offer attendees the opportunity to hear more about the Ammon Model, learn how a conservative, rural town secured a high take rate, its software defined networking technologies (SDN), as well as a tour of its cutting edge facilities.

The full day event will take place Thursday, October 5, 2017, at the Ammon Operations Center and will include presenters from local government, nonprofit, and the private sector. In addition to Christopher, you can expect to see:

Glenn Ricart, Founder and CTO of US Ignite (Keynote)
Dana Kirkham, Mayor of Ammon
Bruce Patterson, Ammon CTO
Tom Wheeler, former FCC Chairman (video address)
Michael Curri, Founder and President, Strategic Network Group, Inc
Shawn Irvine, Economic Development Director, City of Independence, Oregon
Deb Socia, Executive Director, Next Century Cities

A Learning Experience

If you attend the conference, the morning program will start with keynote speakers and a series of panels:

Smart Cities Panel; researchers, developers, legal and policy experts will discuss current and future challenges.

Policy Discussion with Christopher Mitchell; on the role of government to solve the broadband challenges faced by communities utilizing historical experience inform future policy.

Economic Feasibility with Michael Curri; on community broadband...

Reminder: Broadband Communities Conference Nov. 7 - 9, Atlanta

Posted September 11, 2017 by lgonzalez

The Fiber for the New Economy: Economic Development Conference event from Broadband Communities Magazine may seem like a long way off, but November 7th is just around the corner.

CLIC Day

The Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport will host the event and Christopher will be speaking or leading panels on each day of the conference. There is also a special program on Tuesday, November 7th, from the Coalition for Local Internet Choice (CLIC). The CLIC Day program will focus on legislative issues and how local communities can begin change at home.

Check out the agenda for CLIC day here.

Multi-Topic, Multi-Day

In addition to issues of local authority, the 3-day conference will address a range of issues such as rural broadband solutions, gigabit connectivity in education and economic development, and serving MDUs. There will also be panelists from electric cooperatives, mobile broadband providers, and consultants sharing information and strategies. Legal issues, digital equity, and financing are just a few more topics on the agenda.

Chairman Jim Baller described the group of speakers:

We are assembling an outstanding multi-disciplinary roster of national, regional and local experts, practitioners and community leaders who have highly relevant, first-hand experience. Emphasizing, but not limiting themselves to the Southeast Region, our speakers will provide a wealth of economic research; case histories highlighting what is working well and what is not; and how-to materials and other practical information that attendees can take home and put to immediate use in their communities.

You can see the full list of speakers here.

Broadband Communities Mag Atlanta Conference, Nov. 7 - 9

Posted August 19, 2017 by lgonzalez

This November, Atlanta will be hosting Broadband Communities Magazine Fiber for the New Economy: Economic Development Conference from the 7th - 9th. Register now and start making your plans to attend the conference, to be held at the Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport. There will be a special program the afternoon of Tuesday, November 7th, offered by the Coalition for Local Internet Choice.

Panels will include a range of broadband experts in private, public, and non-profit sectors. In addition to discussions about state efforts on rural broadband solutions, participants will talk about life in gigabit communities and connectivity in education and the workforce.

Electric cooperatives and their role in rural connectivity will also be on the agenda, as will white spaces and 5G. Marketing tools, economic development strategies, MDUs, and digital equity are only a few more topics.

As a special treat, the short film "Do Not Pass Go: The Battle For Broadband" will screen during the lunchtime keynote address on Thursday, November 9th.

Christopher will be participating in the Broadband Champions Speak Out panel on Wednesday, November 8th, at 10 a.m. The group of broadband advocates have all been involved in educating and advancing better connectivity for years. They will provide their opinions on the most pressing issues and set the tone for the conference.

Check out the full agenda here and register to secure your spot here.

Cooperatives Connect Rural America on ILSR’s Building Local Power Podcast

Posted August 10, 2017 by htrostle

Electric cooperatives have the potential to build next-generation networks to provide high-speed Internet service, and they are stepping up to the plate. In episode 26 of the Building Local Power podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Nick Stumo-Langer sits down with Christopher Mitchell and Hannah Trostle to discuss how electric cooperatives are improving Internet access in rural communities.

From Washington to Missouri, many rural folks already have high-speed Internet service through cooperatives. Hannah describes how the cooperatives did that, and then Christopher dives into some of the barriers to local investment. Check out a summary of their research on the resource page Cooperatives Build Community Networks -updated monthly.

This conversation also builds on Building Local Power podcast episode 12 with Karlee Wienmann. Hannah and Karlee discuss how cooperatives work on both Internet access and renewable energy. That episode is available at ILSR.org along with all the other Building Local Power podcast episodes.

Listen to Nick, Hannah, and Christopher in episode 26, Connecting Rural America: Internet Access for All.

"Net Neutrality Has Rural Impact" : Mountain Talk And Mimi Pickering

Posted August 4, 2017 by lgonzalez

As the new administration’s FCC re-examines Network Neutrality rules, rural communities are wondering how any changes may affect areas in the U.S. that already have difficulties obtaining fast, affordable, reliable Internet service. In a recent Mountain Talk podcast, Mimi Pickering tackles the question by talking to several knowledgeable guests.

In addition to Christopher, Mimi talks with other guests who offer insight into why Network Neutrality is critical to rural areas as we move forward. Rural areas tend to feel impacts harder than urban areas. The show includes audio from past interviews, news reports, and events.

Making Connections News describes the show:

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) move to repeal Net Neutrality and classification of Broadband Internet as a Title II Telecommunications Service could have significant impact on rural America, where the digital divide is already the largest.

In this edition of Mountain Talk, host Mimi Pickering explores potential impacts with economist Roberto Gallardo from Mississippi State University Extension Services and Christopher Mitchell, Director of Community Broadband Networks at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

We also hear from a 2015 interview with Edyael Casaperalta, representing the Rural Broadband Working Group of the National Rural Assembly, on the 2015 reclassification of Broadband as a Title II Telecommunications Service and its potential to reduce the digital divide, increase competition, and protect consumers.

Finally, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn talks about her work on the FCC to increase access and affordability for people of color, low income, and rural communities. Her term at the FCC will soon end but she promises to continue to speak for those who are not typically represented and calls on all folks to make their voices heard at the FCC at every opportunity.

Christopher joins the interview at around 30 minutes into the show.

Watch Video From Appalachian Ohio-West Virginia Connectivity Summit

Posted July 20, 2017 by lgonzalez

If you weren’t able to make it to the Appalachian Ohio-West Virginia Connectivity Summit in Marietta, Ohio, on July 18th or if you’re just interested in learning more about improving connectivity in rural areas, you can still almost be there. Video of Christopher’s keynote address is available to view.

The event occurred on July 18th at Washington State Community College in Marietta, Ohio. In addition to Christopher’s presentation, there was a panel discussion about community ownership models. Other experts offering information included Marty Newell from the Center for Rural Strategies, Kate Forscey from Public Knowledge, and former chairwoman of the FCC Mignon L. Clyburn, who also spoke at a Town Hall that evening.

For more information on connecting rural America, including the Appalachian regions, check out these resources:

More Resources:

Access Appalachia page - Our page includes federal statistics on broadband availability and federal subsidies for large Internet Service Providers. Find toolkits and detailed maps of 150 counties in Kentucky, Southeast Ohio, and northern West Virginia.

Central Appalachia Broadband Policy Recommendations from the Central Appalachia Regional Network

The Fiber Broadband Association's Community Toolkit from the Fiber Broadband Association

Broadband Planning Primer and Toolkit from the Appalachian Regional Commission

Get more information from:

Appalshop of Whitesburg, Kentucky

Blandin Foundation

Common Cause

...

Ohio Valley ReSource Covers Appalachian Broadband Summit, Quotes Christopher

Posted July 18, 2017 by Nick

Ohio Valley ReSource - July 18, 2017

Country Connection: Rural Residents Ask FCC To Improve Internet Access

[Republished in WFPL, WKU - Western Kentucky Radio, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WKMS Murray State Radio, WEKU FM]

Written by Benny Becker

More than two million people across the Ohio Valley live in areas that lack any option for fast and reliable internet service. This week some of them had a chance to tell a member of the Federal Communications Commission what that means for their work, studies, and everyday life.

The Appalachian Connectivity Summit in Marietta, Ohio, explored possible local solutions. But the event came during a week that also saw large internet providers suing to stop one way to connect more people to broadband service. ...

Net Gains

For more than a decade, Christopher Mitchell has been working on broadband expansion issues with the Minnesota-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Mitchell gave the connectivity summit’s keynote address, and Frontier got a mention in his talk.

Mitchell argued that too much of the federal money intended to expand rural internet access goes to large companies who’ve been building substandard networks...

community broadband networks

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