On this week's episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, ILSR's Senior Reporter, Editor, and Researcher Sean Gonsalves, along with Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer Maren Machles, chat with Paul Recanzone, the general manager of Beacon Broadband, about Beacon's plan to build out broadband where no one has before. 

Beacon Broadband is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative, which has been serving electricity to parts of Coos and Curry counties for the last 80 years. In April 2021, the cooperative broke ground on a fiber-to-the-home network that promises to serve the more than 20 percent of cooperative members who don't have broadband. 

The three discuss the impetus for the project, as well as hopes for the network's impact on the economy and community as a whole. 

This show is 30 minutes long and can be played on this page or via iTunes or the tool of your choice using this feed. You can listen to the interview on this page or visit the Community Broadband Bits page.

Read the transcript here. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or view all episodes in our index.

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This week on the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Executive Director of the ConnectMaine Authority, Peggy Schaffer to discuss strategies that might make Maine and other states successful in solving connectivity issues with the $42 billion in broadband funding the new infrastructure plan sets aside to go directly to states.

States will receive the funding directly and not through the FCC, as has worked in the past. The bill specifically says that when states award the grant money, they “may not exclude cooperatives . . . public or private utilities, public utility districts, or local governments from eligibility for such grant funds," which will allow states without restrictions on municipal networks to seriously consider investing in them. They discuss how this new structure will allow for more accountability and will prompt states to think critically about how to spend the funds. Schaffer, who helped shape the broadband piece of the infrastructure bill, talks about the conversations she’s having with communities across the state of Maine as they prepare to receive the funding, and how she is imploring them to think about future-proof solutions.

This show is 26 minutes long and can be played on this page or via iTunes or the tool of your choice using this feed. You can listen to the interview on this page or visit the Community Broadband Bits page.

Transcript coming soon. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or view all episodes...

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Bruce McDougall, Anacortes City Council Member to speak about the journey to build a 21st century infrastructure in this small community in Washington by advocating for a municipally owned and operated fiber optic network. 

McDougall talks about the power municipal networks hold to be an economic driver, by connecting business districts and residents and attracting more investment in the area. He recaps his advocacy both as a citizen and ultimately, a city council member, and further details the process of educating city council and the mayor about community broadband, which involved everything from 'Broadband 101' presentations to immersive visits to neighboring communities who had successfully built their own citywide fiber optic infrastructure. 

The two talk about the success of Anacortes' network, Access-Anacortes which started connecting customers in early 2020, lessons learned and hopes for expansion in the near future with funding from the federal infrastructure bill. 

This show is 33 minutes long and can be played on this page or via iTunes or the tool of your choice using this feed. You can listen to the interview on this page or visit the Community Broadband Bits page.

Read the transcript here. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or view all episodes in our index...

On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Matthew Rantanen, Director of Technology for the  Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association along with Maren Machles, ILSR Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer to talk about the first iteration of the Tribal Wireless Bootcamp, which took place from June 30 through July 4.

The Bootcamp, made possible with a grant from the Internet Society, was aimed at sharing skills and experiences with tribes that are at differing stages of deploying networks from the recently dispersed 2.5 GHz spectrum licenses by the FCC. The goal was to walk away with knowledge, a network of cohorts and support, along with ideas about how to further build sustainable, resilient networks back in their communities.

The group discusses the Bootcamp’s inception, only months prior and the meaningful lessons and solutions that many attendees were able to walk away with. The tribes and tribal networks that attended and/or participated were Acorn Wireless (Hoopa Valley Tribe), Kawaika Hanu Internet (Pueblo of Laguna), Nation of Hawaii, Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, and the Yurok Connect Internet (Yurok Tribe). The bootcamp was sponsored by the Internet Society with support from ILSR, American Indian Policy Institute, TreeTop Networks, Althea Networks, The Point, X-Lab, MoHuman, ISOC DC Chapter, TDVNet, MRR Design, and Triforce Strategies. 

This show is 44 minutes long and can be played on this page or via iTunes or the tool of your choice using this feed. You can listen to the interview on this page or visit the Community Broadband Bits page.

Read the ...