Fred Pilot, founder of the Camino Fiber Network Cooperative, recently wrote about the importance of community ownership in California's oldest newspaper. An excerpt:

The Camino Fiber Network Cooperative was formed in 2009 with the recognition that unless county residents and businesses — particularly those located in underserved central portions of the county — step into the gap and build their own infrastructure, the county is in clear danger of being left without modern telecommunications services. That would render it an undesirable location to purchase or rent a home or operate a small business, degrading the county’s current and future economic viability. To avoid this scenario, the Camino Fiber Network Cooperative intends to construct a consumer-owned, open access fiber optic to the premises network that will meet today’s needs as well as those of the future. For membership and other information including a consumer survey, visit the co-op’s Website.

A brief update from the Camino Fiber Network Cooperative of El Dorado County in California - the Sacramento Bee ran an article earlier this summer covering the coop's approach to expanding broadband (though they may no longer use the term broadband). Fred Pilot has spear-headed this movement, recognizing that if the community does not pull together and build something themselves, they are not likely to gain access to modern communications.

Currently the co-op is surveying the community through the website, www.caminofiber.net; trying to sign up members for the cooperative; and seeking funding for a technical study of how and whether they could connect to a middle mile source. To hire an expert will cost $30,000 to $50,000, Pilot said.

Stay up to date via the Camino Fiber Network website.

I added these links to our link section in the right column, but wanted to note them explicitly. One of the goals of this site is to catalog what groups around the country are organizing for better networks that put the community first - if you know of groups, please let us know. In California's El Dorado County, the Camino Fiber Network Cooperative is seeking ways to finance building broadband to people who currently have no options. Thanks to Eldo Telecom for tipping me off. In Massachusetts, many communities in the western half of the state have no or poor broadband access, which is why Wired West is investigating options for a publicly owned, open access network.