Colorado

Comcast, CenturyLink smacked down in Colo.: Voters approve city-owned broadband network by Bob Fernandez, The Philly Inquirer

Disdain for Comcast, CenturyLink drove Fort Collins broadband support by Kevin Duggan, The Coloradoan

The vote-no campaign, which spent a record $451,000, didn’t succeed for the same reason the push for municipal broadband in Fort Collins began five years ago: disdain for current internet service providers.

Companies such as Comcast and CenturyLink have terrible reputations for delivering the internet speeds and reliability customers pay for each month. And there is little love for their service when it comes to dealing with customer complaints and problems.

Despite 'Misinformation' Campaign by Telecom Industry, Municipal Broadband Wins in Colorado by Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams

Led by Comcast, "cable providers campaigned heavily against the Fort Collins move," the Denver Post reports, "spending more than $256,000 in television and radio ads." The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), however, says that by the time of the election, "that figure had jumped to more than $450,000." In an effort to promote the ballot measure, local residents formed the Fort Collins Citizens Broadband Committee, which raised less than $10,000, but was ultimately victorious.

Michigan

Local communities deserve to make their own choices by Christopher Mitchell, The Times Herald

California

Gigabit internet should be a universal utility in San Francisco, says city report by Colin Wood, StateScoop

Colorado

Despite Comcast's "misinformation campaign," Colorodans vote en masse to reject ban on municipal internet, Boing Boing

Sorry, Comcast: Voters say “yes” to city-run broadband in Colorado by Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica

Colorado Voters Strike Down Comcast's Awful State Law by Karl Bode, DSL Reports

"I was very encouraged with the passage today, and particularly with the headwinds of incumbents trying to misinform the electorate," Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell said of CenturyLink and Comcast's behavior ahead of the vote. "And also, I was very disappointed in the (Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce) playing an active role in misinformation. I think there is some accountability that has to come out post-election."

Comcast has a lot to lose if municipal broadband takes off by Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica

"Evidence from other cities suggests that a real choice in broadband services could reduce Comcast's revenues by millions of dollars per month," the group, which advocates for municipal broadband projects, wrote in a [Community Broadband Networks’] policy brief. "Competition in Fort Collins would cost Comcast between $5.4 million and $22.8 million per year. In Seattle, robust competition would cost between $20 million and $84 million per year."

California

San Francisco Has Approved a Plan For City-Wide Fiber Internet by Brad Jones, Futurism

As of last week, San Francisco is the first major city in the United States to commit to connecting each of its homes and businesses to a fiber optic network. The Fiber for San Francisco Initiative has recommended that procurement for a fiber optic network in San Francisco begin “as early as possible.”

To close the digital divide, California approves $330 million broadband infrastructure fund by Colin Wood, StateScoop

Colorado

Comcast Tries to Derail Fort Collins Community Broadband by Karl Bode, DSL Reports

Of course if companies like Comcast really wanted to prevent towns and cities from getting into the broadband business, they could provide cheaper, better services. These towns and cities aren't getting into broadband because it's fun, they're doing so because they're so disgusted by duopoly pricing, service quality and abysmal customer service that they're looking for more creative alternatives.

Small providers whose aim is network competition have met stiff resistance by Charles Ashby, The Daily Sentinel

A shifting focus: Is broadband infrastructure a function of government or business? By Charles Ashby, The Daily Sentinel 

Digital Divide by Charles Ashby, The Daily Sentinel

Alabama

Could 'citizen-owned' internet service come to Montgomery? By Brad Harper, Montgomery Advertiser

California

Rural broadband bill signed by Gov. Brown by Staff Reporting, Record-Bee

San Francisco Just Took A Huge Step Toward Internet Utopia By Susan Crawford, Wired

Colorado

Our view: A cautious yes on Fort Collins broadband by The Editorial Board, The Coloradoan

‘Opt-out’ votes look like slam dunks in Silverthorne, Dillon by Eli Pace, Summit Daily

Fort Collins considers municipal broadband by Adam Hammond, ABC 7 Denver

Big Telecom Spent $200,000 to Try to Prevent a Colorado Town From Even Talking About a City-Run Internet by Kaleigh Rogers, Motherboard

Indiana

State works to have high-speed internet in all schools within 2 years by Arika Herron, Indy Star

Michigan

California

San Francisco moving closer to building a city-owned Internet network By Dominic Fracassa, SF Gate

Colorado

Avon mayor: Vote ‘yes’ on 2B to allow town authority to provide broadband services by Mayor Jennie Fancher, Vail Daily

Loveland City Council Ward I candidate Lenard Larkin, Reporter-Herald

I support municipal broadband. It is the most cost efficient, customer-responsive form of broadband. Customer service can be in Loveland. Any private interference will mean overseas customer support. From Sandy, Oregon, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, this is shown to be the best format for our future.

About $20,000 invested in Fort Collins broadband ballot issue by Kevin Duggan, The Coloradoan

Fort Collins looks to Longmont for broadband lessons by Kevin Duggan, The Coloradoan

Louisville Question 2G: High-speed internet authorization, Daily Camera

Florida

Commissioner Justin Troller makes pitch for Lakeland broadband service by Christopher Guinn, News Chief

Michigan

Colorado

Letter: Municipal broadband connects us all by Zach Shelton, The Coloradoan

Broadband is the glue that connects all of us in the medical field and has increasingly become an equally important tool in our doctor bag. Please vote yes on 2B to ensure we have the opportunity as a city to improve our internet infrastructure to meet the needs of our clinic and many other businesses and individuals in Fort Collins.

Letter: Broadband represents Fort Collins' future by David Austin-Groen, The Coloradoan

FAQ: Fort Collins broadband on the November ballot by Kevin Duggan, The Coloradoan

Florida

Commentary: Cable competition? Winter Park considers it, and Spectrum gets nervous by Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel

For consumers, though, fear and competition can be good.

Don’t take it from me. Take it from consumer-advocate groups like the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which is cheering on Winter Park and other cities, encouraging them to invest in technology and become less reliant on cable and internet providers that have near-monopolies in many markets.

Of course the cable companies will protest, said Christopher Mitchell, the president of the Minneapolis-based Institute. “They’ve fought it in every single city,” he said. “But this is like Starbucks telling a city they shouldn’t have their own coffee machines.”

Idaho

Arizona

Contentious broadband meeting by Alexis Bechman, Payson Roundup

Colorado

County agrees on plan to finish broadband project by Niki Turner, Herald Times

Idaho

Unique Model Makes Citizens A Funding Partner In Broadband Network By Craig Settles, The Daily Yonder

The Ammon Model by Bryan Clark, Post Register

Participants in Thursday’s conference praised a revolutionary model that uses upfront public investment in order to create a marketplace where residents benefit from intense competition between private internet service providers, competition that’s rarely seen elsewhere in the market.

“Ammon has inspired many other communities around the country,” said Chris Mitchell, policy director of Next Century Cities. “… Ammon has one of the most replicable models (for municipal fiber-optic systems).”

Pennsylvania

Slow internet plagues rural areas of Erie County by David Bruce, Go Erie

Virginia

Orange County Broadband Initiative Moves Forward by Jennifer Walker, NBC 29

This grant will lay the foundation for future internet plans in the Orange community and act as an additive to programs that are already in place.

Idaho

City of Ammon Announces Launch Date for Fiber Utility Services by East Idaho News Staff, East Idaho News

The City’s fiber network is the first of its kind, and puts the small Idaho town on the front lines of infrastructure and economic development. While the city paid for the installation of the fiber infrastructure, the network is “open access”, which allows multiple private internet service providers to compete for customers on the same dedicated fiber line to the home or business.

Massachusetts

Effort To Close Broadband Connectivity Gap Is On-Going In Western Mass. by JD Allen, WAMC Northeast Public Radio

“We will build a stronger commonwealth of Massachusetts when we build stronger communities,” Polito says.

Polito says communities in western Massachusetts lacking broadband internet share challenges. She says without high-speed internet, businesses, schools, and government services can fall short.

Missouri

Rural broadband roundtable calls for federal intervention to increase access by Andrew Sheeley, The Salem News Online

McCaskill pushed Verizon to Change Course on Dropping Nearly 8,500 Customers by Jasmine Adams, KFVS

Virginia

County Broadband Project Progresses by Amber Galaviz, Orange County Review

California

Santa Clarita Begins Broadband Internet Feasibility Study by SCV News

Riverside County Lays Out Case For Countywide Affordable Broadband Project by News Desk, Banning Patch

Riverside County Chief Data Officer Tom Mullen announced the release of three new resource pages explaining the value of affordable, gigabit, high-speed, broadband internet service for businesses, residents and those who lack reliable internet access in the tenth most populous county in the U.S.

Rural Broadband Bill on Governor's Desk by Special to the Enterprise, Davis Enterprise

Bill to devote $330 million to rural broadband heads to governor’s desk by Lake County News

Colorado

The Wait for Broadband Service Could Get Even Longer by Niki Turner, Herald Times

Is Broadband Access Around the Corner? By Regan Tuttle, Telluride News

Ohio

Johnson speaks about Broadband Expansion by Janell Hunter, The Times Leader

Texas

Georgia

Cagle joins Ferguson in Pushing Broadband by Winston Skinner, The Newnan Times-Herald

The lieutenant governor, who is a candidate for governor, recently announced his plan for speeding the deployment of high-speed broadband to underserved areas in rural Georgia.

“Strong infrastructure represents a bedrock component of any strategy to create access to good paying jobs,” Cagle said.

Kentucky

Tenn.-based Cable Provider to Bring Service to Warren County by Don Sergent, Bowling Green Daily News

Maine

EPA and USDA to Help Two Maine Communities with Economic Development Goals, United States Environmental Protection Agency

North Carolina

Internet still Problematic by Josh Bowles, Montgomery Herald

Ohio

Limited high-speed internet access in rural Ohio counties causes a digital divide by Bennett Leckrone, The Post

Johnson said it’s difficult to get large companies to provide internet to rural counties with fewer people when there are other markets available. Thus, the responsibility of installing equipment and providing better internet access often falls to small companies.