Tag: "transcript"

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 369

Posted August 16, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episdoe 369 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher talks to Greg Dean from the South Dakota Telecommunications Association. They discuss how the association's membership, which includes cooperatives, municipalities, and locally-owned companies, has invested and continues to invest in high-speed fiber connectivity for rural South Dakota. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Greg Dean: Our companies, collectively they're going to spend right to the tune of about $700 million to make sure that broadband is available and working for the citizens within their service areas, for the citizens of South Dakota.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 369 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. If you live in South Dakota, you're no stranger to large swaths of rural landscapes. If you live in one of these rural landscapes, chances are good you're also no stranger to high speed Internet access. Even though much of the state is covered with ranch and farmland, cooperatives, tribal community and small ISPs, and a few municipalities are investing in high-quality connectivity for folks in South Dakota. Many of these providers are members of the South Dakota Telecommunications Association. This week their director of industry relations, Greg Dean, talked with Christopher about connectivity in such a rural state. Greg describes what the SDTA does for members and how their connections to local communities have influenced decisions and their ability to understand local needs. He discusses how working together has helped expand high-quality Internet access, funding, and how broadband is more important than ever in rural communities. Now here's Christopher and Greg Dean from the South Dakota Telecommunications Association.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another, another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis. And I'm just starting the show for a second time after Greg and I are having this great conversation, so hopefully this won't seem a little bit stale to y'all. But I'll introduce Greg Dean, who is the director of industry relations...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 368

Posted August 12, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 368 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Jess Del Fiacco interviews Christopher about the state of municipal broadband preemption laws across the country. They discusses changes to our count, how our analysis of preemption differs from BroadbandNow.com's reporting, and which states may enact or remove restrictive laws. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Christopher Mitchell: I say legislatures really do want to see more investment and are recognizing that limiting investment is not the way to get more investment.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 368 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. There's a lot of local internet infrastructure investment going on these days, but in some states, local communities have to overcome state laws that make investment more difficult and in some cases may even ban that investment. If your community is looking into a municipal network solution to improve local connectivity, you may have seen conflicting reports about whether or not your state maintains barriers to local community networks. If you've been researching recently and noticed that several states have made changes, you may be more confused than ever. In this episode of the podcast, Christopher and our communications specialist, Jess Del Fiacco, address that confusion. They talk about how different sources report on what is a barrier and what we define as barriers. We've made some changes to our list this year. Christopher explains why we reduced the number of states that we consider maintaining preemptive laws to local telecommunications authority. If you want to learn more details about the remaining 19 states with preemptions in place, we recommend checking out baller.com's resource library. Their document titled "State Restrictions on Community Broadband Services or Other Public Communications Initiatives" offers a state by state explanation of each preemptive barrier. We'll also provide a link on the podcast page. Now here's Christopher and Jess on state preemption.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the ⁠—

Jess Del Fiacco: Hold on Chris. I...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 367

Posted August 9, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 367 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher speaks with John Lester and Brian Eisele from Clarkvsille and Johnson County, Arkansas, about Clarksville Connected Utilities' fiber network and how it's benefitting residents and businesses. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

John Lester: It almost sounds like we're beginning to build a millennial Mecca here, where you can get the things easy but still have access to the rest of the world almost instantly.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 367 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. We've been following Clarksville, Arkansas, for a few years now. They started by developing a fiber network to use SCADA to improve utilities' efficiencies. Now they're on their way to a citywide Fiber-to-the-Home network. This week Christopher talks with John Lester from Clarksville Connected Utilities and Brian Eisele, a local business owner who leads the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce. They discuss the road Clarksville has traveled toward their decision to deploy Fiber-to-the-Home and some of the data points that encourage them to press forward. John talks about some of the unique choices Clarksville has made when designing their network to ensure its public purpose. Brian offers the perspective shared by Clarksville's business and residential sector. We also get to hear some of the specific examples of how the network has boosted economic development and some of the other ways Clarksville Connected Utilities is embracing the future. There was a little bit of a glitch when recording John's audio, so bear with us. The quality isn't as good as it usually is. Now, here's Chris with John Lester from Clarksville Connected Utilities and Brian Eisele, an independent business owner and leader of the local Chamber of Commerce.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis, and today I'm speaking with John Lester, the general manager of Clarksville Connected Utilities. Welcome back to the show, John.

John Lester: ...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 366

Posted July 28, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 366 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This episode originally ran as episode 77 of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Building Local Power podcast. In it, Christopher speaks with experts Gigi Sohn and Blair Levin about the possible impacts of the proposed Sprint and T-Mobile merger. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and today I'm going to introduce a double interview special. We put together this show for the Building Local Power podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance but thought you might enjoy it as well. I recommend subscribing to the Building Local Power show for provocative interviews that you cannot find elsewhere about stopping monopolies and reclaiming the power in our communities. You're about to hear me and my colleague Hibba setting up another interview about the T-Mobile and Sprint merger and then talking about 5G more generally as well as why policymakers and frankly lots of people should listen to what analysts on Wall Street are saying. That's even if we strongly prefer our main street businesses and we're worried about the power of Wall Street. It's still smart to listen to these analysts. We'll talk about that toward the end of the show. Too many people, I think, listen to what the big telephone and cable companies are saying in their advertising and to policymakers, but they're ignoring what those same big monopolies tell Wall Street but the reason we should listen to what they tell Wall Street is that they can get punished for lying to investors, while we know, if you've been paying attention, that there are very few consequences for lying to us or for lying to policymakers. You can walk into a state capitol and say whatever you want, but if you're a big monopoly lying, you're still gonna be able to take meetings, get meetings with anyone you want. That's just how it works out there. So the Wall Street analysts often have, I think, insight that would be useful. And so, we'll talk about it toward the end, but we're going...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 365

Posted July 17, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 365 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. In this episode, Christopher speaks with Cody Crooks from Rio Blanco County about their broadband project, which is bringing high-speed fiber and wireless connectivity to residents of the Colorado county. Listen to the show, or read the transcript below.

Cody Crooks: It's pretty incredible to see our community, even though we're still a small ranching community, that people really care about connectivity and for some families it does drive where they live.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 365 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. While Christopher attended the Mountain Connect broadband conference in Colorado, he met up with one of the folks working on the Rio Blanco County broadband network project, Cody Crooks. The open access network has long been on our radar due to the scope of the project and rural nature of the area it serves. In this interview, Cody updates us on their progress and describes why the western Colorado county chose that particular model, and he also explains how they've tweaked it to suit their environment. Cody offers his ideas on why the Rio Blanco County fiber network is reaching such high take rates, and he shares a few stories of subscribers who came to the community specifically for the fiber. He talks about how they funded the network and describes the benefits it has brought. Chris and Cody also talk about Project THOR, a regional effort established when local communities decided to band together to reduce costs and improve connectivity. Now, here's Chris with Cody Crooks from Rio Blanco County, Colorado.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, normally in Minneapolis, but today in Keystone technically, near Dillon, in Colorado for Mountain Connect. I'm talking to Cody Crooks, the Rio Blanco County director of communications. Welcome to the show.

Cody Crooks: Thank you.

Christopher Mitchell: So Cody, you are running one of the most fascinating networks...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 364

Posted July 10, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 364 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. For this episdoe, Christopher speaks with David Young, former Fiber Infrastructure and Right-of-Way Manager for the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. They discuss the city's conduit network, its partnership with Allo, and how the broadband infrastructure is creating new opportunities for Lincoln. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

David Young: Competition works in a dense urban environment. I think that that's one measurement of success.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 364 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. This week we have another interview Christopher recorded while at the Mountain Connect broadband conference in Colorado. He caught up with one of our returning guests, David Young. If you're a fan of the podcast, you will immediately associate David with Lincoln, Nebraska, but David is now working in Kansas City, Kansas. Christopher and David reviewed the years long project in Lincoln that started with conduit and has culminated in a citywide Fiber-to-the-Home network. David discusses how the community worked within the confines of one of the most restrictive state laws and some of the technical aspects of their conduit deployment that led to where they are today. He also discusses their partnership with ISP Allo and their agreement. David talks about Lincoln's decision to pursue a public-private partnership and some of the considerations other communities should review as they look at various network models. David and Christopher spend some time reviewing some of the many benefits Lincoln has enjoyed due to the presence of the network. Now here's Christopher with David Young.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I did it a little differently that time because I'm at Mountain Connect sitting across from former multiple guest, David Young. Welcome back to the show. David.

David Young: Hi, Chris. How are you?

Christopher Mitchell: We're at Mountain Connect. It's a wonderful event. And David graced us with his presence this year, so I found an excuse to shove a mic in...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 363

Posted July 9, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 363 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. In this episdoe of Community Broadband Bits, Christopher interviews Brian Worthen of Mammoth Networks. They discuss how the Wyoming-based company is providing connectivity and backhaul in the American West, and they talk about the future of rural broadband. Listen to the podcast, or read the transcript below.

Brian Worthen: Communities that put emphasis on it now are much further ahead than the communities that just simply quote they are going to do it in the future.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 363 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Mountain Connect is one of Christopher's favorite events. He and other experts, advocates, and professionals gather together in Colorado in the summers, and if he's lucky, Christopher can record a few interviews for the podcast. This week we're sharing his conversation with Brian Worthen, CEO of Mammoth Networks. Brian and Christopher discuss the different services Mammoth offers and some of the discoveries they've made about operating in sparsely populated places where the geography varies. They also discuss some of the projects that Mammoth has been working on, including Project THOR, which will connect existing and new fiber in northwest Colorado for better connectivity in the region. Other topics the guys discuss include federal versus local rural broadband efforts, Connect America Funding, utilities and cooperatives, and low earth orbit satellites. Here's Christopher with Mammoth Networks' Brian Worthen recorded in Dillon, Colorado, at 2019's Mountain Connect.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and today I'm talking to Brian Worthen with Mammoth Networks.

Brian Worthen: Yes, that's correct, Chris.

Christopher Mitchell: That was a question because all of a sudden I just think of you as Mammoth. I know that you're not a muffin from Perkins. Mammoth Networks. Welcome to the show, Brian.

Brian Worthen: Thank you. Thank you for...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 362

Posted June 28, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 362 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Matt Rantanen, wearer of many hats, about creative solutions for connecting tribal lands. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Jess Del Fiacco: Welcome to episode 362 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. This is Jess Del Fiacco filling in for Lisa Gonzalez. This week, Christopher chats with Matt Rantanen, director of technology at the Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association and director of the Tribal Digital Village Network. They discuss Matt's experiences finding creative solutions for better connectivity in Indian country, which often involves working throughout tricky terrain. Matt also talks about how the FCC's impact on tribal communities has changed in recent years, why broadband is continuing to become more and more important on reservations, and some promising new tools that are becoming available. We also get to learn about Matt's newest project, a company called Arcadian Infracom that's working to create diverse fiber paths throughout the U.S., thanks to some innovative partnerships with tribal communities. Now here's Matt and Christopher.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and today I'm talking to my good friend Matt Rantanen who — now pace yourself for this — is the director of technology of Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association and director of the Tribal Digital Village Network. Welcome back, Matt.

Matt Rantanen: Hey, good to be here, Chris.

Christopher Mitchell: So I'm excited. I know that you have a very interesting project going on in the southwest that we're going to talk about here in a minute, but first of all, I think just for people who haven't heard of it before, do you want to just very quickly remind us what Tribal Digital Village is?

Matt Rantanen: Sure. The Tribal Digital Village is an initiative that was started with a Hewlett Packard grant back in 2001 that essentially was designed to bring resource programs to...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 361

Posted June 21, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 361 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, our very own Jess Del Fiacco speaks with Christopher about 5G hype, open access networks, federal broadband subsidies, and more. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Jess Del Fiacco: But I think we're glossing over the takeaway, which is that 5G is going to cure cancer.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 361 of the Community Boadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Yes, it's true: the 5G hype has now reached the same level as the old timey snake oil salesmen, and Christopher has something to say about it. This week, he and our communications specialist Jess Del Fiacco tackle a questionable ad from Verizon along with several other timely topics. They discuss a recent report from M-Lab that compares real world Internet access speeds and self-reported results from ISPs. Jess and Christopher also discuss the recent news about Ammon, Idaho, where their software defined open access fiber network is creating a competitive environment where Internet access rates are incredibly affordable. Along with Ammon, they discuss the open access model and some of the pros and cons. Lastly, we hear a discussion about the possible cap on the Universal Service Fund. Christopher talks about the fund, what it does, and explains what might happen if this idea is adopted. Now, here's Jess and Christopher.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell, and we're back with another of a perhaps series that we'll call perhaps either "Chris Unleashed" or Chris Unhinged," depending on your point of view. But we have Jess Del Fiacco back in the studio/office to talk about a couple of topics that are a little bit hot in the news.

Jess Del Fiacco: Yeah, at least from my perspective. I mean, you know, national media might not be paying extremely close attention, especially to this first one, but we'll see.

Christopher Mitchell: Right, it's not like an incredible breaking news story about who has just surged one or two percentage points up among their 23 competitors for an election that won't be held until...

Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 360

Posted June 11, 2019 by Katie Kienbaum

This is the transcript for episode 360 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher speaks with Ben Bawtree-Jobson from SiFi Networks about how the company is building an open access network in Fullerton, California. Listen to episode 360, or read the transcript below.

Ben Bawtree-Jobson: We found a great solution here economically to deliver the same solution to a city but without that city taking on any burden, and that is the case in Fullerton. There's no financial burden to the city whatsoever.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 360 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Not long ago, fiber optic network developer SiFi Networks and the city of Fullerton, California, announced that they will be working together to build an open access Fiber-to-the-Premise network throughout the city. They've established an aggressive timeline and a partnership in which the company will fund the infrastructure development, find ISPs to operate on it, and handle the task of connecting businesses and residents to the network. In this interview with SiFi Networks CEO Ben Bawtree-Jobson, we learn more about the company, their approach, and the plan to connect people in the southern California city. We find out more about SiFis other projects and how they've adapted their model to suit working in the U.S. Ben explains some of the company's thoughts on micro trenching, allocation of risk, and the many uses they foresee for the fiber network beyond Internet access for the population of Fullerton. Here's Christopher with Ben Bawtree-Jobson of SIFi Networks.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm in Minneapolis, and today I'm talking to Ben Bawtree-Jobson, the CEO at SiFi. Welcome to the show, Ben.

Ben Bawtree-Jobson: Thank you for having me.

Christopher Mitchell: Well, I'm excited to have you. I'm a huge fan of science fiction, and I think we're going to be talking nothing but future interplanetary plane travel, right?

Ben Bawtree-Jobson: Yeah, perhaps. Yeah, we often get confused...

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