This is the transcript for episode 314 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. John Gavan and Brad Harding from Colorado join the show to discuss economic development, electric cooperatives, and broadband service. Listen to this episode here.

Brad Harding: It really came from a concern for the community. At that time, we had just lost a 300 - 325 member coal mine. So we sat around the table for probably the better part of the year and said what can we do to change this, and at the same time we were also dreaming big.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 314 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Colorado communities have been busy over the past few years, and that includes the folks in Delta and Montrose counties. Back in June, while Christopher was at the Mountain Connect event, he sat down with John Gavan from Delta County Economic Development and Brad Harding of First Colorado National Bank. Both are on the board of the local electric cooperative, the Delta Montrose Electric Association or DMEA. DMEA is involved in developing its infrastructure to bring high-quality connectivity to members. They're also exploring new uses for their infrastructure that involve innovations in the electrical generation and storage field. In this interview, Christopher, John and Brad talk about the impetus behind the infrastructure project, funding and how the co-op member helped drive the project by showing up and expressing their need for broadband. Learn more about the Elevate project at DMEA.com. Now, here's Christopher with John Gavan and Brad Harding from the Delta Montrose Electric Association.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self Reliance and I'm still in Vail, Colorado, not as you're listening to this, but as I'm recording it at the Mountain Connect event, one of my favorite broadband conferences in the nation. Today I'm sitting here talking to two folks from the Delta, Montrose counties of Colorado. Let me introduce you to John Gavan, president of Delta County Economic Development. Welcome to the show.

This is the transcript for episode 313 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Terry Huval of LUS Fiber reflects on the process of creating a community network. Listen to this episode here.

Terry Huval: There never was a level playing field in Louisiana and it still is not. Our competitors have far more resources and play much harder ball politics than anything we could, we could do on our own. We're fortunate we have a community that was brave enough to support our vision to put this system in place.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 313 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. The folks in Lafayette, Louisiana dealt with challenge and adversity as they develop their fiber to the home network LUS Fiber. In addition to warding off both legal and strategic attacks from the big incumbent ISPs, community leaders have had to be mindful of strict state rules that impose added restrictions on their operations. This week, Christopher talks with one of the people instrumental in bringing high quality Internet access to the people of Lafayette. Terry Huval. Terry is retiring soon, and we wanted to hear some of his reflections on what went well, what were some of the community's toughest challenges, and how they've met and exceeded the goals they set. using the fiber network as a critical development tool. There is much to the story of Lafayette, including our 2012 report Broadband at the Speed of Light. For more, check out muninetworks.org. Now, here's Christopher with Terry Huval from Lafayette Utility System.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self Reliance, back in my office in Minneapolis. But today I'm speaking with Terry Huval, the director of Lafayette Utility System in Lafayette, Louisiana. Welcome back to the show.

Terry Huval: Bonjour!

Christopher Mitchell: How are things down there, deep in Cajun country?

Terry Huval: Oh, it's nice and steamy and hot and beautiful.

Christopher Mitchell: Just the way you like it, I am sure.

Terry Huval: Absolutely.

This is the transcript for episode 132 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Christopher interviews Tony Neal-Graves from Colorado's Broadband Office at Mountain Connect. Listen to this episode here.

Tony Neal-Graves: And one of the things I would say about my role is that everywhere I go around the state, the first question I always ask is, how can the state help you in solving the problem that you have?

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 312 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Here's another interview Christopher recorded while at the Mountain Connect conference event in Vail, Colorado. This time he spoke with Tony Neal-Graves, who works for the state of Colorado, heading up their Broadband Office. Christopher and Tony covered issues such as changes in Colorado's legislation, FCC versus state data collection, electric cooperatives, and the way local and regional governments work together toward rural broadband deployment. They get into other topics as well that reflect why Colorado is one of the states that seems to be ahead of the pack when it comes to improving rural Internet access. Now, here's Christopher with Tony Neal-Graves from the Colorado Broadband Office.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell, still in Vail, Colorado, at the Mountain Connect conference. Today I'm talking to someone I hoped to talk to last year, but you got away from me, Tony Neal-Graves, the executive director of the Broadband Office here in Colorado. Welcome to the show.

Tony Neal-Graves: Thank you, Chris. Good to be here.

Christopher Mitchell: So, last year you came in and you talked about how you're a little bit new to the office. But I think the best thing to do to start off and just say what does the Broadband Office do here in Colorado?

This is the transcript for episode 311 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Christopher Mitchell gets an update on how folks in Larimer County, Colorado, are improving their communities' high-speed Internet access. Listen to this episode here.

Jacob Castillo: We'd love to see jobs created, wealth generated, that are low impact, environmentally-friendly types of jobs, and one of the enabling factors for that is high speed Internet.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 311 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. While Christopher was at the Mountain Connect conference event in Vail, Colorado, he caught up with other attendees and presenters. Some of the people he checked in with were from communities that are engaged in exploring better local connectivity. Drew Davis, Jacob Castillo, and Mark Pfaffinger from Larimer County, Colorado, were at the conference and took time to update Christopher on their efforts. They've recently received results from a survey and share some of the surprises that they discovered from people in Larimer County. In addition to improving connectivity in Larimer county for students and families, Drew, Jacob, and Mark were encouraged by the economic development possibilities broadband can bring. The guys also discussed the different strategies the county may take, and the role they expect Larimer County to play as the community moves forward. Now, here's Christopher with Drew Davis. Jacob Castillo and Mark Pfaffinger from Larimer County, Colorado.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Chris Mitchell coming to you from Vail, Colorado, once again, home of the Mountain Connect conference for 2018, sitting across from three folks from Larimer County: Drew Davis, the broadband program manager for the county. Welcome to the show.

Drew Davis: Thanks Chris. It's a pleasure to be here.

Christopher Mitchell: We've got Jacob Castillo, the director of economic and workforce development. Welcome to the show.

Jacob Castillo: Thank you. Pleasure to be here.

This is the transcript for episode 310 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. In this episode, Rick Smith joins the show to dicuss Colorado's connectivity. Listen to this episode here.

Rick Smith: I've always held to the belief that just because we choose to live in rural Colorado does not mean we shouldn't have services on par with the urban areas of Colorado. If we don't solve this problem, there's not going to be a white knight come marching into town and and save the day.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 310 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Christopher is on the road again. This time he's in Colorado at the Mountain Connect event in Vail. While he's there, he's having all sorts of conversations that we want to share. The first of his guests is Rick Smith from Cortez, Colorado. Rick was last on the show way back in 2014 for episode number 98. Rick and the community have learned a lot since then about open access, working with ISPs, and what direction they want to go next. In addition to sharing lessons learned, Rick and Chris discussed potential plans for the future, which include the Cortez pilot project and the city's foray into retail services. They also discuss what Cortez is discovering as they examine a possible citywide build out, funding options, and ways to overcome their digital divide. Now, here's Christopher with Rick Smith from Cortez, Colorado.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell, recording live in Vail, Colorado at the wonderful and the ever so valuable Mountain Connect conference, sitting here across from Rick Smith, the director of general services for the city of Cortez, and a repeat guest on the show. Welcome back, Rick.

Rick Smith: Thank you very much, Chris.

Christopher Mitchell: Cortez is in the southwest corner of Colorado. It's a rural area in Montezuma County. What else should people know about it if they're not familiar?

This is the transcript for Episode 309 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. The towns of Baileyville and Calais, Maine, joined forces to create a the Downeast Broadband Utility. Christopher interviews Julie Jordan, the director of the project.

Julie Jordan: You couldn't really go out and attract young people or new employers without this good piece of infrastructure.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 309 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. As one of our most rural states,q Maine has many regions lacking in high quality connectivity. Over the past few years, we've seen several communities engage in projects to develop publicly owned networks. They want to bring broadband to places where big ISP won't upgrade their services. In this week's podcast, Christopher talks with Julie Jordan, who lives and works in one of those rural Maine communities. The towns of Baileyville and Calais have joined together to form the Downeast Broadband Utility. They plan to deploy a fiber optic network in the region for residents and businesses. Their project caught the eye of the Post Road Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is researching the possibilities of linking smart grid applications and multiple utility functions. In this interview, Christopher talks with Julie about the Downeast Broadband Utility project, some of the challenges they've had to overcome, and how the Post Road Foundation will be involved in studying their project. Now here's Christopher with Julie Jordan from the Downeast Broadband Utility in Maine.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self Reliance up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. And today I'm speaking with Julie Jordan, the director of the Downeast Broadband Utility. Welcome to the show.

Julie Jordan: Thanks, Chris.

This is the transcript for episode 308 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Mayor Marian Orr of Cheyenne, Wyoming, joins the show to discuss broadband access in the state. Listen to this episode here.

Marian Orr: The incumbents will claim that we are actually a terabyte city and I have yet to see that.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 308 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Cheyenne, Wyoming, home to more than 60,000 people, seems like a place densely populated enough to encourage the incumbents to offer fast, affordable, reliable connectivity. While big ISPs claimed that the city is sufficiently served, businesses and residents don't agree. Speeds are not where they need to be and rates are high. In order to solve the situation, community leaders, including Mayor Marian Orr, have been looking into possible solutions. Mayor Orr took some time out of her schedule to talk to Christopher for this week's podcast. In addition to some of the steps the community is taking, Mayor Orr and Christopher discussed Senate File 100, a piece of legislation passed during Wyoming's most recent session to improve broadband access. The bill started out as a way to provide resources to local communities, but as Mayor Orr describes, incumbents intervened and the outcome changed significantly. Christopher and the mayor talk about the steps Cheyenne has taken so far and where they're headed next. Onto the interview.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self Reliance up in Minneapolis. Today I'm speaking with Mayor Marian Orr, the mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Welcome to the show.

Marian Orr: Good morning.

Christopher M: Well, I'm very excited to speak with you. I've been through Wyoming a couple of times. It is a crazy beautiful state. I get a sense you've been around all parts of it, and I'm curious if you can tell us a little bit about your corner of Cheyenne currently.

This is the transcript for episode 307 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Financing a municipal network project doesn't have to be a challenge. Tom Coverick of KeyBanc Capital Markets explains what Brigham City, Utah, did to expand the Utopia open access network. Listen to this episode here.

Tom Coverick: Just as quickly as you're putting your team together to plan your network and to engineer that network, you need to be having all of the parties involved in all of the sign off involving the financial structure, at least on a parallel path with your network plan.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 307 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the institute for Local Self Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. When a community decides that it needs to invest in broadband infrastructure, they need to consider matters such as design, business model, and management. A critical piece of bringing the vision to reality is how to finance the project. In this interview, Christopher speaks with Tom Coverick from KeyBanc Capital Markets. The two caught up at the Austin, Texas, Broadband Communities Summit in May. Who better to get candid advice, lessons learned, and special insights into what goes on into financing community broadband network projects than someone like Tom. He works with communities looking to improve local connectivity by investing in these types of projects. In addition to the role of politics, risk, and bonding, Tom and Chris talk about a few different municipalities and their chosen paths. Now, here's Christopher with Tom Coverick from KeyBanc Capital Markets.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance down for one final interview from the Broadband Communities Summit in Austin, Texas. Welcome to the show, Tom Coverick.

Tom Coverick: Thank you. Glad to be here.

Christopher Mitchell: You're the managing director for KeyBanc Capital Markets and how-- you've been a frequent sponsor of Next Century Cities' events and a player in a lot of municipal, and lots of other kinds of broadband, investments.

This is the transcript for episode 306 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Doug Dawson from CCG Consulting joins the show to discuss his work, 5G hype, and the Connect America Fund. Listen to this episode here.

Doug Dawson: What we find is fiber communities grow when other communities around them are shrinking.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 306 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. While at the Broadband Communities Summit in Austin, Texas. Christopher spoke with community leaders, advocates for universal broadband, and consultants. In this episode of the podcast, he sits down with Doug Dawson from CCG Consulting, one of the guys who's been in the business for decades. Christopher and Doug touched on a lot of issues, including his work with municipalities and publicly owned Internet infrastructure. He talks about choosing a consultant, marketing and costs, as well as how to deal with misinformation. Doug and Christopher also spend time talking about the 5G hype, rollout and specs, and whether or not it really is the solution for rural America. They talk about the Connect America Fund, and Doug shares his thoughts and predictions about the repeal of federal network neutrality protections and what it means for municipal networks and small ISPs. Check out CCGcomm.com, for more about Doug's firm, and be sure to visit Pots And Pans by CCG.com. That's Doug's blog. Read some of his excellent articles on telecommunications and related policy. Now, here's Christopher with Doug Dawson of CCG Consulting.

Christopher Mitchell:: Welcome to another edition of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell:itchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance with another show coming out of Austin, Texas, at the Broadband Communities Summit here in lovely Austin, Texas, right at the edge of [Texas] Hill Country. I'm speaking today with Doug Dawson, the founder and president of CCG Consulting. Welcome to the show.

Doug Dawson: Oh, thank you, Chris.

Christopher Mitchell:: So Doug, you just mentioned that 20 year anniversary. You've been doing this for some time.

This is the transcript for episode 305 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. Michael Render from RVA Market Research and Consulting discusses his work and the state of Fiber-to-the-Home. Listen to this episode here.

Michael Render: When you ask people specifically a list of factors, very good, very reliable broadband actually comes in, number one, and number two are the necessities like Washer and Dryer in the unit.

Lisa Gonzalez: This is episode 305 of the community broadband bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. As we've covered advances in publicly owned municipal networks, we've learned that anecdotes about faster connections, better rates, and more reliable service are plentiful. On the other hand, collecting other types of data isn't always so easy. That's where this week's guest comes in. Michael Render from RVA Market Research and Consulting makes it his business to study the details of before and after data of public and private networks. RVA allows us to see the trends, improvements and opinions through data analysis. Christopher caught up with Michael at the Broadband Community Summit in Austin, Texas, where the two talk about the work of RVA and some of the interesting discoveries they've encountered through their research. Learn more about their work at RVALLC.com. Now, here's Christopher with Michael Render.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another edition of the community broadband bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, normally in Minneapolis today in Austin, Texas at the Broadband Communities Summit sitting across from Michael Render. Welcome to the show.

Michael Render: Thank you.

Christopher Mitchell: Michael is the founder of RVA, which is a, a research organization that if you're familiar with Broadband Communities Magazine, you've seen his research. If you've seen a lot of work from the Fiber Broadband Association previously, the Fiber-to-the-Home Council, you've seen his research. Just tell us a little bit about what you specialize in in terms of research.