Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
Katie Kienbaum
Before joining ILSR, Katie conducted outreach to members of rural electric cooperatives in western North Carolina. She holds a degree in economics and environmental studies from the University of Pittsburgh.
Stories by this author
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 419
This is the transcript for episode 419 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Brad Honold from Coon Rapids Municipal Utilities in Iowa. They discuss the city's long history of offering telecommunications services, its upgrade to fiber infrastructure, and its community engagement practices.
Pinetops Small Business Owner Testifies in D.C.: Commends Local Authority, Chides State Legislature
In North Carolina, no other rural community embodies the rural struggle for high-quality Internet access as well as Pinetops. At a recent hearing in D.C., one of the leading voices in Pinetops, Suzanne Coker Craig, testified before a legislative committee assembled to delve into the issue. During her short five minutes at the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Coker Craig described her town's rescue by the local municipal network and subsequent betrayal by their state legislature.
Maine’s "Youngest City" Issues RFP for Broadband Plan; Proposals Due April 26th
Over the past few years, many cities in the rural state of Maine have begun exploring ways to improve local connectivity. Following in their footsteps, Biddeford has recently released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to assess Internet access in the community and develop a Broadband Plan.
Preemption Detente: Municipal Broadband Networks Face Barriers in 19 States
Update: As of May 25, 2021, only 17 states retained their municipal barriers. Arkansas and Washington have removed theirs.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 390
This is episode 390 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Bear Prairie from Idaho Falls Power and Fiber and Kim McKinley from UTOPIA Fiber about the utilities' cross-state fiber partnership.
FCC Says Broadband Being Deployed on a Timely Basis, It’s Just Not Sure Where
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the yawning gaps in broadband access throughout the country. Yet the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in its 2020 Broadband Deployment Report released on April 24, found that “advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed on a reasonable and timely basis." The agency came to this conclusion despite years of concern over how the FCC’s flawed data collection method systematically overstates broadband coverage.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 420
This is the transcript for episode 420 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher talks to Deborah Simpier of Althea about their efforts to provide resources and tools to build community wireless networks.
Policy Brief: How FCC Data Has Failed Rochester, Minnesota
It’s no secret that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) broadband data is unreliable. Many people, including U.S. Senators, have pointed out how federal data collection methods overstate connectivity across the country. Rochester, Minnesota, is no exception. In this policy brief, we highlight the gulf between FCC broadband data for Rochester and what’s actually available to residents by examining local competition.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 350
This is the transcript for episode 350 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, our Communications Specialist Jess Del Fiacco takes over the mic and interviews Christopher about state bills in Vermont and North Carolina and about the future of a feasibility study in Tallahassee, Florida.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 369
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.