Community Broadband Bits

Latest Episodes:

Waverly Muni Fiber Another Success Story for Iowa – Episode 493 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Feb 15, 2022

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This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Jeff Magsamen, Telecom Director at Waverly Utilities in Waverly, Iowa. During the conversation, the two discuss Waverly’s journey building a municipal network, how triple play take rates have changed in the last few years, and the benefits of partnering with neighboring municipal networks to reduce startup costs. Christopher … Continue reading "Waverly Muni Fiber Another Success Story for Iowa – Episode 493 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

Public Open Access Spurs Competition in Washington State – Episode 492 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Feb 08, 2022

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This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Joe Poire, Director of Petrichor Broadband in Whitman County, Washington. During the conversation, the two discuss the unique role of Ports in Washington State, which for years have been building robust broadband infrastructure that could be used for increasing competition or extending access into unserved areas. … Continue reading "Public Open Access Spurs Competition in Washington State – Episode 492 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

Perspectives From An Established Muni Network – Episode 491 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Feb 01, 2022

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This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by PJ Armstrong, Interim General Manager at Monmouth Independence Networks (MINET) operating in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. During the conversation, the two discuss how MINET came into existence over fifteen years ago, unique perspectives from an older municipal network, progress on MINET’s recent investor-backed expansion into Dallas, Oregon, … Continue reading "Perspectives From An Established Muni Network – Episode 491 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

Geography is Everything – Episode 490 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Jan 25, 2022

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This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Bob Marshall, General Manager of the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative and the Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications Company. During the conversation, the two discuss Bob’s love for the cooperative movement, how Plumas-Sierra relies on fixed wireless, cable and fiber to service their rural terrain, and how they are using … Continue reading "Geography is Everything – Episode 490 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s Not a Rural Broadband Challenge, It’s a Statewide Broadband Challenge – Episode 489 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Jan 18, 2022

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This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Matt Schmit, Director of the Illinois Office of Broadband and Chair of Illinois Broadband Advisory Council. During the conversation, the two discuss Illinois’ $420 million investment in broadband infrastructure as part of the Connect Illinois Broadband Grant program, the challenges in and solutions to both rural … Continue reading "It’s Not a Rural Broadband Challenge, It’s a Statewide Broadband Challenge – Episode 489 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

Last Year and Next Year: Predictions Evaluated and Recharged – Episode 488 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Jan 12, 2022

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In this episode of the podcast, we’re back for another staff conversation about all that 2021 had to offer and serve up some predictions for the coming year. Joining Christopher on the show are Senior Reporter and Editor Sean Gonsalves, Community Broadband Outreach Team Lead DeAnne Cuellar, Senior Researcher Ry Marcattilio-McCracken, GIS and Data Visualization Specialist Christine … Continue reading "Last Year and Next Year: Predictions Evaluated and Recharged – Episode 488 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

A History of Form 477 and Broadband Mapping Data – Episode 487 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Jan 04, 2022

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On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Derek Turner, the research director for Free Press, to talk about the history of the federal government’s broadband data collection and how the Form 477 came to be. They unpack how this data collection process has been historically flawed and how it … Continue reading "A History of Form 477 and Broadband Mapping Data – Episode 487 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

What Does All This Money Mean? – Bonus Episode 15 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Dec 28, 2021

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For episode 15 of our bonus series, “Why NC Broadband Matters,” Christopher Mitchell is joined by Catharine Rice (Co-founder of NC Broadband Matters and Project Manager at the Coalition for Local Internet Choice) and Doug Dawson (Owner and President of CCG Consulting) dig into what all these different pots of federal funding mean communities across … Continue reading "What Does All This Money Mean? – Bonus Episode 15 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

A Look Back on the Biggest Broadband Stories of 2021 – Episode 486 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Dec 21, 2021

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On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell invites the Community Broadband Networks Initiative staff onto the show to talk about what they believe were some of the biggest broadband stories of 2021. The group reminisce about what has been one of the most pivotal years for broadband infrastructure investment and … Continue reading "A Look Back on the Biggest Broadband Stories of 2021 – Episode 486 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

A Washington PUD Prioritizes Open Access Fiber After Pandemic – Episode 485 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast Dec 14, 2021

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On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell welcomes Willie Painter, the public affairs manager for the Lewis County’s Public Utility District (PUD), to talk about what the county has been doing to address the lack of connectivity. We reported on Lewis County PUD’s plan to connect its 33,000 members through an open access fiber-to-the-home … Continue reading "A Washington PUD Prioritizes Open Access Fiber After Pandemic – Episode 485 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

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