Community Broadband Bits

Latest Episodes:

In Erwin, Tennessee, an Incremental Approach Has Brought Success — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 431 Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

This week on the podcast Christopher welcomes back Lee Brown, President and CEO of Erwin Utilities, to talk about what’s been going on since we last spoke with them more than three and a half years ago. Erwin is a town of around 6,000 and the county seat of Unicoi County, Tennessee, along the state’s eastern border. The … Continue reading "In Erwin, Tennessee, an Incremental Approach Has Brought Success — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 431" ★ Support this podcast ★

Twelve Years After Launch, Wilson, North Carolina’s Greenlight Network Continues to Innovate — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 430 Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

This week on the podcast Christopher welcomes back Will Aycock, General Manager of Wilson, North Carolina’s municipal network Greenlight, and Rebecca Agner, Communications and Marketing Director for the city of Wilson. Christopher talks with the duo about what it took for the city to be named one of the ten best small towns in the country … Continue reading "Twelve Years After Launch, Wilson, North Carolina’s Greenlight Network Continues to Innovate — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 430" ★ Support this podcast ★

Whip City Fiber’s Next Phase: Connecting Hill Towns in Western Massachusetts — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 429 Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

This week on the podcast Christopher talks with IT Manager John Leary and Customer Experience, Marketing, & Communications Manager Lisa Stowe from Westfield Gas & Electric, the municipal utility for the city of 40,000 in the southwestern quadrant of the Massachusetts. The topic of the day is Westfield’s municipally owned fiber arm — Whip City Fiber … Continue reading "Whip City Fiber’s Next Phase: Connecting Hill Towns in Western Massachusetts — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 429" ★ Support this podcast ★

How Monticello, MN’s FiberNet Weathered the Storm and Brought Community Savings — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 428 Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of the podcast Christopher talks with Jeff O’Neill, City Administrator of Monticello, MN, about FiberNet, which is owned by the city but operates in a public-private partnership with local telecommunications provider Arvig. Christopher and Jeff delve into the history and development of the network over the last fifteen years. They discuss how … Continue reading "How Monticello, MN’s FiberNet Weathered the Storm and Brought Community Savings — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 428" ★ Support this podcast ★

Connecting A Neighborhood in Need in San Rafael, California – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 427 Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed with stark clarity the impact of the digital divide across the country, and exacerbated the problem especially among the economically disadvantaged and in communities of color. With the onset of a new school year, school boards, city councils, and local governments have been distributing hotspots, equipping buses with Wi-Fi, and … Continue reading "Connecting A Neighborhood in Need in San Rafael, California – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 427" ★ Support this podcast ★

West Des Moines is Building a Citywide Conduit System and Google Fiber is First in the Door – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 426 Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

In July we wrote about West Des Moines’ announcement that it would build an open access citywide conduit system to spur broadband infrastructure investment, and how Google Fiber became the Iowa city’s first partner. In this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher is joined by Jamie Letzring, Deputy City Manager for West Des Moines, … Continue reading "West Des Moines is Building a Citywide Conduit System and Google Fiber is First in the Door – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 426" ★ Support this podcast ★

How One City Came Together to Provide Free Broadband To Those Who Needed It Most – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 425 Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

This week on the podcast Christopher talks with Jill Levine, Chief of Innovation and Choice at Hamilton County Schools in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Evan Freeman, Director of Government Relations at the city’s municipal electric and fiber utility, EPB, and Deb Socia, President of the Enterprise Center. Together, the group discusses the recent landmark announcement by Hamilton County Schools … Continue reading "How One City Came Together to Provide Free Broadband To Those Who Needed It Most – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 425" ★ Support this podcast ★

Is Open Access the Future? – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 424 Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

For communities looking to improve Internet access for their citizens but that might be wary of becoming full-fledged Internet Service Providers (ISPs) themselves, open access networks offer a practical model for the future. Like roads, open access networks serve as publicly owned byways that telecommunications providers can then lease bandwidth on and offer a wide array of … Continue reading "Is Open Access the Future? – Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 424" ★ Support this podcast ★

How Electric Cooperatives in Mississippi Have Taken the Lead in Broadband Expansion — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 423 Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

This week on the podcast Christopher talks with Ron Barnes, President and CEO Biloxi-based Coast Electric Power, an electric cooperative in Mississippi area, and Jon Chambers, Partner at Conexon, a consulting agency working with rural electric cooperatives to bring fiber to communities around the country. In January of 2019 Mississippi state law changed to allow electric cooperatives … Continue reading "How Electric Cooperatives in Mississippi Have Taken the Lead in Broadband Expansion — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 423" ★ Support this podcast ★

“We Can’t Build It and Just Assume People Will Come”: Digital Inclusion and Equity Today — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 422 Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

Today on the podcast we welcome Angela Siefer and Craig Settles. Angela is the founder and Executive Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, and a tireless digital equity and inclusion advocate whose has worked to connect communities for over two decades. Craig is a nationally recognized consultant who works with public- and private-sector clients to … Continue reading "“We Can’t Build It and Just Assume People Will Come”: Digital Inclusion and Equity Today — Community Broadband Bits Podcast Episode 422" ★ Support this podcast ★

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