Gigabit Nation

The connecting of communities with gigabit networks is only half the battle. The full value of this technology will not be reached until we develop applications that harness the power of the networks. 15 gigabit cities or cities with gigabit-equiped facilities will participate in a three-year project to develop some of the best and most innovative applications that exploit the capabilities of super highspeed networks. Under the guidance US Ignite, a nonprofit organization that facilitates next-generation Internet creations, these products and services will impact how some Americans work, live, learn and play. US Ignite’s COO Joe Kochan discusses the various features and the goals of the program. Kochan expects the respective projects to have their own objectives, but these 15 communities represent an experiment in national gigabit collaboration in which the outcomes are greater in the sum of each community’s efforts. Communities participating include: Burlington, VT; Chattanooga, TN; Cleveland, OH; Flint,

In 2014, the leadership of Salisbury decided that it was time to expand marketing of their Fibrant fiber network up a few notches, that there were still lots of local businesses and individuals yet to take advantage of the network. These marketing efforts culminated with September's national announcement of their 10-gigabit municipal fiber-to-the-premise network. Kent Winrich, Director of Broadband Infrastructure for Fibrant, describes the rollout of the network and the expected impact within the community. Though the City may not expect a groundswell of subscribers for the 10-gig service, Winrich expects their current customers will appreciates the digital security blanket of knowing they have long term security against Technology obsolescence. More importantly, the new service gives Salisbury a powerful leg up as it market's itself as both a business hub and an education computing center within the state and beyond. Winrich discuss: challenges of upgrading the network to this new capacity;aligning current

Some creative thinking saved the broadband dreams of 10 cities in two Minnesota counties. Could cooperatives (co-ops) provide the magic bullet for municipalities encumbered with funding and political hurdles? Communities in Renville and Sibley Counties created the RS Fiber Cooperative to address rural communication needs. Recently the communities decided to lend the co-op funds they need to build a fiber and wireless infrastructure to cover the towns and farmlands in the co-op's service area. The arrangement resolves several challenges that a number of communities face: it was easier for cities to pass a bond to pay the co-op to build the network rather then have the cities build it;co-ops’ existing community relationships translate into faster network take rates;Minnesota is one of the 21 states with a law restricting public broadband. Mark Erickson, Winthrop, MN EDA Director and a key contributor to the project joins us to talk us through the complexities of the financial arrangement and the benefits of ha

It's full steam ahead as dozens of Colorado communities prepare to pass referenda to take back their rights to build public broadband networks. Top of the planning list is determining how to finance these infrastructure projects. Virgil Turner, Director of Innovation and Citizen Engagement for the City of Montrose, joins us to discuss "Show Me the (Hidden) Money for Community Broadband." This new report from host Craig Settles instructs communities how to use different and effective ways to raise money that are triggered by the needs assessment process, a process that every community should be doing. Listeners will get great advice about: sound financial planningdeveloping partnerships with state agenciesthe role of local businesses in broadband fundraising effortsenlisting co-ops to enable region wide broadband fundinglocal bipartisanship's impact on raising funds While it is great to have a single source of funding, communities need financing options because broadband projects are complex and can be expen

It’s good to take a step back, gauge the ways broadband has advanced as a community asset, and get a sense how these networks are moving cities forward. As Gigabit Nation celebrates its 4th anniversary, this is a good opportunity to hear from some people working in the trenches and take stock of where we are headed. A panel of doers from across they nation, including the mayor of Chattanooga, weigh in on several important issues. Broadband is improving and enhancing local governments of all sizes. Communities have discovered the art of marketing as broadband defines 21th century cities. Medical and healthcare delivery it is becoming the “sleeper” killer app. A different type of planning needs to take over as communities grapple with broadband adoption challenges. Our guests today are: Andy Berke – Mayor, Chattanooga, TN Aaron Deacon – Managing Director, KC Digital Drive Mark Erickson – City Winthrop, MN EDA Director Anne Schwieger – City planner and member City of Cambridge (MA) Broadband Task Force

From a regulatory perspective, the FCC is the lead agency shaping this Administration’s broadband legacy, both for its aggressive policymaking and its program funding. This interview looks at how far the FCC has come, and how much further some feel the agency should go to facilitate broadband advancement in the U.S. Gigi Sohn, Counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, gives listeners insights to the agency’s efforts to promote fast, fair and open broadband networks.  She’ll discuss issues such as community broadband, Lifeline and E-Rate modernization, net neutrality and the FCC’s role as a consumer protection agency.  As broadband networks become ever more essential to full participation in our society and our economy, the FCC's role will become even more critical.           Among Sohn’s roles at the FCC is ensuring that the public has an opportunity to participate in FCC’s proceedings that will determine the future of broadband networks.  Sohn discusses how consumers and small businesses can make their voice

A sure bet for recouping you broadband investment? Follow Columbus, Ohio’s game plan of marrying wired and wireless broadband so your local government’s Internet of Things and their Internet of People to form a truly smart city. Columbus uses broadband and information technology to innovate, collaborate, attract investment, improve government services delivery and raise the quality of life for its citizens, winning it the 2015 Intelligent Community of the Year award. The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) gives this award to highlight communities’ best practices for adapting to the demands of the broadband economy. Gary Cavin, City of Columbus, decribe some of the projects that contributed to his city’s winning its prestigious honor. Researchers at Ohio State University won a two-year $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create a safe and resilient network architecture dubbed the “Science DMZ.” New gigabit networking and application support tools are being developed that will foste

Look at every successful Community network and you will find good marketing that begins months before a network actually launches. Longmont, CO has marketed its network for several years, and has the take-rates (new subscribers) many communities hope to achieve. Tom Roiniotis, General Manager of Longmont Power & Communications, shares some of public utility’s secrets for success, including: built bi-partisan support among local elected officialscreated consensus among the various constituenciesmanaged expectationsbuilt strong word of mouth supportlaunched creative and effective marketing communicationsuse success to build greater success Roiniotis has explains how their nextLight network has how a lot of local enthusiasm that translates into sales, and excellent customer support that keeps subscribers loyal. He envisions in an endless series of applications and new innovations enabled by nextLight as a marketing advantage that will keep it ahead of competitors.

Developing relationships with elected officials and city government staff is critical to any muni network marketing plan, both locally and at the state level. For many communities, public networks are bipartisan efforts. At the state level, however, getting both sides of the aisle to come together behind these networks produces mixed results. The city of Sandy Oregon has a very stellar relationship between City staff, elected officials and constituents. City IT Director Joe Knapp and Sandy Council President Jeremy Peitzold tell us what works for them while offering other communities some perspectives to consider. how do city staff and city council form consensus defining the goals, getting funding and planning marketing;everybody wants the network built in their area first, and but political tensions can build because somebody has to be last;what do you do when one or two opponents of the network are one city council;is public networks’ role in economic development the key to legislative good will.

[Due tech difficuties, there is a 5-min audio blackout. You can fast-foward when this happens.] Sometimes the obvious solution to a broadband challenge is right there in front of a community. Like money. Waverly, IA realized that not just one but THREE local banks held the key to the city's fundraising success. While some communities are stressing out over funding sources, financial institutions could be the linchpin that get many public networks off the ground. Who better than local banks and credit unions are served by the economic impact of broadband? New employers moving in, existing companies hiring, increasing property values, people staying in town - when economies thrive, banks prosper. Darrel Wenzel, General Manager of Waverly Utilities, explains how their financial institutions came to be partners in the city's broadband development. He also gives tips to communities that see this strategy potentially playing out well for their constituents. Iowa is a hub of excitement these days, with Waverly be

Forward-thinking people in five U.S. cities hit the bleeding-edge of innovation this past weekend while answering the question, “what can we do with a gig?” The future of gig apps looks particularly bright according to French telecom company, Orange, which hosted this first-ever multi-city hackathon. Will Barkis, Technologist for Orange Silicon Valley, gives us a rundown of some of the interesting applications and inventive solutions that can impact education, healthcare, entertainment and business. Those participating in GigHacks represent communities with citywide gigagit networks and those with plans on the drawing board.      San Francisco, CA Orange GigaStudio paired with several Bay Area firm to leverage gig technology with a focus on online music collaboration, 360 video, VR use cases and video chat.  Kansas City, MO & KS Teams formed to build pilots in virtual and augmented reality for the classroom, Internet of Things, cyber-physical systems for public safety and civic engagement, digital he

Munis are in the infrastructure business, a.k.a. municipal broadband networks, and doing rather well at it. Indianola Municipal Utilities (IMU) in Iowa is a great example of a city-built asset that is busy creating innovative solutions to meet Indianola’s needs. IMU's network facilitates STEM projects in high schools and colleges, brings students and tech entrepreneurs into startup ventures, and hosts an advertising network that drives new sales for businesses. Todd Keilkopf, General Manager of IMU, joins us to describe some of the many benefits of the network, as well as future plans for the network. Similar to Cedar Falls, the other gigabit network in the state, there is a lot of emphasis on economic development. Clearly things are jumping in this part of Iowa. The key to success for IMU has been the creative and extensive use of partnerships, as Keilkopf as keen to point out.

It's all hands on deck as several Obama Administration agencies and departments spring into action implementing components of the Obama Broadband Doctrine announced recently in Cedar Falls, IA. Today learn how your community can get vital assistance executing network deployment and adoption efforts.  The BroadbandUSA initiative, a program of the Dept. of Commerce's National Telecommunications and information Administration (NTIA) will:  provide expertise, tools and information to benefit communities that are developing or improving broadband services and broadband adoption;offer online and in-person technical assistance to help communities mprove broadband access and bring more Americans online;host a series of regional workshops around the country to instruct decision-makers on best practices and lessons learned from local communities;distribute guides and tools that provide communities with proven solutions to problems in planning, financing, construction and operations; andthrough collaboration with other

Tennessee, along with North Carolina, has become Ground Zero in the Obama Administration’s drive to roll back state laws restricting public-owned broadband networks. But what about on the ground? How do consumers, businesses and state legislators feel about these laws?   Tennessee State Senator Janice Bowling discusses her views on why it’s time to question the value of her state’s restrictions. Sen. Bowling believes in the free market system. But she also believes from first-hand experience that the public-owned fiber network in her hometown of Tullahoma successfully meets a vital economic need that the market can’t or won’t address.   The Senator describes her constituency’s progress in economic advancement, education, healthcare since launching their own network. Some Tennessee townsfolk can look across the bridge and see citizens in cities such as Chattanooga benefitting from gigabit networks. Sen. Bowling feels this is an injustice to communities, and last year led efforts eliminate the restriction o

Cedar Falls, IA became Ground Zero for launching a Presidential drive for gigabit community-owned broadband throughout the U.S. Learn how this 20-year old network took center stage last week as the latest beacon leading cities nationwide on the path to faster, better public-owned broadband.  Broadband is driving Cedar Fall's economic activities. Listeners get a detailed breakdown of the city's progress since upgrading to a gigabit network a year ago from Bob Seymour, Planner III/Economic Development. Curtis Dean, Broadband Services Coordinator for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities provides insights to expected developments in the state's broadband future.  President Obama held up Cedar Falls as a great example of the value of public braodband networks in helping to meet America's highspeed Internet needs, and why we need giant service providers to stop blocking communities' ability to become the next gigabit success story. Our guests offer listeners advice on how their communities can overcome the

A big majority of the hundreds of citywide and partial-reach broadband networks are celebrated successes by their stakeholders, businesses and residential subscribers, disproving critics who wrongly claim all public-owned networks are failures. Interviews live from the Kansas City Gigabit Summit reveal what it means to have a winning community broadband network. Delegates from eight of the communities sharing their success stories with Summit attendees join us to give listeners insights to setting and meeting broadband goals. It is important to understand that, unlike private service providers, "return on investment" (ROI) is very different for communities focused on using broadband to improve economic development, transform healthcare delivery and otherwise serve the public good.  Guests, including those representing Winthrop, MN, Chattanooga and Jackson, TN, Monmouth, OR and Salisbury, NC, also discuss how they funded their networks, and offer advice for meeting the money challenge as opportunities and fi

There are 20 are about states with restrictions on muni- and public utility-owned broadband. More states may try to join them in  2015. But communities across America are gearing up to push back. Learn how the Coalition for Local Internet Choice (CLIC) is supporting them and how you can help. Local Internet choice directly impacts economic development and job creation, innovation, investment, and competition. Jim Baller, President of CLIC, and Joanne Hovis, CEO of CLIC, discuss why local communities, through their elected officials, must have the right and opportunity to play a critical role in choosing the best broadband infrastructure for their businesses, institutions, and residents. Listeners gather insights to working with willing incumbents, developing public-private partnerships, establishing their own networks when necessary, or creating other inventive approaches that work for their communities. Both guests share their many years of experience in helping communities obtain the many benefits of adva

A large majority of municipal and public utility broadband networks are successes. Next Century Cities lays out several paths to help your community to reach this winner's circle.  NCC Executive Director Deb Socia describes for listeners a range of business and funding models for community broadband that are creating success stories around the country. Communities such as Santa Monica, CA and Mount Vernon, WA built success by using their networks for replace T1 lines and other old communications infrastructure. Others such as Monticello, MN formed public private partnerships. Jackson, TN and Cedar Falls, IA sell services direct to subscribers. Socia's organization has assembled quite the brain trust of communities and she is happy to share some of that knowledge. Listeners will get insights into: preventing critics from defining your success;defining parameters and goals for success based on constituents' broadband needs;helping non-technical people understand and become excited about how the network will i

State laws mandating these public-owned broadband networks get voter approval through referendum campaigns used to mean near-certain death for any project. Kiss those days goodbye! Meet the winners who have turned the tide.  November 4, EIGHT towns and counties all passed ballot initiatives to return the authority to pursue broadband to their constituents. With 70% or more of the vote. Predominately Democrat or Republican didn’t matter. How did they do that!? Representatives of Boulder, Rio Blanco, San Miguel, Yuma County and other communities give us the scoop on how they pulled off these big wins. We’re going to find out: Are the political winds blowing heavily community broadband’s way?At the local level, is broadband now a bipartisan issue?What tactics were effective getting these referenda passed?What happened to the giant telcos and cable companies?What comes next for these communities?Will there be a flood of communities rolling out their own ballot initiatives?

ATTENTION: There is heavy static in show's first 3-4 minutes, but it clears up after that. The pride of the pack when it comes to community broadband business models is the open-access model in which the local government or public utility owns the physical network and private-sector ISPs deliver services to subscribers. It looks like a relatively easy model to pursue, and dozens of communities say this is their preferred option. In reality, making open access work is a monster challenge requiring intense, constant effort.  Mt. Vernon, WA has built a small cadre of ISPs for its open-access fiber network. Information Services Director Kim Kleppe details how they overcame obstacles and seized opportunities to build a successful network that is financially sustainable. Listeners will learn: why getting the second ISP is the hardest job in the world;how to set pricing structuretips for creating win-win situationsmarketing tactics that attract ISPs and subscribershow to keep everyone on the same page Kleppe and h