Gigabit Nation

Gigabit broadband is going to expand the digital divide in some areas, at least in the short term, because gigs go where the money is. Wireless enjoys some advantages in costs and quick deployment that make it a valuable digital inclusion tool for underserved communities today and a backup solution for tomorrow. Tony Schloss, Director of Community Initiatives for the Red Hook Initiative in Brooklyn, NY, is using a wireless mesh network as a job creator and a tool for economic development. Nearly half of economic development pros in a recent survey believe broadband networks can be used to encourage individual entrepreneurship among underserved constituents. Schloss tells listeners how they can achieve these objectives in their communities. Listeners get an overview of how to raise money and deploy wireless technology, mobilize people to organize and participate in digital programs, help develop basic applications, create community-centric content and keep operations going. Schloss also discusses some of Red

It is accepted in economic development and public policy circles that a strong K-12 education system attracts and retains businesses, while contributing some of the local workforce. What may be less understood is how to maximize broadband networks to drive the economic outcomes that education promises.     EducationSuperHighway is a nonprofit that provides services, staff and public policy advocacy to help schools maximize their use of broadband and lower the technology's cost. Of particular significance is the organization's efforts to help reform the $2.5 billion FCC eRate program that funds schools' broadband networks nationwide.  Evan Marwell, CEO and Founder of EducationSuperHighway, describes his team's unique approach, current successes and future plans. He also discusses some of the complex processes necessary to leverage broadband and education technologies to influence economic outcomes including funding. A recent survey of economic development professionals reveals that 40% value eRate, but anoth

Every community needs a hackerspace or two. This hot trend can easily add a low-cost, high-impact spark to a struggling neighborhood, or accelerate the economic impact of your broadband network. The hackerspace movement can even provide a pathway to affordable health insurance. Gina Lujan, Founder of HackerLab in Sacramento, CA, explains how to easily start and maintain a viable hackerspace. You don't need much: an empty building or office space, electricity, some paint, a few tables and chairs - and a decent Internet connection, the faster the better. Invite people with good ideas, a dream and basic tech skills to bring their laptops.  Gina outlines the key to success, some do's and don't's, strategies for funding and why letting the members run the show is the secret sauce that's making hackerspaces a winner across the U.S. She also lays out the basics for making hackerspaces a major element of broadband adoption strategies, and lets listeners know about a program that enables hackerspace participants to

Community broadband success usually does not ride solely on one person's shoulders. However, there is a type of person who is critical to a network project's success - the broadband champion, that local person(s) who figuratively carries the flag and supports the project to friends, neighbors, colleagues and even strangers.  Mark Latham, City Manager for Highland, IL, recently finished overseeing a broadband stimulus-funded gig network project for his community of 10,000 citizens after 78% of voters approved a bond measure to move the project forward. He describes the best tactics for identifying, educating, motivating and managing the small band of champions who will become the often-unofficial public face of your broadband project. Look at any successful project and a common thread is a band of vocal broadband champions. With the right preparation, these individuals are critical to generating initial network subscribers, building political support, influencing potential investors and attracting general pu

In March, in partnership with the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), host Craig Settles conducted a national survey of IEDC members. The primary goal was to better understand how broadband as a community asset impacts economic outcomes. A secondary goal was to provide a reality check to errant claims about broadband and those outcomes.  IEDC President/CEO Jeff Finkle (CEcD) joins us to discuss the results of this year's survey. The survey addressed the state of current broadband in respondents' jurisdictions, communities' plans to get faster, better broadband, and how the technology is impacting local businesses, education and healthcare services delivery. Finkle explains to listeners the role of economic development professionals in addressing the issues reviewed in the survey. In addition, the discussion also examines common assumptions about broadband's impact on local economies.

36% of economic development pros say "it's quite likely" broadband can encourage entrepreneurship among underserved urban or rural individuals. Craig Settles' survey report cites another 14% have witnessed this personally. And over half say mentorships maximize broadband's benefits to startups and home-based businesses. Good news for Nashville, TN and other cities vying for Google Fiber.  Marcus Whitney, Co-Founder and CTO of the leading tech startup accelerator in the southeast, gives listeners his views on how Google Fiber can make a difference in the local economic scene. His Nashville-based Jumpstart Foundry has graduated 30 companies over the past five years. Whitney offers details on what specific steps local government and business leaders must take to ensure a broadband network leads to measurable success. Training in business management and using technology also are addressed. Communities cannot expect that merely having a network improves economies. Whitney and Settles explore how some of his othe

With developments of the past two months, we have to wonder if there is a new trend of public broadband network advocates becoming more powerful in state legislatures. We've seen three bills to introduce or increase restrictions going down to defeat in conservative legislatures, and Tennessee saw serious efforts in their legislature to roll back restrictions on public networks. Veteran telecom attorney Atty. Jim Baller, President the Baller Herbst Group and strong advocate for informed local choice in broadband matters, helps us decipher what these recent events that go counter to state legislative action that gave 19 states restrictive anti-muni network laws. What do these developments tell us about the power of lobbyist or the political attitude of legislators? Have the pro-muni net forces become better organized? Tennessee is of particular interest since previously conservative legislators have held fast in their antagonism towards public entities' involvement in broadband. Atty. Baller also discusses cu

Three entrepreneurial friends quietly started RST and began laying the foundation for a super fiber network that can deliver a gig to both rural and urban communities throughout N. Carolina. They announced it yesterday. BOOM! Competition in this state just got real. Co-founder Dan Limerick joins us to describe their epic journey from vision to execution, and how they caught the giant incumbents napping with the company’s plan to deliver a 1-gig wireless last-mile service that gives them extra deployment agility and quickness. This week culminates a two-year under-the-radar campaign to acquire un-used fiber until they had 3100 miles, enough to cover the entire state with a 100-gig network infrastructure. RST also discusses their competitive advantages. Google, after all, has a couple of N. Carolina cities on its short list of next cities they will offer Google Fiber. Besides triple play services of TV, Internet and phone, RST serve both residential and business subscribers with an array of specialized servic

Creating a nonprofit or tapping into an existing one has enabled dozens of communities to launch successful broadband networks and digital inclusion programs. Cleveland, OH's OneCommunity nonprofit organization just announced a for-profit arm that's bringing 100 gigs to businesses in 24 counties in northeast Ohio, and subsequently raising services and benefits to a whole new level. Financial sustainability of efforts to close the digital divide as well as deliver broadband services is often a challenge, particularly when serving low-income and sparsely populated communities. OneCommunity's for-profit, Everstream, promises sizeable revenue streams by serving pent up demand from businesses. Communities everywhere should closely evaluate this strategy to determine if a similar approach can benefit their constituents.  Brett Lindsey, President of Everstream and COO of OneCommunity, explains how their strategy evolved, what benefits it brings to the nonprofit and subscribers, and what steps stakeholders should t

Last week Kansas citizens revolted fiercely against a proposed state legislation that would have nuked broadband competition from municipalities in that state. All forms of media exploded with public advocates railing against the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger's threat to competition. Many consumers decry the lack of competition. But what's the private sector's take? Executives from two companies that provide highspeed services offer private-sector perspectives on the state of U.S. broadband competition. Large telecom and cable companies tell us all is well. Many rural communities say they barely have dial-up services. What's the real deal? And if the source of problems is lack of competition, what can or should the private sector do about it?  Jerry Cady, the Director of Sales and Marketing at LS Networks, and Mark Scully, President of Comspan Communications tackle serious issues on the topic. in communities where broadband is lacking, is the private sector alone capable of resolving the problem;what rol

"Are you a small business that wants high speed broadband in New York City? You're in luck! There's a competition available to get you just what you need. To compete, you must:  Swim across the Hudson River in freezing water, chanting "I want my fiber",  holding onto your laptop at all times,Pray to the gods to shine their light so you can beg to get some broadband. Offer them a goat as a sacrifice (Vegans can use turnips),You must show why you really, really, really, need a broadband connection and demonstrate what the "potential impact of fiber on your business and the feasibility of fiber construction to your building." This bit of sarcastic wit from guest Bruce Kushnick, Exec. Dir. of New Networks Institute, highlights a deadly serious problem: true highspeed Internet access that meets the needs of businesses and residences doesn't exist in many urban centers. Kushnick explains to listeners how they can meet and overcome this challenge, even if Katniss is too busy to help at the moment.    Beginning with

Utah State House Bill 60 will cripple one of the biggest multi-jurisdiction, public-owned networks in the U.S. Rather than directly attack UTOPIA communities' freedom to buy or build their best broadband solutions, HB60 flat out prohibits businesses from buying services from UTOPIA. In case there was any doubt of the bill's beneficiary, hot on the heels of HB60 was CenturyLink's announcement that they now will offer gigabit services to those same companies.  Utah community broadband advocate and FreeUTOPIA Senior Editor Jesse Harris discusses how HB60 makes no pretense of creating a level playing field and is really an anti-competition campaign. He also advises how broadband supporters can fight back effectively against incumbents' lobbying might at the state level in Utah and elsewhere. Harris shares his observations of legislative procedures and broadband politics, including the sleight of hand that removed the bill from Death's doorstep in the committee, only to raise it from the dead with only 24 hours

The Kansas rural and urban broadband market - the people, businesses and organizations that pay for services - is demanding state government get out of the way and let the market get faster better Internet access. This market response is setting the stage for legislative battles in other states. A statewide community petition drive demands legislators "bring NO broadband bill forward until you visit our communities and learn about our inadequate broadband." Topeka, KS entrepreneur Lazone Grays addresses the negative impact on small businesses of the ALEC-inspired, lobbyist-written bill that threatens communities' ability to implement their own best solutions to meet broadband needs. From his vantage point in the state capital, and being actively engaged professionally in increasing communities' access to technology that prepares individuals for the work world, Grays discusses why and how constituents in all states must get into the broadband political game: there's a disconnect between constituents and legi

The FCC just gave the green light to a broadband funding program to reward communities, utilities, co-ops, ISPs and others who can push the envelope to produce creative broadband solutions. Learn how you can develop a proposal that puts you in the running to capture some of these funds. Alyssa Clemsen-Roberts, Industry Affairs Manager at the Utilities Telecom Council, has worked closely with FCC staff as they developed a process for a diverse set of experiments and data collection initiatives that allow the FCC to evaluate how broadband impacts communities. She shares her insights with listeners to help them understand and navigate the FCC's two-part program of 1) submitting Expressions of Interest (EOI), and 2) applying for the resulting grant program. The program will award Connect America Fund (CAF) money in one-time grants to fund broadband pilot projects and general network projects. Any entity is eligible to compete for these funds. Clemsen- offers advice on issues such as presenting financial and tec

Imagine there was no Google Fiber in Kansas City! The Kansas state legislature is poised to not only prohibit municipalities from owning broadband networks, it will prevent even private companies and nonprofits from delivering faster, better Internet access (sign this petition to kill the bill). This bill effectively can block Google or any other competitor to existing incumbents from serving most of the state. Chanute, KS City Finance Director Rebecca Wood joins us to describe a development that threatens other states as well. AT&T and Cable ONE wouldn't deliver the broadband Chanute needed, so the city built its own. But an ALEC-inspired draconian bill introduced this week threatens to destroy communities' home rule, and the ability to invest in their own citizens. Wood discusses how this bill will kill Kansas towns' hopes to replicate Chanute's successes in economic development, advanced healthcare, education and government service delivery. Given how ALEC operates, it is likely that this bill's pass

There are many challenges to getting better broadband connectivity and choice in the U.S. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is championing competition as a means of ensuring Americans have access to advanced services. The question is, how do we outside the D.C. Beltway play an effective role in facilitating better policies at the FCC and other Federal agencies that lead to more communities getting faster affordable broadband? Representing private-sector companies devoted to bringing better broadband solutions everywhere, Comptel Chief Advocate and General Counsel Angie Kronenberg lays out strategies for listeners to join this good fight for a competitive communications marketplace. She addresses issues such as: what are some short-range local tactics that we can engage in this year to begin blunting the effect of anemic competition;how can communities create partnerships with private companies to level the playing field;what are the top two or three issues in D.C. that the grassroots should attempt to influence? Kron

The intersect between culture, broadband and economic development is important, and about to become more so as the Top 7 Intelligent Communities in the world are unveiled today by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). This international cast offers best practices in creating competitive local economies capable of excelling in a global broadband economy.  Arlington County, VA and Columbus, OH made it to the Top 7 this year, and will attend ICF's June conference where the Intelligent Community of the Year (the best ofthe best) will be selected after special presentations from the seven communities.  If you are harnessing broadband to boost economic development, the community's culture forms the launch pad for every program and project. Learn how culture provides intangible assets needed for success, determines how readily new ideas are accepted, educates constituents about their role in the new economy, and enables constituents to persuasively articulate the broadband vision.      ICF Co-Founder Robert Bell

Some critics like to bad mouth muni-owned broadband networks by spinning half-truths about cities they claim are failing. Loma Linda, CA, similar to other successes in the state such as Santa Monica and Burbank, is a winner on many levels when you assess the full scope of its network. Loma Linda Asst. City Manager Konrad Bolowich joins us to describe the City network's impact as a business venture. "The network based just on revenues we generate is a breakeven effort," states Bolowich, "but the city government wouldn't be able to run without the network." He explains to listeners how the Loma Linda Connected Community Program:    led to Loma Linda becoming the Disneyland of Healthcare, which by itself has a huge impact on local economic development;enabled the City to totally revamp and improve how it serves citizens while reducing its operating costs by 20%; andcontinually closes sales to local businesses for a range of telecom and data services. Bolowich discusses the City's effective strategy of partnerin

There's a potential new channel for FCC broadband money, and you want a shot at getting some. If you're planning a pilot project for your broadband buildout, don't miss this interview.  On January 30, the FCC is likely to approve an order for an Expression of Interest in a program that will award Connect America Fund (CAF) money in one-time grants to fund pilot projects. How much money your project potentially can get depends on several factors including financial and technical viability of the project, soundness of the long-term business plan, strength of local support, community impact and overall creativity of the project.   Public utilities, community-owned networks and other "nontraditional" organizations will be eligible to receive grants. Get insights to how you can prepare a pilot project proposal that puts you in the running for this program. Alyssa Clemsen-Roberts, Industry Affairs Manager at the Utilities Telecom Council, gives listeners insights on pilot project development, planning and writing

You can't discuss the digital divide and access to broadband without also addressing the lack of access to media: TV, radio, print. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler took a bold step and visited Oakland, CA to engage citizens directly in a conversation about media access. But what resulting action should communities on the wrong side of this digital divide expect?   Three of the public advocates who organized Oakland's town hall meeting (hosted by Voices for Internet Freedom) analyze Chairman Wheeler's comments as well as his recent policy statements to help listeners understand: what actual impact can we expect Chairman Wheeler to have on the public advocacy issues these organizations care about;why better broadband and greater media access go hand in hand;how do we enable people on the margins of society to use these technologies and resources effectively once they do get access;is it really possible for average citizens to compete with high-priced lobbyists and influence meaningful FCC public policy. Center for Me