Gigabit Nation

Wireless ISPs (WISPs) are like the WW II PT boats in the battle for better broadband. They're small, they're swift. They get into places bigger boats can't go, get the job done and zip off to the next mission. WISPs collectively get a lot of people and businesses online, particularly in rural areas. But they don't get the respect they deserve. Matt Larsen, a member of the Wireless ISP Association's Board of Directors and president of his own WISP, is our guest. He makes the case for why we need more support from community stakeholders and government agencies for these local providers. So many times they fill the void left by big incumbents.  Larsen pulls from his experiences in the field and lessons from colleagues to present effective guidelines for: finding WISPs who can make a difference; creating valuable partnerships with WISPs; and maximizing the community's relationship with their WISPS.

It's back to school time once again. Time to pick up some pens, pencils, notebooks and...broadband? Students in four Georgia counties probably can't wait to get back to school this Fall because they're going to have some of the fastest broadband speeds in the world, thanks to the broadband stimulus program. North Georgia Network (NGN), a nonprofit formed by five counties and two electric co-ops,has completed the 260-mile core ring of a network funded via a Dept. of Commerce BTOP grant. NGN Executive Director Bruce Abraham is our guest. He gives listeners an overview of the network's success so far, who's being served currently and tips on what communities need to do to ensure the success of regional broadband projects.      

23 small Vermont towns and townships banded together in 2008 to explore building a broadband network. They created a nonprofit corporation and raised over $1.2 million in two funding rounds offering $2,500 promissory notes. They built a network. So, what are you waiting for? Tim and Leslie Nulty, who are driving forces behind the Vermont nonprofit ECFiber, explain what they did and how your community can do it too. It's hard work, but it definitely isn't rocket science. The Nulty's describe the in's and out's of structuring a nonprofit, developing a community investment vehicle and using the "leaf frog" approach to raising money, building infrastructure, selling services, building more infrastructure. Communities can either complain about how bad broadband is, or they can do something about it. This show is for those willing to take the latter road less traveled and reap a greater reward.

Chattanooga is one of the most high-profile success stories of a public utility making broadband possible in communities where incumbents are weak. But plenty other public utilities have launched successful networks, particularly in smaller towns. Todd Kielkopf, General Manager of Indianola Municipal Utilities, joins us to discuss what it takes for public utilities to grab the reins and make broadband happen. Kielkopf lays out tips and recommendations for planning, budgeting for, and delivering effective broadband services. If your community has a public utility and your broadband options are poor to nonexistent, this interview points you in the right direction for creating a better alternative,

Many people know about Chattanooga's fiber network. But did you know that the largest U.S. gigabit network also supports a 16 Mbps symmetrical WiFi mesh network, the fastest municipal-use wireless network? City CIO Mark Keil joins Gigabit Nation to discuss the success and future plans of Chattanooga WiFi, and how other communities can implement a similar network for the general public. Currently, City agencies run 55 applications on their wireless network, and more are in development. Chattanooga's future plans include taking advantage of next generation wireless technology, such as LTE 700. Keil gives listeners a peek at some exciting new initiatives happening around the city. He also discusses the role of integrated fiber and wireless networks in communities' efforts to maximize broadband buildouts. 

When it comes to fighting for the public good, during his term as Federal Communications Commissioner (FCC) Michael Copps proved to be one of the best. He joins us to carry on the call for smarter pro-consumer broadband and media policy. Former Comm. Copps always speaks his mind and cuts to the chase. Today he addresses how we get better broadband policies as the FCC moves forward, and how average citizens can impact new policies to address the rapidly changing media industry. Common Cause recently announced that former Comm. Copps will lead their national Media and Democracy Reform Initiative aimed to respond to the growing political and economic power of the communications industry. The Commissioner discusses the stripping of local control over cable and municipal broadband; carte blanche broadcast licensing without obligations to serve the public interest; challenges to ubiquitous broadband deployment and an open Internet; and attacks on funding for public broadcasting.  

Since over $240 million has been raised for projects using Kickstarter, it is logical to believe that community broadband advocates can use crowdfunding successfully to raise money for network projects. Today's guest is Jase Wilson, founder of the civic crowdfunding platform Neighbor.ly, whose motto is "Invest in places and civic projects you care about." Wilson discusses the in's and out's of capitalizing on what he calls "ordinary fundraising supercharged by the Internet" to support broadband projects.  We explore how crowdfunding can underwrite needs assessment and planing, build pilot projects, support broadband adoption and ultimately fund infrastructure buildouts. With the right mix of creative and hard working constituents, this strategy is a viable pathway to broadband success.   

People are making a big deal over the Google announcement this week about their fiber project in Kansas City. But what does it really mean to KCK and KCMO? To the rest of the U.S.?  The Co-Chairs of the Mayor's Bi-State Innovations Team, Michael Burke and Ray Daniels, are key stakeholders assisting the two cities maximize Google's fiber initiative. The Team recently released “Playing to Win in America’s Digital Crossroads,” a report that advises KC stakeholders how to benefit from the highspeed network.    Burke and Daniels help us analyze the Google announcement, and give us insights to what's next in KC's drive for gigabit broadband. They also discuss the previous day's international summit initiated from KC that addressed management issues that can help or hinder broadband initiatives.

Today's show is for those who believe proper previous planning for their broadband project prevents poor performance. And for everyone else who believes better late than never. Though it sounds elementary, you have to plan for success. Unfortunately, many broadband projects have been - and continue to be - launched without proper planning. Learn how to pay your broadband dues and plan well in the beginning, or pay a harsh price later.  Dedicated to the development of vital communities, the American Planning Association recently published, "Planning and Broadband." Authors Kathleen McMahon, AICP, Ronald Thomas, FAICP, and Charles Kaynor discuss best practices and case studies from cities and towns across the U.S. that are successfully planning for broadband.

One of the partners in the recently announced AIR.U initiative to build wireless broadband networks in college towns is the United Negro College Fund. UNCF plans to leverage this opportunity to put historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on better footing with other colleges by building strong broadband infrastructure. Robert Rucker, VP of Planning, Budgets and Information Technology for UNCF, discusses plans to help AIR.U create guidelines and broadband pilot programs for the 500 colleges nationwide represented by the initiative. These plans include using unlicensed white space to bring wireless broadband to colleges and the communities surrounding them. Mr. Rucker also describes: the effectiveness of colleges as hubs of broadband innovation programs that are helping more minorities become computer literate and move online   creative uses of broadband technology originating in black communities how Federal broadband policy and funding programs can raise all boats

It's Summer Camp for Geeks! 11 teams of innovators are competing in GigTank for $150,000 in prizes that will go to the two teams creating the best applications to capitalize on Chattanooga’s gigabit network. Today Gigabit Nation listeners get a sneak peek at what gig apps these teams are cooking up. Nicole Newman and Seth Bigham represent the student teams at GigTank. Anthony Guglielmo of Vigia and Toni Gamayel with Banyan represent the teams of established entrepreneurs. Without giving away their competitive edge, our guests talk about their projects and also discuss the opportunities and challenges with creating the next generation of broadband solutions to complex needs. As part of a group of leaders from around the world who are building geek teams and gigabit apps, they have a lot to share.

Broadband can effectively resolve some of the most pressing and chronic healthcare problems facing African Americans, as well as other minority communities, if used effectively by people with vision. In April this year, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released "Minorities, Mobile Broadband, and the Management of Chronic Diseases." This report highlights several benefits mobile broadband offers these communities, as well as presents recommendations for new or improved broadband policies. Our guest, Joseph Miller, is a co-author of the report and an Acting Director and Senior Policy Counsel for the Joint Center. He discusses several healthcare challenges that broadband of all types can address, such as capturing digital images of home-bound patients, self-administered preventative care and monitoring medical equipment.

Following Monday's broadcast that highlighted a real-world broadband application of TV white space technology, host Craig Settles conducts interviews at the conference "The Power and Potential of the Unlicensed Economy." This conference explored the role of unlicensed spectrum in our economy and the future of innovation in the U.S. Cutting through marketing hype and tech jargon, interviews with Harold Feld, Sr. VP and Legal Director of the public advocacy group Public Knowledge and Edgar Figueroa, President and CEO of WiFi Alliance, help broadband stakeholders and supporters understand the value TV white spaces offer.   Listeners will learn: how white spaces and other unlicensed spectrum can make broadband cheaper and faster to deploy in some communities why "Super WiFi" is not the best way to describe this technology what kinds of applications to expect from networks built using unlicensed spectrum

This is the re-scheduled interview: "Hey, were you born in a barn?" "No, but our broadband was and it kicks butt!" That's B-4-R-N, thank you. Broadband for the Rural North. They have a story to tell, and every community whose broadband and broadband options suck needs to listen to every word. Their broadband project is so effective B4RN just won the Internet Hero award from the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA). Eight parishes in the northwest of England united to form a co-op to do what the large incumbent won't. Chris Conder, one of B4RN's key founders, explains how to replicate their success. B4RN issued stock and sold enough shares to underwrite the initial network buildout. Local farmers literary dig the trenches and place the fiber on their properties. B4RN is selling sponsorships ads on the conduit going into the ground. Local residents run the business and provide B4RN with necessary services. Once you hear B4RN's story, you realize that any community that wants broadband enough to

Super WiFi (a.k.a. TV white spaces) promises to re-purpose idle TV channels so they can be used to build more powerful and less expensive WiFi networks than with previous versions of WiFi. Wilmington, NC is the first US city to put this WiFi-on-steroids to work. Leslie Chaney, Chief Technologist for New Hanover County, describes the progress Wilmington has made to date with this government-use only network. Lessons learned here can be exported to other communities to help them build networks that serve constituents as well as government. GigaOm Senior Writer Stacey Higginbotham joins Craig Settles today as guest co-host. To get more background on Super WiFi, listen to this Gigabit Nation interview with AIR.U, a consortium that's bringing colleges, small towns and other parties together to create Super WiFi networks to cover rural areas.   

Believing nothing succeeds like success, AIR.U is following quickly on the heels of Gig.U with a bold plan to tap Super WiFi (unused TV channels) to bring wireless broadband to potentially hundreds of university towns in rural America. Today's guests formed Advanced Internet Regions to plan, build and operate wireless networks that leverage the creativity of college communities to meet rural broadband needs. Robert Nichols (nichols6044@gmail.com), CEO of Declaration Networks Group, and Michael Calabrese (Calabrese@newamerica.net), Dir. of New America Foundation's Wireless Future Program, explain AIR.U's game plan. Super WiFi supporters advocate for communities to aggressively push the envelope with this new iteration of standard TV technology. AIR.U expects to be the catalyst to propel Super WiFi into the mainstream while closing the digital divide in rural areas. To get more details about how you can participate in the program, e-mail Robert or Michael.  

How does your community get out from under the thumb of large incumbents responsible only to Wall Street and win better broadband? By becoming independent of these anti-market forces and building a true community network. Frank Ohrtman, former manager in the Colorado Office of Information Technology, explains how his regional co-op unites the efforts of 40 of the state's 64 counties. They are achieving independence by planning, funding, building and operating local broadband networks.  Gigabit Nation host Craig Settles' recent report on alternative funding strategies for broadband strongly advocates for broadband co-ops. Ohrtman lays out a seven-point game plan for making this strategy work and creating a financially sustainable network. Tell your colleagues, community stakeholders and everyone else who wants better broadband to listen, learn and do. 

Your community could be sitting on a broadband funding gold mine and not even know it! San Leandro, CA-based software company OSIsoft stepped into the breach to build a fiber network for their hometown. OSIsoft CEO Pat Kennedy explains that underwriting the network is a combination of giving back to the community that has been very good to him, and good business sense. He describes the thinking that led to their action, how they are proceeding and the benefits to San Leandro as well as the communities around them. The company is not alone. Corning, for example, contributed $12 million to build a network for the three-county New York area where they are based. Your community likely has businesses willing to make a similar investment. Learn how to make this tactic work for you.

This episode of Gigabit Nation tackles a few big misconceptions about broadband that are holding communities back. One is that you can't sell services at an inexpensive rate. Another myth, which may have needlessly killed a project in Palo Alto, CA is that user-financed broadband networks fail. There are several user-financed success stories. John Brown, President, CTO, Co-Founder at CityLink Fiber Holdings, Inc, lays bare these and other myths. How many times do we hear the people don't need 100 Mbps or a gig to the home? All government involvement with broadband is bad, all private sector involvement is good. Or is it? Let's cut to the chase. Tune in and bring your questions with  you. It's time for another show to separate fact from fiction and hype from reality.  

US Ignite launched last week with a big White House gathering, and has been riding a huge wave of publicity and questions. Lots of questions. Today we hope to get quite a few of yours answered. US Ignite founding partners Sue Spradley and Joe Kochan join us in a special 90-minute show to talk about the program, separate hype from reality and discuss how your community can benefit from the program. This is a hot topic and we expect many of our listeners to call to exchange thoughts with Sue and Joe. Here's my initial take on the US Iginite announcement, and also some thoughts on President Obama's Executive Order to streamline broadband network buildouts.