Almost 200 local and state governments across the country have pledged to transition their communities to 100% renewable energy. To meet these goals, communities need more control over their electricity supply. … Read More
Scott Vanderlip can see Google’s headquarters from his house in the town of Los Altos Hills, California. Still, some of his neighbors struggle to access the online world that the tech company has helped shape. So they created Los Altos Hills Community Fiber, a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation that’s bringing a local, high-quality connectivity option to the area.… Read More
To help local governments that want to improve connectivity during the pandemic, we at the Community Broadband Networks initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance have teamed up with the Local Solutions Support Center to produce a number of helpful resources, including a guide for local governments and an interactive state broadband preemption map.… Read More
Less than two years after Mississippi lifted its ban on electric cooperative broadband networks, at least 15 of the 25 co-ops in the state have announced plans to provide Internet access to members, with more on the way.… Read More
Late last month, voters in Block Island, Rhode Island’s sole town of New Shoreham gathered (at safe distances) in the local school building and on its grounds to approve $8 million in borrowing to build an island-wide, municipal fiber network. Residents were overwhelmingly in favor of funding the broadband network, which would be the first of its kind in the state.… Read More
This report investigates broadband competition in communities across the country.… Read More
Millions of students do not have access to adequate connectivity, but Black, Latinx, and Native children are disproportionately impacted by the “homework gap.” One study found that children in one out of every three Black, Latinx, and Native American households did not have broadband access at home.… Read More
As the pandemic drags on, local governments across the country are looking for ways to connect their residents. To help local officials and advocates figure out if their community is able to take action, we worked with the Local Solutions Support Center (LSSC) to develop a step-by-step guide.… Read More
Alabama-based Cullman Electric Cooperative recently launched its new Fiber-to-the-Home network Sprout Fiber Internet. The first phase of the co-op’s project will extend the Sprout Fiber Internet network to 12,000 members, making gigabit Internet access available to both residents and businesses.… Read More
