We received a visit in the Institute for Local Self-Reliance offices last week from Bill Lindeke from streets.mn. Bill came to interview our own Christopher Mitchell so he could learn more about our work at ILSR. The two talked about Chris’ favorite topic. In Bills’ words: I sat down with him today in his office in … Read More
We enjoy bringing you news from western rural Massachusetts and the WiredWest Cooperative. We want to share the update on 2012 activities and some of the plans for 2013. Sixteen new towns became members in 2012, which brings the grand total to 42. Business planning progressed during 2012. From the WiredWest newletter: Significant work was undertaken … Read More
In our second episode of Whatcha Workin’ On? Lisa Gonzalez interviews John Farrell, Director of the Democratic Energy Program at ILSR. John describes the program and gives us an update on current and future projects, including some ground breaking proposals that can transform the way local communities can obtain or create the energy they need. John … Read More
The UC2B project broke ground in the fall of 2011 and is a joint effort by the cities of Urbana and Champaign and the University of Illinois. The project is funded with a $22.5 million federal stimulus grant, a $3 million grant from the state of Illinois, and a list of other grants from local agencies. From the … Read More
In the week before Christmas, Mother Nature sent a powerful winter storm to Chelan County in Washington. Hundreds of trees along the south shore of Lake Wenatchee came down, causing extensive electrical and fiber outages. According to the Chelan PUD, most electrical customers have had power restored, but Internet, phone, and TV services dependent on the … Read More
Franklin, Kentucky expects to see more positive economic growth when it launches its new fiber optic network. According to an article in the Bowling Green Daily News, the south central community is ready for the upgrade: “We are super excited about it,” said James McCaslin, associate vice president of academic affairs and director of Franklin-Simpson Center. … Read More
This March 21-22, the SouthEast Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (SEATOA) will be hosting the “Networking Communities for the New South” conference. The conference will be held at the Omni Charlotte Hotel. We are excited to see Susan Crawford as the keynote speaker. From the conference page: She will provide a broadband policy reality check, … Read More
We want to thank Ann Treacy from the Blandin Foundation for getting out and reporting on many events dealing with telecommunications. We know we can rely on her to faithfully share her findings via the Bladin on Broadband blog. Last week, Ann attended the Labor, Workplace and Regulated Industries Committee at the Minnesota House of Representatives. … Read More
Readers know we have offered extensive coverage of the publicly owned network in Longmont, Colorado. The utility will soon offer telecommunications services to businesses and residents that are physically located within 500 feet or less of its existing network. At this stage, policies and procedures for the service are being finalized by Longmont Power and Communications … Read More
