Monopolistic Utility Companies Suppress the Use of Customer Data — Episode 149 of Building Local Power
On this episode of the Building Local Power Podcast, ILSR’s John Farrell is joined by Michael Murray, President of Mission Data. … Read More
Building Local Power Highlight: People Love Local Food. Yet Local Farmers are Disappearing. What’s Going On?
Leah Douglas is a reporter at Reuters covering the politics of food, agriculture, and the environment. Douglas discusses how the poultry industry is structured by contract production, how dairy farms are the bedrock for many rural communities, and Earl Butz’s conviction for farmers to plant “fence row to fence row” to enable economic food production. … Read More
Corporations Rake in Subsidies at Communities’ Expense — Episode 148 of Building Local Power
On this episode of the Building Local Power Podcast, Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Stacy Mitchell and Arlene Martínez who discuss the use of nondisclosure agreements, the acceleration of mega-deals during the pandemic, and what true economic development looks like. … Read More
The Leaders Working to Build a Robust Small Business Economy — Episode 147 of Building Local Power
Listen to highlights from a recent ILSR event called “The Progressive Fight for Small Business” featuring Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and White House Advisor Tim Wu. … Read More
How Monopoly Energy Utilities Impede Innovation — Episode 146 of Building Local Power
On this episode of the Building Local Power Podcast, Jess Del Fiacco is joined by John Farrell and guest Ari Peskoe who is the director of the energy law initiative at Harvard Law School. They discuss the acts that Congress has passed to increase (but hasn’t) competition in electric utilities, the four orders the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruled between 1996 and 2011, and the cost utility’s evading competitive processes has on consumers. … Read More
Building Local Power Highlight: Democratizing Antitrust with Harry First
Harry First, law professor and co-director of New York University’s Competition, Innovation, and Information Law Program discusses moving antitrust away from a technocratic approach, the politicization of law enforcement, and how to reinvigorate strong antitrust legislation. … Read More
Cities’ Exclusive Agreements With Trash Collectors Are Holding Back Community Composters – Episode 145
On this episode of the Building Local Power Podcast, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by her colleague Brenda Platt who leads the Composting Initiative and guests Sarah Boltwala-Mesina, Monique Figueiredo, and Kourtnii Brown who each run composting programs. They discuss solid waste franchising and how it impacts community composting. … Read More
Building Local Power Highlight: Independent Musicians and the Anti-Monopoly Movement
Kevin Erickson, Director of the Future of Music Coalition discusses how music is being impacted by monopoly power and what kind of marketplace breeds broad participation.… Read More
Local Organizing Efforts Are Reframing the Digital Divide — Episode 144 of Building Local Power
On this episode of the Building Local Power Podcast, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by her colleagues on the broadband team, DeAnne Cuellar and Sean Gonsalves. They discuss where the bulk of the broadband funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is geared towards and how to engage local champions to create community broadband strategies. … Read More