Climate and Capitalism, October 10, 2012 As I post this, Walmart workers from 28 stores in 12 U.S. states have walked off the job to protest company attempts to “silence and retaliate against workers for speaking out for improvements on the job.” ….snip…. In 2005, the giant retailer (biggest in the world) announced three “aspirational [there’s … Read More
St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 1, 2012 The streets have yet to be ripped up, the trenches yet to be dug, for a proposed $14 million ultrafast fiber-optic underground broadband network in Ramsey County. The county has long said the network would be exclusively for government use. Facilities without fiber connectivity, like the county workhouse, or … Read More
County News, September 24, 2012 The success of two South Carolina counties’ plans to provide broadband access to rural areas could be in jeopardy because of a new state law that severely restricts public broadband projects. It also essentially bans new ones. … Oconee County was awarded $9.6 million for a so-called “middle-mile” project to build … Read More
Atlantic Cities, September 24, 2012 More than 20 wireless routers sit on rooftops in Washington, D.C.’s Bloomingdale neighborhood. About a mile away in Mt. Pleasant, eight such routers have already been installed, with plans for an expansion into neighboring Columbia Heights. In each neighborhood, the routers form the basis of a community mesh network—wireless networks openly … Read More
Holland Sentinel, September 21, 2012 Another one bites the dust. As The Sentinel reported on Sept. 14, Dykstra Drug Store, a longtime local pharmacy, is closing. Dykstra has been serving the community for 60 years. Fortunately, yet somewhat ironically, owner and pharmacist Tom Klaasen has been hired by CVS, which has purchased his pharmacy operation, for its new store at … Read More
The Athens Messenger, September 14, 2012 Turning trash into an economic development tool was the focus of the two-day Waste to Wealth Summit organized by Rural Action’s Zero Waste Initiative this week. About 125 people gathered at the Ohio University Inn to discuss the recycling challenges in rural Ohio. Not only were local residents and officials … Read More
Grist Magazine, September 13, 2012 Pollution is not the only thing wrong with the U.S. power system. It is also governed by inconsistent rules and opaque, unaccountable organizations. The average citizen has little understanding of how it works, who is in charge, or how it might change for the better. The financial benefits of electricity, like … Read More
NATOA Press Release, September 8, 2012 In a September 8, 2102, Press Release, the National Association of Telecommunication Officers and Advisors (NATOA) named the Institute for Local Self-Reliance one of the Community Broadband Organizations of the Year for 2012. The award will be officially presented at their 2012 annual conference in New Orleans on September 27-29. … Read More
The American Independent, September 10, 2012 California could be the latest state to enact a law that dramatically curbs regulatory oversight of telecommunications services in the state, handing a significant victory to the industry players that have lobbied for the bill’s passage. On its face, SB 1161 seems simple enough. The text of the bill explains … Read More
