Cedar Falls Utilities operates one of the oldest community owned networks in the nation. It started as a cable network in the 90’s, upgraded to FTTH recently, and this year began offering the first citywide gigabit service in Iowa. CFU Communication Sales Manager Kent Halder and Network Services Manager Rob Houlihan join me for Community Broadband … Read More
Last month, we unveiled a video teaser of our interviews in Glasgow, Kentucky over the summer regarding its municipal broadband network. This week our podcast features a few clips from those interviews with Billy Ray, the Superintendent of Glasgow’s Electric Plant Board. He offers more context on the history of their network, including how they became … Read More
“We have this once-in-a-generation negotiation coming up next year and it’s a chance for Minneapolis to explore what its energy choices might be and how it could achieve its energy goals.” Earlier this week, the Minneapolis city council got an early look at an important “pathways study,” outlining the legal and policy strategies the city could … Read More
On November 6, 2013, Debra Lynn Dadd’s Toxic Free Talk Radio Show had ILSR’s Brenda Platt as a guest representing the Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative and talking about bioplastics. Brenda is Director of the Sustainable Plastics Initiative, Co-Chair of the Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative (www.sustainablebiomaterials.org), and co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, based in Washington, DC. She … Read More
In this 30-minute interview on “This Is Hell!”, recently voted Chicago’s best talk radio show, ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell talks about how Walmart is undermining the American economy and why being more engaged citizens, rather than better consumers, is the best way to counter corporate power. … Read More
In this 5-minute interview with Ross Reynolds on Seattle public radio station KUOW, Stacy Mitchell talks about how Amazon’s market power has changed the business of selling books and what the future looks like for independent bookstores. … Read More
Waverly, a town of 10,000 in Iowa, decided to create a city owned telecommunications utility with a successful referendum vote in 2000 but has only recently decided to move forward with a major investment to offer services. Mike Litterer, Interim General Manager of Waverly Light and Power, joins us to discuss the project. Following the vote, … Read More
It is the fifth episode of the Whatcha Workin’ On? podcast. Christopher Mitchell, Director of the Telecommunications as Commons initiative speaks to Lisa Gonzalez. Chris describes the roots of the initiative, the many projects we are working on now, and his ideas for what we will pursue moving forward. For more specific info on the initiative … Read More
“A lot of the utilities don’t totally understand this new paradigm that’s coming.” David Blittersdorf of AllEarth Solar has been working to advance renewable energy in Vermont for years, and was instrumental in getting the state’s standard offer program (a feed-in tariff) passed in 2009. He’s adamant that the state should accelerate its standard offer in … Read More
