Washington Post: Biden locks arms with telecom giants, riling allies
Director of the Community Broadband Networks initiative at ILSR, Chris Mitchell, describes the shortcomings in Biden’s approach to the major telecom companies.… Read More
In Broadband Breakfast: Treasury Department’s Rules Put Decision-Making Power in Local Hands
Christopher Mitchell writes about new federal broadband funding rules in Broadband Breakfast. … Read More
Listen: Christopher Mitchell Explains What the Infrastructure Bill Means for Internet Access
Last week, a monumental infrastructure bill passed with $65 billion devoted to broadband investment. This money will build rural connectivity, develop state policies for local broadband, and create a more digitally inclusive economy. … Read More
In the Wall Street Journal: Cable, Internet Companies Stand to Gain From Broadband Funding in Infrastructure
In the Wall Street Journal, ILSR’s community broadband networks program director Christopher Mitchell talks about the new infrastructure bill, including its funding to state offices and failure to create government competition.… Read More
Ohio Inches Closer to Ban on Municipal Broadband Projects
When the Ohio Senate passed its two-year $75-billion budget bill yesterday, it included an amendment that effectively bans the creation and operation of municipal broadband networks and other community-owned projects without much in the way of public debate. The move is drawing a lot of blowback, from cities in the state to local and national advocacy organizations to the Lieutenant Governor.… Read More
Report: Telecom Monopolies Are Blocking Better Internet Access… And What We Can Do About It
The digital divide is leaving millions of Americans behind — and corporate telecom monopolies are only making the problem worse. A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance sheds light on this under-reported problem. ILSR’s report finds that at a time when access to high-quality broadband is more important than ever, monopoly control of this essential public infrastructure is leaving many Americans — particularly people in rural communities and communities of color — disconnected, underserved, or, at best, paying too much for substandard service.… Read More
Oregon Passes New Universal Service Fee Law to Expand Rural Internet Access
Over the summer, Oregon created a larger rural broadband development fund by revising its state Universal Service Fund program to include wireless and VoIP telephone service.… Read More
Illinois City Brings No-Cost Internet Access to Students in Mobile Home Park
When schools in Champaign, Illinois, realized that many kids living in a mobile home park weren’t online after the pandemic hit, a coalition came together to build the students a free fixed wireless network.… Read More
In the Wall Street Journal: Rural Families Struggle With Work and School With No Home Internet
In the WSJ, ILSR’s Christopher Mitchell also explains the failures of US broadband policy that has kept communities from getting connected.… Read More