Christopher Mitchell Explains How San Francisco Can Close Its Digital Divide
Christopher Mitchell highlights why city governments should invest in bringing high-quality Internet to low-income families. … Read More
The Movement for Free College Tuition Is Growing
In 2015, President Obama proposed making community college free nationwide. He pointed to a pilot free tuition program just being launched by Tennessee for recent high school graduates and might not have been aware of a free tuition program operating in Louisiana for almost two decades. The election of Donald Trump killed the prospect of federal … Read More
Watch San Francisco’s AnMarie Rodgers on How the City’s Formula Business Policy Works
In this 30-minute talk, AnMarie Rodgers, Senior Policy Advisor in the City of San Francisco Planning Department, breaks down the nuts-and-bolts of San Francisco’s pioneering formula business ordinance. She talks about how the city implemented the policy, how it works and how well it works — and what advice she has for other cities that want to do it too.… Read More
San Francisco Breaks the Chain Stores, Strengthens Neighborhood Economies (Episode 31)
San Francisco has one-third as many chain stores as the national average. That’s thanks in large part to a city ordinance that restricts “formula” businesses. We talk with AnMarie Rodgers, senior policy advisor to the city’s planning department, about how the city implemented the policy, how it works, and what advice she has for other cities that want to do it too.… Read More
Internet for all San Franciscans? Here’s how it could happen
Municipal-based fiber network are an important factor in ensuring equitable Internet access for all. San Francisco is making that a priority and reached out to our broadband expert Christopher Mitchell in order to hear his perspective and get his advice.… Read More
San Francisco Strides Toward an All-Renewable Future
Two key moves this year will propel San Francisco’s toward an all-renewable electricity mix by 2030, potentially making the city — the 13th largest in the nation — a model for others eyeing a similar transition. This is part of a series released in October 2016 for Energy Awareness Month highlighting communities and community energy projects … Read More
Utilities Strip Consumers’ Control Over Energy Bills – Episode 36 of Local Energy Rules Podcast
A surge of interest in residential solar arrays threatens traditional utilities’ outdated business model of selling more and more electricity, prompting them to adopt a controversial fee that hurts efficiency and diminishes long-range cost savings — even for themselves. Mandatory fixed fees on utility bills force consumers to pay up no matter how much, or how … Read More
Community Broadband Media Roundup – January 23
We continue to see reverberations from President Obama’s speaking out in favor of municipal networks. The presidential nod sparked state lawmakers to propose bills, news organizations to write editorials, and to give communities a better sense of how they can take action locally. As Claire Cain Miller with the New York Times wrote in her article … Read More
Community Broadband Media Roundup – October 24
On this week’s community broadband media roundup, we have more reverberations from Next Century Cities, a forward-thinking coalition of cities that promises real progress in establishing or restoring local authority for broadband networks. For the inside scoop on the launch, we suggest taking a look at Ann L. Kim’s Friday Q&A with Deb Socia, the executive … Read More