Electric Cooperative Will Bring Broadband to Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Almost 54,000 electric cooperative residents will see the benefits of a statewide law change in Maryland. … 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
New Study Shows State Barriers to Community Networks Decrease Broadband Availability
A new study shows that states which enact barriers to entry for municipal and cooperative broadband networks reduce broadband availability.… Read More
Mississippi Electric Co-ops Kick Broadband Projects Into High Gear With Covid Relief Funds
Less than two years after Mississippi lifted its ban on electric cooperative broadband networks, at least 15 of the 25 co-ops in the state have announced plans to provide Internet access to members, with more on the way.… Read More
Connecticut Court Confirms Local Authority Around Pole Attachments
When communities in Connecticut wanted to exercise their right to space on utility poles at no cost, pole owners objected. After a drawn out review of the state’s “Municipal Gain” law, local communities have finally obtained the decision they’ve pursued to develop cost-effective publicly owned fiber optic municipal networks.… Read More
Connecticut Lawsuits Aim to Correct Poor Internet Infrastructure Decision
In May, Connecticut’s Public Utility Regulatory Agency (PURA) struck a blow at local authority when the ruled that communities could not use their protected utility pole space for municipal fiber deployment. Big cable and telephone companies cheered, broadband advocates and communities that need better connectivity decided to take action. Now, PURA faces lawsuits that challenge the decision from the Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), and at least three local communities that just want high-quality Internet access.… Read More
New York Solar Bill Encourages Distributed Energy Market to Stay on Target
In the New York solar version of this space epic, the Alliance’s X-wing fighters have scrambled to advance Assembly Bill 10474. It’s the only hope to stop VaDER—Value of Distributed Energy Resources–a tool once intended to transition the state’s solar market to version 2.0, but one that incumbent electric utilities have successfully turned to a dark purpose: quashing the ability of New York residents to go solar together.… Read More
North Carolina Legislature Sides with Big Cable Providers, Foreshadowing Future Fights
Rural Pinetop residents are getting a glimpse of the treatment they are going to receive from Suddenlink, even before the ISP has started offering service in the small North Carolina community. According to locals, Suddenlink subcontractors are busting water mains, connecting fiber without homeowner permission, and spreading lies about the Town’s favored community-broadband provider, Wilson’s municipal network, Greenlight Community Broadband.… Read More
Minnesota Regulators Schedule Hearings on Frontier Communications’ Anti-Competition Actions
National ISPs with millions of customers are some of the most hated companies in the U.S. Poor customer service, contract tricks, and a refusal to upgrade services are only a few of the common complaints from subscribers who are often trapped due to lack of competition. Frontier Communications is proudly carrying on that tradition of deficiency in Minnesota. In fact, the company’s excellence at skullduggery has drawn the attention of the state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which launched an investigation into the service quality of Frontier this spring.… Read More