Lawmakers in Minnesota will have the opportunity this legislative session to put the state at the forefront of a growing national movement to improve and strengthen laws to constrain monopoly abuses against workers, independent businesses, and communities.… Read More
Following hundreds of requests from community members urging the local Public Utility District (PUD) to address the lack of Internet access in Lewis County, Washington, the Lewis County PUD is answering the call with a proposal to construct an open access countywide fiber-to-the-home network.… Read More
Almost 54,000 electric cooperative residents will see the benefits of a statewide law change in Maryland. … Read More
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
A new study shows that states which enact barriers to entry for municipal and cooperative broadband networks reduce broadband availability.… Read More
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
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
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
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
