This is the transcript for episode 364 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. For this episdoe, Christopher speaks with David Young, former Fiber Infrastructure and Right-of-Way Manager for the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. They discuss the city's conduit network, its partnership with Allo, and how the broadband infrastructure is creating new opportunities for Lincoln. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

David Young: Competition works in a dense urban environment. I think that that's one measurement of success.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 364 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. This week we have another interview Christopher recorded while at the Mountain Connect broadband conference in Colorado. He caught up with one of our returning guests, David Young. If you're a fan of the podcast, you will immediately associate David with Lincoln, Nebraska, but David is now working in Kansas City, Kansas. Christopher and David reviewed the years long project in Lincoln that started with conduit and has culminated in a citywide Fiber-to-the-Home network. David discusses how the community worked within the confines of one of the most restrictive state laws and some of the technical aspects of their conduit deployment that led to where they are today. He also discusses their partnership with ISP Allo and their agreement. David talks about Lincoln's decision to pursue a public-private partnership and some of the considerations other communities should review as they look at various network models. David and Christopher spend some time reviewing some of the many benefits Lincoln has enjoyed due to the presence of the network. Now here's Christopher with David Young.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I did it a little differently that time because I'm at Mountain Connect sitting across from former multiple guest, David Young. Welcome back to the show. David.

David Young: Hi, Chris. How are you?

This is the transcript for episode 363 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. In this episdoe of Community Broadband Bits, Christopher interviews Brian Worthen of Mammoth Networks. They discuss how the Wyoming-based company is providing connectivity and backhaul in the American West, and they talk about the future of rural broadband. Listen to the podcast, or read the transcript below.

Brian Worthen: Communities that put emphasis on it now are much further ahead than the communities that just simply quote they are going to do it in the future.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 363 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Mountain Connect is one of Christopher's favorite events. He and other experts, advocates, and professionals gather together in Colorado in the summers, and if he's lucky, Christopher can record a few interviews for the podcast. This week we're sharing his conversation with Brian Worthen, CEO of Mammoth Networks. Brian and Christopher discuss the different services Mammoth offers and some of the discoveries they've made about operating in sparsely populated places where the geography varies. They also discuss some of the projects that Mammoth has been working on, including Project THOR, which will connect existing and new fiber in northwest Colorado for better connectivity in the region. Other topics the guys discuss include federal versus local rural broadband efforts, Connect America Funding, utilities and cooperatives, and low earth orbit satellites. Here's Christopher with Mammoth Networks' Brian Worthen recorded in Dillon, Colorado, at 2019's Mountain Connect.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and today I'm talking to Brian Worthen with Mammoth Networks.

Brian Worthen: Yes, that's correct, Chris.

Christopher Mitchell: That was a question because all of a sudden I just think of you as Mammoth. I know that you're not a muffin from Perkins. Mammoth Networks. Welcome to the show, Brian.

This is the transcript for episode 362 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Matt Rantanen, wearer of many hats, about creative solutions for connecting tribal lands. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Jess Del Fiacco: Welcome to episode 362 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. This is Jess Del Fiacco filling in for Lisa Gonzalez. This week, Christopher chats with Matt Rantanen, director of technology at the Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association and director of the Tribal Digital Village Network. They discuss Matt's experiences finding creative solutions for better connectivity in Indian country, which often involves working throughout tricky terrain. Matt also talks about how the FCC's impact on tribal communities has changed in recent years, why broadband is continuing to become more and more important on reservations, and some promising new tools that are becoming available. We also get to learn about Matt's newest project, a company called Arcadian Infracom that's working to create diverse fiber paths throughout the U.S., thanks to some innovative partnerships with tribal communities. Now here's Matt and Christopher.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and today I'm talking to my good friend Matt Rantanen who — now pace yourself for this — is the director of technology of Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association and director of the Tribal Digital Village Network. Welcome back, Matt.

Matt Rantanen: Hey, good to be here, Chris.

Christopher Mitchell: So I'm excited. I know that you have a very interesting project going on in the southwest that we're going to talk about here in a minute, but first of all, I think just for people who haven't heard of it before, do you want to just very quickly remind us what Tribal Digital Village is?

This is the transcript for episode 361 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, our very own Jess Del Fiacco speaks with Christopher about 5G hype, open access networks, federal broadband subsidies, and more. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Jess Del Fiacco: But I think we're glossing over the takeaway, which is that 5G is going to cure cancer.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 361 of the Community Boadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Yes, it's true: the 5G hype has now reached the same level as the old timey snake oil salesmen, and Christopher has something to say about it. This week, he and our communications specialist Jess Del Fiacco tackle a questionable ad from Verizon along with several other timely topics. They discuss a recent report from M-Lab that compares real world Internet access speeds and self-reported results from ISPs. Jess and Christopher also discuss the recent news about Ammon, Idaho, where their software defined open access fiber network is creating a competitive environment where Internet access rates are incredibly affordable. Along with Ammon, they discuss the open access model and some of the pros and cons. Lastly, we hear a discussion about the possible cap on the Universal Service Fund. Christopher talks about the fund, what it does, and explains what might happen if this idea is adopted. Now, here's Jess and Christopher.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell, and we're back with another of a perhaps series that we'll call perhaps either "Chris Unleashed" or Chris Unhinged," depending on your point of view. But we have Jess Del Fiacco back in the studio/office to talk about a couple of topics that are a little bit hot in the news.

Jess Del Fiacco: Yeah, at least from my perspective. I mean, you know, national media might not be paying extremely close attention, especially to this first one, but we'll see.

This is the transcript for episode 360 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher speaks with Ben Bawtree-Jobson from SiFi Networks about how the company is building an open access network in Fullerton, California. Listen to episode 360, or read the transcript below.

Ben Bawtree-Jobson: We found a great solution here economically to deliver the same solution to a city but without that city taking on any burden, and that is the case in Fullerton. There's no financial burden to the city whatsoever.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 360 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Not long ago, fiber optic network developer SiFi Networks and the city of Fullerton, California, announced that they will be working together to build an open access Fiber-to-the-Premise network throughout the city. They've established an aggressive timeline and a partnership in which the company will fund the infrastructure development, find ISPs to operate on it, and handle the task of connecting businesses and residents to the network. In this interview with SiFi Networks CEO Ben Bawtree-Jobson, we learn more about the company, their approach, and the plan to connect people in the southern California city. We find out more about SiFis other projects and how they've adapted their model to suit working in the U.S. Ben explains some of the company's thoughts on micro trenching, allocation of risk, and the many uses they foresee for the fiber network beyond Internet access for the population of Fullerton. Here's Christopher with Ben Bawtree-Jobson of SIFi Networks.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm in Minneapolis, and today I'm talking to Ben Bawtree-Jobson, the CEO at SiFi. Welcome to the show, Ben.

Ben Bawtree-Jobson: Thank you for having me.

Christopher Mitchell: Well, I'm excited to have you. I'm a huge fan of science fiction, and I think we're going to be talking nothing but future interplanetary plane travel, right?

This is the transcript for episode 359 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Travis Carter, CEO of US Internet, about his plans to bring fiber optic connectivity to every home and business in Minneapolis. Listen to the interview, or read the transcript below.

Travis Carter: There's a lot of houses and a lot of blocks and a lot of people that want service, and it just takes time. And it also takes a lot of money. It's the balance.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 359 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. This week we have a return guest on the show, Travis Carter, CEO of US Internet. The company, a local Internet service provider, has been deploying their fiber network in Minneapolis for several years now, and Travis is here to talk about the process. He explains what it's like to coordinate with city officials and talks in depth about the actual process involved in obtaining the necessary permits and permissions to build a fiber optic network in a metropolitan area. He talks about the learning curve for both the company and city officials and explains the business decisions US Internet has made in order to continue their expansion. Travis also addresses some of the practical matters related to customer service and hiring and shares some personal experiences. Before we get to the interview with Travis however, we want to bring a special message from a former guest about an upcoming event.

Ron Placone: Hey everybody. Ron Placone here. Myself along with Fight for the Future, are holding an epic livestream for net neutrality on June 11th. June 11th marks one year since the FCC repealed net neutrality. Without net neutrality protections, the Internet as we know it and all the shows and podcasts that everybody loves could cease to exist. Well, we're here to tell the FCC and Congress that we demand net neutrality. Join us at epiclivestream.com on June 11th to take our Internet back. That's epiclivestream.com

Lisa Gonzalez: Thanks Ron, and now onto the interview with Travis Carter from US Internet.

This is episode 358 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher speaks with two leaders from Centeral Virginia Electric Cooperative about the co-op's new subsidiary, Firefly Fiber Broadband. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Melissa Gay: What I've learned along the way is how absolutely satisfying and how gratifying an experience it is to be involved in this, and how our predecessors must have felt in the 30s when they turned those lights on.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 358 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. In early 2018, the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative announced details of their plan to deploy Fiber-to-the-Home to members across their service area. Beginning with the pilot project, they plan to bring high quality Internet access to members in some of the least connected areas of the state. This week, Christopher talks with Gary Wood and Melissa Gay from the co-op. Gary and Melissa describe why CVEC decided to take on the project and what Internet access is like in the region. They discuss the reason why this project makes sense, including the multiple uses for the fiber that will benefit both Internet access subscribers and electric customers. During the conversation, we get to hear about the process that led to the decision to deploy fiber to this region of Virginia, how the cooperative is funding the project, their marketing techniques, and the lessons learned from taking on the Firefly Broadband project. You can learn more about the CVEC project at muninetworks.org and by visiting the cooperatives update page mycvec.com/community/broadband. Now let's learn about the Firefly Broadband project from the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative with Gary Wood and Melissa Gay.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance up in Minneapolis. Today I'm talking to two people from Virginia who come with very high recommendations from Jon Chambers, a frequent guest. We're gonna introduce you first to Gary Wood, the president and CEO of the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative. Welcome to the show.

This is the transcript for episode 357 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Monica Webb and Adam Eisner from Ting Internet about how the company is partnering with municipalities to connect communities across the country. Read the transcript of the interview below, or listen to the podcast episode. 

Monica Webb: We're really selecting communities that are very interested in Ting coming to town. They work with us very productively, and we end up with a very strong presence and reception from the communities.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 357 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. Once again, we have an interview to share that Christopher recorded while in Austin at the 2019 Broadband Communities Summit. This time our conversation is with two folks from the Internet access company and mobile service provider Ting. As you'll hear in the interview with Monica Webb and Adam Eisner, the company is known for a lot more than what we at MuniNetworks tend to focus on. They share some of their history and discuss how it has become a partner with several municipalities in order to bring high quality gigabit Internet access to local communities. Monica and Adam also talk about the different projects that Ting is working on and the ones that they've developed so far. Ting is experimenting with different models to get their services to subscribers. Along the way, they've continued to emphasize strong customer service and learn some lessons, which they share with us. They talk about some of the ways municipalities can make adjustments to help companies like them quickly and efficiently deploy high speed networks. They also offer some examples based on their own experiences. Now, here's Christopher with Monica Webb and Adam Eisner from Ting.

This is the transcript for episode 356 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher talks to Arkansas State Senator Breanne Davis about recently passed Senate Bill 150, which lifted some of the state restrictions on municipal broadband networks. Listen to the interview, or read the transcript below.

Breanne Davis: In the year 2019, we shouldn't have to choose between where we live and taking a job that requires us to send email.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 356 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. This week, state Senator Breanne Davis joins us to discuss changes in the law in her home state of Arkansas. Earlier this year we reported about a bill that she and several other women lawmakers introduced to lift state restrictions on municipal broadband. After a couple of amendments, the bill passed, and while it doesn't remove all barriers in Arkansas, it is a small step toward local authority for better connectivity. In this interview, Senator Davis describes how she and the other authors of the bill chose broadband as an issue that needed their attention. She discusses how they refined the bill to allow local communities to access federal grant funding. Lawmakers in the state of Arkansas have run out of patience waiting for large ISPs to make good on the promise to deliver rural broadband after taking so many subsidies over the years. You can read more about the specifics of Senate Bill 150 at muninetworks.org to discover how and why state lawmakers decided to make the change. Now let's hear from Breanne Davis, state senator from Arkansas.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Chris Mitchell. Today, I'm speaking with Senator Breanne Davis from Arkansas about a very interesting bill that made its way through that that Senator Davis sponsored, dealing with municipal broadband questions. So welcome to the show, Senator.

Breanne Davis: Hi. Thank you. I'm happy to be on.

This is the transcript for episode 355 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher interviews Christopher Ali, assistant professor at the University of Virginia. They discuss how the federal government could develop a better rural broadband plan, whether people believe Internet access is a utility, and how cable news and Facebook impact the way people get information. Listen to the episode, or read the transcript below.

Christopher Ali: There's a role for the federal government in streamlining and democratizing this process. There's a role for states acting as the go between, and I really think that the solution to rural broadband are the local and municipal and cooperative ISPs that are coming up. They are the unsung heroes.

Lisa Gonzalez: Welcome to episode 355 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. I'm Lisa Gonzalez. In April, Christopher went to Austin, Texas, to attend the Broadband Communities Summit, and while he was there, he had the chance to interview several guests for the podcast. He's back now, but we're still sharing his conversations, including this important talk with Christopher Ali, an assistant professor from the University of Virginia. If you read the New York Times, you may have read his piece from February 2019 titled, "We Need a Rural Broadband Plan." In that opinion piece, professor Ali shares his experiences traveling and researching in rural areas to discover what federal efforts have accomplished up to now. He also offers suggestions on ways to improve the current system that include better coordination rather than passing federal dollars to the large incumbent ISPs hand over fist. Christopher and professor Ali carry on that conversation, and since media studies is his area, they talk also about the way the Internet impacts media and the effect it's having on democracy. From the analysis of the influence of behemoth Facebook to the importance of smaller local media outlets, this is an important and interesting conversation. Here's Christopher talking with assistant professor Christopher Ali.