This is the transcript for episode 468 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Bruce McDougall, Anacortes City Council Member to speak about the journey to build a 21st century infrastructure in this small community in Washington by advocating for a municipally owned and operated fiber optic network. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below.

Bruce McDougall: It's good to have some technical resources that know the industry, whether that's within the activist's portion of it or within the elected officials, or even if there's IT staff in city hall that want to take this on.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in St. Paul, Minnesota. And today I'm speaking to Bruce McDougall, who is a member of the Anacortes City Council. That is a part-time position. And so like many people who are working to better their communities in an elected position, he also works as an outside position, and he works for Cisco systems as well, where he is a consulting engineer. Welcome to the show, Bruce.

Bruce McDougall: Thanks, Christopher. Great to be here.

Christopher Mitchell: This is one of those shows that I wanted to do two years ago. I knew that good things were happening, but we always like to let things simmer a little bit so that we can talk about what's been done rather than what you plan to do. And it seems like now you're in a good stage to do that.

Bruce McDougall: Yeah. Timing is good. We've made some progress on construction and turning up customers here in the last 12 months. So yeah, so we have real things to report at this point.

Christopher Mitchell: Excellent. So let's start with Anacortes. Anacortes is in Washington State for folks who are not familiar with it. Tell us a little bit about it, and what one might expect if they've visited.

This is the transcript for episode 467 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. On this episode, we're joined by Sascha Meinrath, Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Pennsylvania State University and Director of X-Labs.

The two discuss an exciting collaboration they are working on with Consumer Reports and other allied organizations that crowdsources monthly Internet bills from actual users. The aim of the project is to look at the differentials in the speeds and prices ISPs offer across a variety of geographical locations to see if there is a correlation around race, class, and location. The findings will hopefully clarify the problems and solutions around digital equity and steer policy-making, regulatory authority and consumer protection law conversations to improve Internet access for all. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below.

Sasha Meinrath: We really want people to be able to make informed decisions, apples to apples comparisons, between the offerings of different Internet service providers.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self Reliance. Today, I'm speaking with Sasha Meinrath, the director of X Labs and the Palmer Chair in telecommunications, not just communications, but telecommunications at Penn State.

Christopher Mitchell: Sasha, it's been too long. You've been on a few times before. It's great to talk to you.

Sasha Meinrath: It is awesome to be here again and I can't wait for what crazy shenanigans were going to get up to.

Christopher Mitchell: Yes. And let me just say first that you did not hear an introduction to this podcast, noble listener, because I think we're going to streamline things and for future episodes of Community Broadband Bits, take a few process pieces out and just make it a little easier to manage. So, you'll probably just hear me launching in and you won't have a short summary of what you're about to hear. It's going to be a surprise to you.

This is the transcript for episode 466 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. On this episode, we'rejoined by Matthew Rantanen, Director of Technology for the  Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association along with Maren Machles, ILSR Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer to talk about the first iteration of the Tribal Wireless Bootcamp, which took place from June 30 through July 4. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below. 

Matthew Rantanen: Oh, my God, it was 130 degrees. And we were cooking. But we were in the zombie bunker in a desert. And we were setting up wireless. And it was apocalyptic. And it was cool. And they catered it. It was crazy.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to Episode 466 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today, Christopher is joined by two people to talk about a project ILSR is involved with called the Tribal Wireless Bootcamp, a three-day experience which aims to support skills training and the sharing of knowledge for tribes that are at differing stages of deploying networks from the recently dispersed 2.5 gigahertz spectrum license by the FCC, and who are also seeking funding to build sustainable, resilient networks back in their communities.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: This first iteration of the Tribal Wireless Bootcamp ran just a week ago. Matthew Rantanen, Director of Technology for Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association, helped organize and guide the effort, also opening up his home in Southern California to make it work.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Joining us also is Maren Machles, ILSR Senior Researcher and Multimedia Producer, who captured video of the effort and collected interviews from those who came together to participate.

This is the transcript for episode 465 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. On this episode, we're joined Sean Gonsalves, ILSR's Community Broadband Senior Reporter, Editor and Researcher to catch up on some of the most interesting broadband stories in recent weeks. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below.

Sean Gonsalves: The digital divide in this country, isn't rural versus urban. It is really all over the place.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the community broadband bits podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell, and I'm in St. Paul, Minnesota, at least for a little bit longer. We're going to start doing some traveling again soon. But today we're going to cover some recent news, some interesting stories that we've been seeing. It's going to be a shorter show than normal. We're going to highlight some of the stuff that we have on our site. And frankly, if you want the longer piece, you can go check it out and read it real quick. Today I pulled Sean Gonsalves our senior editor, researcher, writer, cheese aficionado.

Sean Gonsalves: I like that. I was going to say connoisseur, but yes.

Christopher Mitchell: Yeah, I would say you're a connoisseur as well and just generally all around person who does interesting things at ILSR.

Sean Gonsalves: Thank you. Glad to be here.

Christopher Mitchell: Let's start with a story that's not even yours. Let's start off talking about New Hampshire quick and we'll run through it really quick. But I wanted to do this because I'm excited about this story. Jericho Casper on our team, she wrote it, she ran it down, she reported it out. We got it published in Gov Tech. It was sort of a little bit of a slim down version because Gov Tech doesn't want to run these 3,500 word pieces and then we've just published it on our site in a little bit more detail than it ran in Gov Tech.

Christopher Mitchell: Do you want to give a quick overview of what's going on in there and that Southwestern or Southeastern corner of New Hampshire?

This is the transcript for episode 463 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. We're joined by Douglas Adams, the CMO of Think Marketing (the firm which handles the marketing operations for the municipal network FairlawnGig in Ohio), Ernie Staten, Director of Public Service for the city of Fairlawn, and Angela Siefer, Executive Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.

The topic of the day is the amendment attached to the upcoming budget for the state of Ohio which, if included in the final version, would make Ohio the first state in a decade to erect barriers to the establishment, expansion, and continuing operation of publicly owned and operation broadband networks. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below.

Ernie Staten: For the state of Ohio, I mean, in all seriousness, we're talking about going backwards here. We're not talking about going forward. 10 and one is backwards, that's the irritation here.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Today I'm speaking with three folks that are going to help us understand what exactly is going on in Ohio. We've got actually two repeat guests, and then we have someone who's often been involved in inspiring us and getting us guests for the show, who's making his first actual appearance, and I'll introduce him first, Doug Adams, the CMO of Think, which handles the marketing for FairlawnGig and is someone who's always helping out at Mountain Connect and around a bunch of other places, helping broadband get its legs. Welcome to the show, Doug.

Doug Adams: Glad to be here. Thanks for having me.

Christopher Mitchell: And then we have Ernie Staten, the Director of Public Service in the city of Fairlawn, which runs FairlawnGig. Welcome back, Ernie.

Ernie Staten: Thanks for having me, Chris.

This is the transcript for episode 462 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. On this episode of the podcast, we're joined by Ernesto Falcon (Senior Legislative Counsel) and Hayley Tsukayama (Legislative Activist) from the Electronic Frontier Foundation to talk about how the announced $7 billion plan to increase broadband access across the state will be used to bring better connectivity to Californians. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below. 

Ernesto Falcon: A supervisor from a county took a photo of these two Latino girls in Taco Bell, I believe, doing homework on the street. That was the only way they could access the Internet. It was in Salinas, California, a big city. I think that hit home for a lot of legislators, the idea that children are forced to go to the streets to do homework right now, because of just the inequities that exist within the system.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to Episode 462 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken here, at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today, Christopher talks with Ernesto Falcon, Senior Legislative Counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and his colleague, Hayley Tsukayama, a legislative activist for the nonprofit. They join us to talk about California's recent landmark announcement that it is devoting $7 billion to expand broadband access in the state over the next few years. Ernesto and Hayley help Chris unpack how the funds will be used, from the $4 billion earmarked for a statewide middle-mile open access network, designed to increase competition and expand access to areas that are unserved or underserved by existing providers, to the $500 million public financing program to assist local governments, tribes and non-profits financing new community-owned fiber networks.

This is the transcript for episode 464 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. We're joined by John Windhausen, Executive Director of the Schools, Health, Libraries and Broadband Coalition (SHLB) and Alicja Johnson, SHLB Communication Manager. Windhausen and Johnson cover the wide array of specific projects SHLB has going on, from work on the Emergency Connectivity Fund, to telehealth efforts, to larger picture efforts they participate in, specifically, the future of spectrum and its role in expanding wireless networks across the country. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below.

John Windhausen: So if you really want to solve the homework gap, the best thing to do is to give schools and libraries that option to self deploy.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 464 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCraken here at the Institute for Local Self Reliance. Today, Christopher talks with John Windhausen, Executive Director of the Schools, Health, Libraries and Broadband Coalition, as well as the non-profit's Communication Manager, Alicja Johnson. SHLB, as it's called, has worked to advocate for to and through broadband infrastructure, not only to connect community anchor institutions, but to facilitate connections through those communities a way to bring better connectivity to communities as a whole.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: John and Alicja cover the wide array of specific projects SHLB has going on, from work on the Emergency Connectivity Fund, to telehealth efforts, to making sure community anchor institutions show up on broadband maps, as well as the larger picture efforts they participate in, including encouraging anchor institutions to cooperate and collaborate and the future of spectrum and its role in expanding wireless networks across the country. Now, here's Christopher talking with John and Alicja.

This is the transcript for episode 461 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. We're joined by broadband analyst and telehealth advocate, Craig Settles; Dianne Connery, Special Projects Librarian in Pottsboro, Texas; and Adam Echelman, Executive Director of Libraries Without Boarders, to talk about how libraries are the cornerstones of information access for communities across the country. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below.

Adam Echelman: Telehealth, when you hear the word you think of like a doctor with an MD over a TV screen telling you about which prescriptions to take, but really it's about using technology, which is part of our everyday life, to navigate your own health information, your health questions. Anyone can do that, they just need the right skills. Librarians are uniquely equipped, but I think there's also an enormous role that librarians can play in equipping community leaders with those same skills.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 461 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. This week on the podcast, we welcome broadband analyst and telehealth advocate, Craig Settles, Diane Connery, the special projects librarian in Pottsboro, Texas, and Adam Echelman, Executive Director of Libraries Without Borders. The group talks about the role of libraries in facilitating more resilient communities and how this new dimension of telehealth is just another among the array of ways that libraries have been and continue to be an access point for information for their communities.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: They talk about how trusted and locally-rooted digital navigators have become folded into the fabric of libraries and the part that can play in both treating illness and preventing it. Along the way, Diane shares how these tools have manifested into new options for staff and residents in the town of Pottsboro. Now, here's Christopher talking with Craig, Diane, and Adam.

This is the transcript for episode 460 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. We're joined by ILSR senior reporter and editor, Sean Gonsalves and Nate Benson, a reporter with WGRZ in Buffalo, New York, about his approach to reporting on connectivity issues afflicting the Western part of the state. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below.

Nate Benson: Nobody on a local level really has dug into it. And that's where I found the opportunity. Okay, nobody's talking about this, but it's a problem that within the industry people know about, but nobody's talking about it. Somebody should be. I guess I'll do it.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 460 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Ryan Marcattilio-McCracken here at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today, Christopher talks with Nate Benson, a reporter with WGRZ in Buffalo, New York, along with ILSR senior reporter and editor, Sean Gonsalves. Nate joins us to talk about all of the broadband reporting he's done on connectivity issues in the Western part of the state over the last two-and-a-half years. He shares the origins and results of his fall 2019 investigation into monopoly service and what the lack of competition has done to prices and availability in the city. And how he approaches producing stories on internet access that have resonated with citizens and galvanized local policymakers in the community. Christopher and Sean also talk with Nate about his continuing coverage of issues like the charter merger and its consequences, the company's lobbying power in the state, and an ongoing audit of the state's broadband grant program. Now here's Christopher and Sean talking with Nate.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in St. Paul, Minnesota. And today, I'm speaking with Nate Benson, a journalist with WGRZ in Buffalo. Welcome to the show.

This is the transcript for episode 459 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. A couple of months ago we wrote about the city of Tucson’s efforts to bridge the digital divide by building a wireless citywide network. On this episode of the podcast, Christopher talks with Collin Boyce, the city’s Chief Information Officer, to hear more about how the effort started, what they’ve learned along the way, and the impact it’s having on the community. Listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below. 

Collin Boyce: This technology will fuel stuff that will be smart city initiatives, not for the city, but citizen-centered smart city infrastructure.

Ry Marcattilio-McCracken: Welcome to episode 459 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. This is Ry Marcattilio-McCracken here at the Institute for Local self-Reliance. A couple of months ago we wrote about the city of Tucson's efforts to bridge the digital divide by building a wireless citywide network. Today, Christopher talks with Collin Boyce, the city's Chief Information Officer to hear about how the effort got started, what they've learned along the way, and the impact it's having on the community. Collin tells us about their efforts to bring service to the tens of thousands of Tucson residents who either didn't have options for or couldn't afford Internet access. He talks about building a hybrid CBRS and LoRaWAN network from the ground up leveraging existing fiber infrastructure to bridge the digital divide, but also expand the city's tools to get smarter, reduce pollution, and increase utility efficiency. Now here's Christopher talking with Collin.

Christopher Mitchell: Welcome to another episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast. I'm Christopher Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I'm coming to you again from St. Paul, the better of the two cities. Today I'm speaking with Collin Bryce, the Chief Information Officer for the City of Tucson. Welcome to the show, Collin.

Collin Boyce: Hi, how are you doing, Christopher? And small correction, my name is Collin Boyce but-