In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris is joined by Lee Brown, President and CEO of Erwin Utilities, and John Fredericks, Director of Information Technology at Erwin Fiber, for a conversation about community resilience, local infrastructure, and rebuilding after Hurricane Helene.

Lee and John reflect on the devastating flooding that struck Erwin, Tennessee, in September 2024, washing away homes, damaging the industrial park, and destroying hundreds of utility poles carrying both electric and fiber infrastructure. They share how the community responded in the days and months that followed, from neighbors helping neighbors to utility crews working to restore essential services.

The conversation also looks back at Erwin Fiber’s incremental approach to building its network. Chris, Lee, and John discuss how careful planning, local support, and investments in redundancy helped the system remain resilient during the disaster, allowing much of the community to stay connected even as other infrastructure failed.

From there, they explore how Erwin Utilities is using the recovery process to build back stronger. John shares plans to expand network redundancy, move toward XGS-PON, and roll out new Wi-Fi capabilities designed to support first responders and customers during future emergencies.

Throughout the episode, Lee and John emphasize that reliable Internet access is about more than speed. It is about connection, trust, and having local institutions that understand the community they serve. Their experience after Helene offers a powerful example of why resilient infrastructure and local accountability matter when disaster strikes.

This show is 35 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed. 

You can also check out the video version via YouTube.

Transcript below.

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Listen to other episodes (formerly Community Broadband Bits) or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Whitedrift for the song Operator, licensed Creative Commons Attribution (3.0).