In this episode of the podcast, Chris sits down again with Chad Crager, Executive Director of Fort Collins Connexion, to discuss how Fort Collins is leading the way in municipal broadband by leveraging underground infrastructure and innovative policies. They also highlight their efforts to promote digital equity, expand services to underserved communities, and maintain long-term sustainability while competing with incumbents.

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In this episode of the podcast, Chris and Sean discuss key updates on broadband initiatives, including California’s Fiber Fund and Paul Bunyan Cooperative's innovative approach. They also highlight the importance of Federal Rescue Plan Funding for community networks and introduce ILSR’s new map, showcasing municipal broadband projects across the U.S.

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In this episode of the podcast, Chris and Ry chat with Ellie de Villiers, Executive Director of Maple Broadband, about Vermont's innovative approach to bridging the broadband gap through the Communications Union District model (CUD). They explore the unique partnerships and challenges faced in expanding internet access to underserved areas, offering insights into the future of rural broadband deployment.

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A quick update from Christopher on upcoming episodes of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. Transcript coming soon. We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below. Listen to other episodes here or view all episodes in our index. Subscribe to the Building Local Power podcast, also from the … Continue reading "Short Update – Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Jon Chambers, industry veteran and partner at Conexon. The two begin by talking about the work electric cooperatives are doing in rural areas to convert subscribers from DSL connections reluctantly maintained by monopoly providers to member-owned fiber connections. Then, they address what Jon calls the next … Continue reading "Mapping, BEAD, and the Future of Broadband – Episode 516 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Greg Conte, Director of the Texas Broadband Development Office, and ILSR Outreach Team Lead DeAnne Cuellar. The state of Texas finds itself in a common position these days: last year it created a small office that, today, is suddenly faced with dispersing more than a billion dollars … Continue reading "The Birth of the Texas State Broadband Development Office – Episode 515 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Sean Gonsalves, Senior Reporter and Editor at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. During the converstion, they talk about the value and concrete results of going small and stacking up targeted wins as a path for cities facing less of an appetite for big, bold projects, before digging … Continue reading "Campaigns to Keep Monopolies We Don’t Love – Episode 514 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Mike Conlow, Director of Network Strategy at Cloudflare, a network security and Internet performance company. Christopher and Mike dive into the upcoming Broadband Serviceable Locations Fabric which will serve as the basis for the new nationwide maps from the Federal Communications Commission. They talk about what’s going to be better as compared … Continue reading "The New FCC Broadband Fabric – Episode 513 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week’s podcast comes from the Fiber Connect 2022 conference held in Nashville, Tennessee last month where Christopher caught up with Heather Mills, Vice President for Grants and Funding Strategies at CTC Technology & Energy. During the conversation, Heather challenges Christopher’s assessment of the BEAD program in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and what he … Continue reading "Should the BEAD Program Be As Onerous As It Seems? – Episode 512 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Seth Wainer, the former CIO of the city of Newark, New Jersey. During the conversation, Seth shares his time with the city from 2013-2018. He talks about the progress the city made in improving local connectivity across different arenas, from cataloging existing assets, to pursuing both … Continue reading "Frameworks for the Future in Newark – Episode 511 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast Christopher is joined by Scott Rasmussen, Acting Director of the New York State ConnectALL Office. During the show, the two dive into how New York will spend its broadband funds to support municipal networks and partnerships, the challenges of public-public partnerships between local governments working together on deployments, and what we … Continue reading "Empowering Municipalities in New York – Episode 510 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by senior staff on the broadband initiative to dig into recent topics, including Senior Reporter, Editor and Communications Team Lead Sean Gonsalves, Community Broadband Outreach Team Lead DeAnne Cuellar, and Senior Researcher and Research Team Lead Ry Marcattilio-McCracken. The group talks about the value of overlapping networks and … Continue reading "Underbuilding, States BEAD Posturing, and Hot Topics in Community Networks – Episode 509 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast Christopher is joined by Ken Demlow, Planning Services Group Manager with HR Green, a leading employee-owned civil engineering and technical management firm with offices in nine states. The pair dive into the world of consulting firms and how they help cities and towns across the United States figure out how … Continue reading "How Consulting Firms Can Help Communities Plan, Build, and Finance Local Broadband Networks – Episode 508 Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, Chris speaks with Jade Piros de Carvalho, former head of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development, discussing the challenges of bridging the digital divide. Jade shares her journey from rural broadband expansion to managing significant funding aimed at improving broadband access in Kansas, emphasizing community-driven solutions and the multifaceted nature of deployment.

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This week on the podcast, while attending the 2022 Broadband Communities Summit in Houston earlier this month, Christopher was joined by Angie Kronenberg, Chief Advocate and General Counsel for INCOMPAS, a leading trade association advocating on behalf of telecommunication policies that encourage competition. The pair kick-off the podcast with a fun nod to Angie’s involvement … Continue reading "How INCOMPAS Advocates for Broadband Policy That Promotes Competition – Episode 507 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by John Lester, General Manager of Clarksville Connected. The two discuss how Clarksville, a small rural community of about 10,000 in northwest Arkansas at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, became the Natural State’s first 2 gig city. Chris and John cover how Clarksville became the first city … Continue reading "How Clarksville became Arkansas’ First Two-Gigabit City – Episode 506 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Benoit Felton (Independent Consultant, Diffraction Analysis).  During the conversation, the two discuss the transformational potential of broadband,  international developments in fiber deployment and lessons on wholesale broadband networks.  They talk about the state of European broadband service, what keeps customers from changing providers within open access … Continue reading "Lessons on Retail and Wholesale Broadband Models from Europe, Asia, and the U.S. – Episode 505 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined live from Broadband Communities by Bob Knight (CEO, Harrison Edwards) and Kim McKinley (Chief Marketing Officer, UTOPIA Fiber).  During the conversation, the three discuss the newly announced American Association of Public Broadband (AAPB). They talk answer what the group is, why it’s needed and how people can … Continue reading "Introducing the American Association of Public Broadband – Episode 504 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Jeff Gavlinski, CEO of Mountain Connect to preview this year’s event. During the conversation, the two talk about what makes Mountain Connect different from other broadband conferences, what’s on deck for this year, and Jeff’s perspective on larger trends in the broadband industry. They also discuss … Continue reading "Previewing Mountain Connect 2022 – Episode 503 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Shayna Englin, Director of the Digital Equity Initiative at the California Community Foundation. During the conversation, the two talk about Shayna’s work with the Digital Equity Initiative, how their coalition brought about recent wins for community broadband in LA County, and what’s next in the fight … Continue reading "Los Angeles County and California Are Building A Broadband Future – Episode 502 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by three colleagues from the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at ILSR including Sean Gonsalves (Communications Team Lead), Ry Marcattilio-McCracken (Research Team Lead) and DeAnne Cuellar (Outreach Team Lead). During the conversation, the four talk about Sean’s writing that highlights improvements to New York’s new budget bill, and … Continue reading "What New York State Got Right and No Answers on States Rights Question – Episode 501 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Margaret Kaufer, President of the New York-based STEM Alliance, and Bob Cacase, Commissioner of Information Technology for the City of Yonkers. During the conversation, the three talk about Y-ZONE, a partnership between several community groups working to connect households in Yonkers. They discuss origins of the … Continue reading "Y-ZONE is Connecting Families with CBRS – Episode 500 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the show, Christopher is joined by Angela Thi Bennett, Director of Advocacy & Impact at DigitalC, a community-based Cleveland nonprofit which operates a fixed wireless network in the city’s unserved and underserved neighborhoods. Before she leaves to become the first Digital Equity Director for National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Angela sits down with … Continue reading "Empowering Community in Cleveland, with Digital C – Episode 499 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Nancy Werner, General Counsel of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA).  During the conversation, the two talk about NATOA and it’s role in supporting community broadband projects, how the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Act is structured, and how exactly BEAD grant … Continue reading "Breaking Down BEAD Funding Requirements with Nancy Werner – Episode 498 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

In this special episode of the podcast, Chris shares a segment from the Connect This! show, featuring insights from industry leaders on improving connectivity for low-income households. The discussion covers the impacts of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), as well as strategies for expanding broadband in rural areas. They also provide a critical look at the political and legislative aspects of broadband funding.

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This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by ILSR Community Broadband Networks Research Team Lead Ry Marcattilio-McCracken and Communications Team Lead Sean Gonsalves. During the conversation, the three discuss stories from the big list of American Rescue Plan Community Broadband Projects, Sean’s Broadband Breakfast Telehealth Op-Ed with Craig Settles, and why healthcare providers aren’t … Continue reading "ARPA Funding, Telehealth and a Good Rant – Episode 497 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, radio producer Matt Purdy reports a story on Baltimore’s efforts to build a municipal broadband network that prioritizes equity for historically marginalized communities. This show is 13 minutes long and can be played on this page or via iTunes or the tool of your choice using this feed. Transcript coming soon.  We want … Continue reading "Special Report: Baltimore Builds Muni Fiber, Prioritizing Equity – Episode 496 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Bill Coleman, Founder of Community Technology Advisors in St. Paul, Minnesota. During the conversation, the two discuss the origins of the Blandin Foundation’s Accelerate! Program, how facilitating team dynamics helped to breath new life into pre-recorded webinars, and why Bill believes that approach, along with an … Continue reading "Accelerate! Program Shows Promise in Midwest Communities – Episode 495 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Will Anderson, Program Coordinator at Vermont Communications Union Districts Association (VCUDA) and Evan Carlson, Board Chair at NEK Broadband (Northeast Kingdom, VT). During the conversation, the three discuss the origins and progress of Vermont’s Communications Union District (CUD) model, how the Department of Public Service has … Continue reading "CUDs are Connecting Rural Vermont – Episode 494 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Jeff Magsamen, Telecom Director at Waverly Utilities in Waverly, Iowa. During the conversation, the two discuss Waverly’s journey building a municipal network, how triple play take rates have changed in the last few years, and the benefits of partnering with neighboring municipal networks to reduce startup costs. Christopher … Continue reading "Waverly Muni Fiber Another Success Story for Iowa – Episode 493 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Joe Poire, Director of Petrichor Broadband in Whitman County, Washington. During the conversation, the two discuss the unique role of Ports in Washington State, which for years have been building robust broadband infrastructure that could be used for increasing competition or extending access into unserved areas. … Continue reading "Public Open Access Spurs Competition in Washington State – Episode 492 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by PJ Armstrong, Interim General Manager at Monmouth Independence Networks (MINET) operating in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. During the conversation, the two discuss how MINET came into existence over fifteen years ago, unique perspectives from an older municipal network, progress on MINET’s recent investor-backed expansion into Dallas, Oregon, … Continue reading "Perspectives From An Established Muni Network – Episode 491 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Bob Marshall, General Manager of the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative and the Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications Company. During the conversation, the two discuss Bob’s love for the cooperative movement, how Plumas-Sierra relies on fixed wireless, cable and fiber to service their rural terrain, and how they are using … Continue reading "Geography is Everything – Episode 490 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week on the podcast, Christopher is joined by Matt Schmit, Director of the Illinois Office of Broadband and Chair of Illinois Broadband Advisory Council. During the conversation, the two discuss Illinois’ $420 million investment in broadband infrastructure as part of the Connect Illinois Broadband Grant program, the challenges in and solutions to both rural … Continue reading "It’s Not a Rural Broadband Challenge, It’s a Statewide Broadband Challenge – Episode 489 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the podcast, we’re back for another staff conversation about all that 2021 had to offer and serve up some predictions for the coming year. Joining Christopher on the show are Senior Reporter and Editor Sean Gonsalves, Community Broadband Outreach Team Lead DeAnne Cuellar, Senior Researcher Ry Marcattilio-McCracken, GIS and Data Visualization Specialist Christine … Continue reading "Last Year and Next Year: Predictions Evaluated and Recharged – Episode 488 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the podcast, Chris talks with Mike Romano, Executive Vice President of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, about the future of the Universal Service Fund (USF). They explore the historical context, current funding challenges, and the need for sustainable reform to ensure ongoing connectivity. The discussion highlights the importance of broadening the funding base to support digital equity efforts across the country.

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On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell is joined by Derek Turner, the research director for Free Press, to talk about the history of the federal government’s broadband data collection and how the Form 477 came to be.  They unpack how this data collection process has been historically flawed and how it … Continue reading "A History of Form 477 and Broadband Mapping Data – Episode 487 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

For episode 15 of our bonus series, “Why NC Broadband Matters,” Christopher Mitchell is joined by Catharine Rice (Co-founder of NC Broadband Matters and  Project Manager at the Coalition for Local Internet Choice) and Doug Dawson (Owner and President of CCG Consulting) dig into what all these different pots of federal funding mean communities across … Continue reading "What Does All This Money Mean? – Bonus Episode 15 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell invites the Community Broadband Networks Initiative staff onto the show to talk about what they believe were some of the biggest broadband stories of 2021. The group reminisce about what has been one of the most pivotal years for broadband infrastructure investment and … Continue reading "A Look Back on the Biggest Broadband Stories of 2021 – Episode 486 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell welcomes Willie Painter, the public affairs manager for the Lewis County’s Public Utility District (PUD), to talk about what the county has been doing to address the lack of connectivity. We reported on Lewis County PUD’s plan to connect its 33,000 members through an open access fiber-to-the-home … Continue reading "A Washington PUD Prioritizes Open Access Fiber After Pandemic – Episode 485 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we are releasing a bonus episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, featuring a recent National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) webinar on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that recently passed in Congress.  In this webinar, NDIA Policy Director, Amy Huffman breaks down the programs created by the more than $65 billion that’s been allocated to … Continue reading "NDIA Webinar: Digital Inclusion Funding in the Infrastructure Act – Bonus Episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Christopher Mitchell brings back a longtime favorite guest, Jon Chambers, Partner at Conexon, to talk about what is next for municipal and cooperative broadband efforts given the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The two discuss the importance of rural cooperatives when connecting some of the most underserved … Continue reading "What States, Communities, and Activists Need to Do to Make the Most of the Infrastructure Act – Episode 484 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by Russ Elliot, the CEO of Siskiyou Telephone in Northern California.  The two discuss the importance of small incumbent providers, which often get lumped in with bigger telecommunications companies that leave rural communities behind when building broadband infrastructure. Small incumbent providers are … Continue reading "Local Solutions for Expanding Broadband Accessibility – Episode 483 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, Sean Gonsalves joins regular host Christopher Mitchell in a conversation with Michael Maloney, a public finance banker and the Managing Director at D.A. Davidson based in Iowa. Maloney has spent his career working on public financing projects to hope to spur economic development, including broadband. The three … Continue reading "Fort Dodge Brings FTTH to Fruition – Episode 482 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell travels to Des Moines, Iowa for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities Telecom Conference. He speaks with Kurt Ripperger, the Fiber Superintendent for the Indianola Municipal Utilities in Iowa.  The two talk about the journey of Indianola’s citywide fiber-to-the-home municipal network. While initially … Continue reading "A Success Story in Indianola, Iowa- Episode 481 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this week’s episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by Danny Peralta, the Executive Managing Director of The Point in the Bronx, New York which has. The Point has been at the forefront of revitalizing the South Bronx’s Hunts Point neighborhood working to address  environmental issues, increase access to the arts, … Continue reading "Broadband and Beyond in the Bronx – Episode 480 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the podcast, Chris discusses the challenges of prevailing wage laws on small broadband providers in Minnesota with Brent Christensen and Jill Huffman. They explore the administrative and financial burdens these regulations impose and their impact on broadband expansion in rural areas. Tune in for insights on balancing fair labor practices with practical broadband deployment.

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On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell is joined by Deanne Cuellar, the State Program Director for Older Adult Technology Services (OATS). They explore the history of the digital divide in San Antonio and Cuellar’s role in making the city one of the nation’s leaders in digital inclusion efforts.  The two also … Continue reading "The Fight for Digital Inclusion and Equity in San Antonio – Episode 479 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

On this episode of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast, host Christopher Mitchell talks fiber with Gary Bolton, CEO and President of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) at the Broadband Communities Summit in Houston, TX.  The two discuss a recent fiber optic technician training program that FBA is rolling out, not only to fill expertise gaps and the labor shortage, but also … Continue reading "Let’s Talk Fiber – Episode 478 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★

For episode 14 of our bonus series, “Why NC Broadband Matters,” we’re joined by Amy Huffman, Policy Director at National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and Christa Vinson, Program Officer of Rural Broadband and Infrastructure at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), to talk about the state of digital inclusion across the country.  Vinson updates us on … Continue reading "Tides Are Turning With Digital Inclusion – Bonus Episode 14 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast" ★ Support this podcast ★