Localism

The public-private partnership touted two years ago as a way to bring Sacramento to the forefront of a new digital frontier is being called an example for other cities of what not to do, by the Communications Workers of America.

A platform of recommended media-and-tech policies for all presidential candidates. Over the summer of 2019, Free Press Action will send the platform to each of the presidential candidates. Free Press Action will also generate a scorecard rating each candidate’s positions relative to Right to Connect’s recommendations. What is the platform asking candidates to do?

Again, and again, I’ve heard that when people live in areas unserved and underserved by broadband networks, businesses are hard-pressed to start, grow, or stay there. Without the economic development and individual prospects enabled by competitive, advanced, and affordable broadband, people will find it harder to secure good-paying jobs, get training for future positions, or seek higher wages.

The “brain drain” from rural areas has been a problem across the country for decades. Since 2000, Emporia's population has declined more than 7 percent. It's now home to 24,724 people. 

Rock Falls is a gigabit city and the backbone to its fiber network is in place. Now it's time to get residents connected to its broadband, which can provide speeds up to 1,000 megabits per second. As part of its marketing campaign, city officials held their final informational meetings for a packed council chamber at City Hall. City Administrator Robbin Blackert retraced the process, started in earnest in 2015, that has made broadband the newest city utility. The city took out a $4 million bond to complete the backbone, which is along the U.S.

Of the new priorities Bozeman city commissioners added to their strategic plan recently, perhaps none will prove to be more consequential than declaring broadband internet service to be essential infrastructure – just as important as streets, bridges and water and sewer systems. It was a logical next step in the city’s broadband policy evolution. It started six years ago with the formation of committee of professionals and business owners that identified a demand for high-speed internet service in the city.

Federal Communications Commissioners Michael O’Rielly, Brendan Carr, and Geoffrey Starks, spoke at a panel at the 2019 National Association of Broadcasters Commissioner show. Commissioner Carr emphasized the importance of getting out and about to see how ownership groups operate. He said ownership rules were scripted when the morning paper and evening newscast represented the extent of local news voices. "The market you all compete in today is vastly different,” he said, singling out Pandora, Spotify, and the “Silicon Valley giants” as prominent competitors to local TV.

Local leaders met with the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau staff on March 13, 2019, to suggest the FCC continuing to re-evaluate the appropriate broadband speed requirements for service to rural areas by carriers receiving federal support. They discussed their concerns with filings, asking the FCC to extend to wireline providers the interpretation of section 253 set forth in the September 27, 2018 Wireless Infrastructure Order.

A Q&A with San Jose (CA) Mayor Sam Liccardo.