A bill to address broadband affordability in CA was killed over the summer But the California Public Utilities Commission is looking to include new broadband affordability requirements as part of the state’s looming approval of Verizon’s massive $20 million merger with Frontier Communications

Missed the return of the Community Broadband Film Series last week? 📽️ No problem - you can stream AAPB and @communitynets.bsky.social’s premiere of Rocketeers: The UTOPIA Fiber Story below, and stay tuned after for a Q&A! www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjb-...

The Trump Administration is Doubling Down on its policy to Defund Rural Internet Access projects. The latest - not yet publicly documented - appears to be a super secret round with secret caps on fiber projects to pressure ISPs to switch more people to expensive satellite.

Exciting new Connect This! about to start at 2ET (archived at same link) to discuss latest in BEAD, Starlink, USI Fiber and T-Mobile - inside an ISP sale - and more! Trying a new platform so bear with us and watch on YouTube! www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZFA...

Here is our first installment of an ongoing series we are calling Connected Complex It looks at how states, local communities, and ISPs are working to address the complex challenges involved in bringing high-speed Internet access to multi-dwelling units communitynetworks.org/content/mass...

How come most of us don't have a choice in choosing Internet service providers? Why is there is there so very little competition? The CBN team cuts right to quick in discussing it with @karlbode.com @sportshotchris.bsky.social @seangon.bsky.social and @jpittman.bsky.social 🌐📶💻 #LostPackets

Scott Goff of Gibson Connect joins the podcast this week to share how an electric co-op in Tennessee is transforming rural communities with affordable fiber broadband. He and @sportshotchris.bsky.social discuss overcoming state barriers, building trust, and why community-first models are key 📶⬇️

As states struggle to solve connectivity challenges in the wake of the Trump administration “termination” of the Digital Equity Act... Vermont is working to a multi-million dollar shortfall in launching an Affordable Long Drop Program Our story here 🌐📶💻 communitynetworks.org/content/verm...

How is Kendall County, IL connecting everyone from suburban hubs to rural farms with high-speed Internet? @communitynets.bsky.social talks to Christina Burns & Zach Bachmann about the county’s broadband plan, Fox Fiber, and the partnerships making it happen. 🎙️ communitynetworks.org/content/kend...

If Internet access technologies were food and you were really hungry, what type of connectivity serves up the best meal? @sportshotchris.bsky.social and @seangon.bsky.social discuss (Apologies in advance to vegetarians😬) #LostPackets 🌐💻📶

The most informative show in broadband, Connect This! is live now with special Gigi Sohn Join us! www.youtube.com/live/kfqBFEO...

In the city where "it's always growing season," Vineland NJ is building a muni network to expand broadband with a focus on affordability Vineland joins a growing list of cities turning to community broadband to regain control of its digital future fr the grip of monopoly providers Our story here

While American Fork spent YEARS being butthurt at UTOPIA before finally deciding to just wash their hands of doing anything by saying "I guess Strata can build here if they want to", Bountiful built an entire fiber network. But not shocking if you know AF's history with networks (I do). #utpol

Comcast and Centurylink tried to sabotage the city-owned open access network project in Bountiful, Utah They lost and now city residents finally have choice and competition - with 14 different ISPs to choose from Community Broadband with another win! 💪🌐💻⬇️ communitynetworks.org/content/boun...

The mystery of who and what killed the California Affordable Home Internet Act is coming into view The evidence seems to be pointing to the new leadership now directing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Our story here 🌐💻⬇️

VT’s #broadband is being built by Vermonters, for Vermonters. Volunteers from across the state have come together to form and work for CUDs, in some cases partnering with private companies to deliver reliable, high-speed internet, no matter your ZIP code.

Community broadband continues to make strides! Our story here comes out of Syracuse NY where the city has expanded its municipally-owned network Surge Link to 9,200 low-income households, offering $15/month service for qualified households 👏👏👏 🌐💻⬇️ communitynetworks.org/content/syra...

Once again, community broadband is on march! In Sonoma County, CA, the County Board of Supervisors recently announced that it has approved a list of new affordable housing sites that are eligible to receive free Internet for one year Our story here 🌐💻⬇️

1. Trump's rural supporters get crappy, expensive satellite internet rather than stable, cheaper fiber that promotes economic development, which the law promised them. 2. Elon Musk gets billions of taxpayer dollars. All going according to plan.

Gee, the Republican donor-class receiving giant federal subsidies to provide products that don’t fulfill the contract requirements Never could have imagined it

The early story coming out of states like Tenn., Colo., and Texas, where state leaders are being forced to revamp billions of dollars in BEAD grant planning, is a move away from future-proof fiber networks toward slower, more expensive satellite options Our story from @karlbode.com here 🌐💻⬇️

While politics and uncertainty roil the national effort to expand broadband access, municipal broadband continues to wrack up wins Congrats to Dryden Fiber in Dryden NY who just signed their 400th subscriber Our story here 🌐💻⬇️ communitynetworks.org/content/ny-s...

A few days after we featured a new analysis on whether Starlink can solve the digital divide at BEAD scale... This happened Not a told-you-so moment and kudos to Starlink for the fairly quick fix Still, yesterday's outage was the longest outage since Starlink became a major ISP 🌐💻

A right exists if it can be enforced, legally or politically. People in Cleveland now have an enforceable municipal right to affordable Internet, because City Council said so as the rationale for funding DigitalC. The longer it continues, the harder it will be for the City to take it back.

Most agree that Internet access is essential But is it a "right?" ILSR's Community Broadband Network team director @sportshotchris.bsky.social Digital Opportunity Lead @jpittman.bsky.social and Comms Director/Senior Writer @seangon.bsky.social discuss #LostPackets 🌐💻

To paraphase from What's Up, Doc?, it's not an internet, it's THE Internet.

Join us now for our live Connect This! show The reg crew is back - and we have a special guest

FCC Chair Brendan Carr wants the agency to adopt the new rules As this @cnet.com piece notes: "It’s easy to miss the affordability aspect in Carr’s proposal" It also quotes our own @seangon.bsky.social who points out that with Internet access: "if it's not affordable, it's not accessible"

This is more of an important issue than you may realize. Many people don't actually know what the Internet is. A basic understanding may help us preserve the open Internet after corporations took full control of radio and TV technologies. To defend the Internet, it helps to know what it is.

As an aside, offering 100/20 Mbps broadband service for $15 a month would have only cost the state’s four largest ISPs less than 1 cent on the dollar in revenue, while providing nearly $100 million per year in savings to low-income state residents.

Last week CA Assemblymember Tasha Boerner abruptly withdrew broadband affordability legislation she had sponsored. But what really killed the broadband affordability bill in California? We dive into the mystery and hope Boerner is wrong about the culprit 🌐💻⬇️ communitynetworks.org/content/whod...

The Trump admin thinks Starlink can solve the digital divide so they changed the rules on how fed $$ could be spent on broadband infra to Elon’s benefit Here I write about a new analysis that blows a huge hole in that starry eyed billionaire giveaway ⬇️ communitynetworks.org/content/new-...

Not too late to tune in....

Municipal broadband continues to quietly rack up wins The island community of Isle au Haut, Maine, took matters into their owns, laid undersea cables, and built their own fiber network Now, 94% of islands residents signing up for service! Our story here 🌐💻 communitynetworks.org/content/pers...

Coming up at 3 ET today (and archived later), don't miss our Business of Broadband discussion featuring @matthewrantanen.bsky.social moderating a discussion with Linnea Jackson from Hoopa Valley PUD, Angela Diahkah from Jemez Pueblo Network, and Valerie Fast Horse with Red Spectrum at Coeur d'Alene

We don't know who needs to hear this but... It wasn't "charity" to bring electricity to every household in America It was about economic growth The same could be said for high speed Internet access, as CBN director @sportshotchris.bsky.social notes 🌐💻 #LostPackets #PluggedIn #BandwidthBuzz

The CBN team (almost unanimously) believes the word "Internet" should ALWAYS be capitalized Here CBN director @sportshotchris.bsky.social makes the case for why What say you? #LostPackets #PluggedIn 🌐💻

As this @cnet.com article notes, "the internet is commonly recognized as a 'super' determinant of health" This piece focuses on the link between "broadband deserts" & reproductive rights in which CBN director @sportshotchris.bsky.social offers his insights www.cnet.com/home/interne...

What most of us have been shouting since this got announced: satellite is not going to save you from Comcast. Never has, never will. Stop using this as an out to building real, quality, lasting fiber. Demand better from any elected officials who do.

A new analysis was released on Friday that could help state broadband offices evaluate “the capacities and saturation limits of the Starlink satellite infrastructure” The analysis found that an average 6.7 Starlink customers could be served per square mile 🌐💻 communitynetworks.org/content/new-...

Fascinating story by one of our fav tech reporters at @arstechnica.com Jon Brodkin about two guys who "hated using Comcast," so they built their own fiber ISP

The Ugly Choice in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" - Internet or Food for SNAP recipients?

From inaccurate broadband mapping and over-reliability on industry-provided coverage claims to inconsistent broadband definitions and patchwork federal oversight, a new Pew study examines decades of U.S. broadband policy and found plenty of room for improvement communitynetworks.org/content/pew-...

On our latest podcast, Sascha Meinrath returns for a wide-ranging conversation on Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's book "Abundance" Host @sportshotchris.bsky.social and Sascha discuss what the popular books gets right and wrong about broadband and public policy ⬇️ share.transistor.fm/s/c2663bd7

The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" reduces SNAP benefits for recipients who pay for Internet service In this recently published American Prospect piece, our senior writer Sean Gonsalves explains why its counterproductive and counter to common sense 🌐💻

The next Tribal Broadband Bootcamp @tribal-bb-bootcamp.bsky.social is locked and loaded 💻🌐⬇️ communitynetworks.org/content/broa...

This morning the @prospect.org published a story penned by our senior writer @seangon.bsky.social on how the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" will impact SNAP recipients It focuses on "a particularly narrow-minded Sophie’s Choice: internet access or food?" prospect.org/health/2025-...

The FCC’s Universal Service Fund survived a Supreme Court challenge But the program – which for decades has helped extend broadband to underserved rural homes and schools – still faces a precarious immediate future @karlbode.com breaks it down for us here 🌐💻💻