Connect This!

Small Towns Building Broadband, Broadband Usage, and the Continued Retreat from Fiber | Episode 124 of the Connect This! Show

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that’s fit to print. Topics include: * A new report from ILSR on 19 small towns in Massachusetts [https://www.youtube.com/live/sHafVCNLhtc?si=j6YtjXOaJ8XiVH2u&t=517] building public partnerships and new fiber networks. * Massive AWS and Cloudflare outages [https://www.youtube.com/live/sHafVCNLhtc?si=dXCWgGLD2l0E64ND&t=795] impacting large parts of the Internet * The new broadband usage report [https://www.youtube.com/live/sHafVCNLhtc?si=Y0xlX7P6aE_7D8A5&t=1175] from OpenVault * 18 states so far have finally gotten NTIA approval after redoing most of the work from last summer, [https://www.youtube.com/live/sHafVCNLhtc?si=9Af2zB-Hhiw9ZJX8&t=1519] with the result being fewer homes will be passed by the BEAD program and, of those, a smaller proportion will get fiber than under Biden. * The latest attempt to hamstring any state regulation of AI [https://www.youtube.com/live/sHafVCNLhtc?si=96yF4k16VSB7-D1D&t=3095] by tying BEAD approval to the measure Join us live on November 20th at 3pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts. Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org [broadband@communitynets.org] with feedback and ideas for the show. Subscribe to the show using this feed [http://feeds.feedburner.com/connectthis] or find it on the Connect This! page [https://connectthisshow.com/], and watch on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/community-broadband-networks/], on YouTube Live [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDYYbob9LLLtQSoSF5LjlQ], on Facebook live, [https://www.facebook.com/localselfreliance/] or below.

The Retreat from Fiber, Local Government Inaction, and 8 Million Americans Offline | Episode 123 of the Connect This! Show

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that’s fit to print. Topics include: * Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear [https://www.youtube.com/live/-i5MPwb65_c?si=qQr8E4TPOtNXeu22&t=411]: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber. * With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it’s never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap [https://www.youtube.com/live/-i5MPwb65_c?si=8ff6vHKai8QEJgAZ&t=2165]. Where are they all? * A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble [https://www.youtube.com/live/-i5MPwb65_c?si=KnSmgIGDscQIzIRo&t=2866] of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide. Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts. Email us at broadband@communitynets.org [broadband@communitynets.org] with feedback and ideas for the show. Subscribe to the show using this feed [http://feeds.feedburner.com/connectthis] or find it on the Connect This! page [https://connectthisshow.com/], and watch on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/community-broadband-networks/], on YouTube Live [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDYYbob9LLLtQSoSF5LjlQ], on Facebook live, [https://www.facebook.com/localselfreliance/] or below.

Big Apple Connect, Pole Attachments, and DEA Lawsuits | Episode 122 of the Connect This! Show

Edit: We encountered a technical issue with the streaming platform for the show; it resolves around 1:20. Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Angela Siefer to talk about all the recent broadband news that’s fit to print. On the docket today: * Cedar Falls Utilities in Iowa shuts down its cable TV offerings [https://www.youtube.com/live/ZBwggVdjMGA?si=SULkR0sG2Grbg91M&t=556] * Big Apple Connect in New York City [https://www.youtube.com/live/ZBwggVdjMGA?si=4pP7vFZRaOKM1lRE&t=887] continues to give public dollars to broadband monopolies instead of implementing a structural solution * A new report says SpaceX has foreign investors in China [https://www.youtube.com/live/ZBwggVdjMGA?si=Z5wZsprnaow587ge&t=1534] * West Virginia wants to build a pole attachment database [https://www.youtube.com/live/ZBwggVdjMGA?si=A428WbUQskUOJs-Q&t=1747], but investor-owned utilities are pushing back * The National Digital Inclusion Alliance has filed its lawsuit against the Trump Administration [https://www.youtube.com/live/ZBwggVdjMGA?si=I4unqLNlGoK-Wkzr&t=2538] for cancelling the Digital Equity Act Join us live on October 10th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts. Email us at broadband@communitynets.org [broadband@communitynets.org] with feedback and ideas for the show. Subscribe to the show using this feed [http://feeds.feedburner.com/connectthis] or find it on the Connect This! page [https://connectthisshow.com/], and watch on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/community-broadband-networks/], on YouTube Live [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDYYbob9LLLtQSoSF5LjlQ], on Facebook live, [https://www.facebook.com/localselfreliance/] or below. Email us at broadband@communitynets.org [broadband@communitynets.org] with feedback and ideas for the show. Subscribe to the show using this feed [http://feeds.feedburner.com/connectthis] or find it on the Connect This! page [https://connectthisshow.com/], and watch on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/community-broadband-networks/], on YouTube Live [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDYYbob9LLLtQSoSF5LjlQ], on Facebook live, [https://www.facebook.com/localselfreliance/] or below.

Secret Fiber Caps and Fiber Platforms | Episode 121 of the Connect This! Show

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Josh Johnson and Donny Smith, from Fibersmith [https://www.fibersmith.co/]–  an OSS/BSS design and management firm for operators around the country. Topics of discussion  include: * Secret fiber caps from NTIA to push BEAD funds toward LEO. [https://www.youtube.com/live/NWfY0QfPPRQ?si=Ep5FagzEaV-qX8wp&t=931] * A foiled cell attack in New York City. [https://www.youtube.com/live/NWfY0QfPPRQ?si=MRoU5-uZ8Ov2Nyxv&t=2325] * A deep dive on Fibersmith [https://www.youtube.com/live/NWfY0QfPPRQ?si=NQrsbJxOndUT_X00&t=2565], and the things small and medium-sized operators need to think about long before they put their first shovel in the ground. Join us live on September 26th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts. Email us at broadband@communitynets.org [broadband@communitynets.org] with feedback and ideas for the show. Subscribe to the show using this feed [http://feeds.feedburner.com/connectthis] or find it on the Connect This! page [https://connectthisshow.com/], and watch on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/community-broadband-networks/], on YouTube Live [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDYYbob9LLLtQSoSF5LjlQ], on Facebook live, [https://www.facebook.com/localselfreliance/] or below. Subscribe to the show using this feed [http://feeds.feedburner.com/connectthis] or find it on the Connect This! page [https://connectthisshow.com/], and watch on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/community-broadband-networks/], on YouTube Live [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDYYbob9LLLtQSoSF5LjlQ], on Facebook live, [https://www.facebook.com/localselfreliance/] or below.

Fiber Acquisitions and the New BEAD Numbers Are In | Episode 120 of the Connect This!

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that’s fit to print. Topics include: * Starship launch success [https://www.youtube.com/live/rZFArBD5SRM?si=Uh0N_C0HnCfjtuJN&t=526] * T-mobile buys USI Fiber in Minneapolis [https://www.youtube.com/live/rZFArBD5SRM?si=AurgceSjxKngjpIb&t=772] * New BEAD numbers show a shifting of public dollars away from fiber and towards satellite [https://www.youtube.com/live/rZFArBD5SRM?si=fBoZUhXdCB7FYCD0&t=1838] * AT&T buys Echostar spectrum; the 4th carrier is dead [https://www.youtube.com/live/rZFArBD5SRM?si=dkLTr2cnBYSJeTza&t=3145] * It’s ISPs versus the music industry, with your privacy and connection on the chopping block [https://www.youtube.com/live/rZFArBD5SRM?si=R5YlD72rUtqDpoxe&t=3620] Join us live on September 5th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts. Email us at broadband@communitynets.org [broadband@communitynets.org] with feedback and ideas for the show. Subscribe to the show using this feed [http://feeds.feedburner.com/connectthis] or find it on the Connect This! page [https://connectthisshow.com/], and watch on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/community-broadband-networks/], on YouTube Live [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJDYYbob9LLLtQSoSF5LjlQ], on Facebook live, [https://www.facebook.com/localselfreliance/] or below.