Community Broadband Networks

With ACP Gone, New Mexico Creates First State-Level Internet Affordability Program | Welcome to Community Networks New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law today new legislation that aims to provide tens of thousands of low-income households in “The Land of Enchantment” an Internet lifeline similar t...

And you can read our story on the New Mexico affordable broadband program here

New Mexico's timely broadband subsidy program YouTube video by StateScoop

Our program director @sportshotchris.bsky.social was a guest on State Scoop's video podcast and spoke to how New Mexico is tackling Internet affordability

The Land of Enchantment created an affordable connectivity program that mirrors the federal ACP - after Congress let the federal ACP expire

⚡We've got a great line-up of folks who work on the front-lines of closing the digital divide in some of the most challenging spaces ⚡

Where the Digital Divide Is Densest: Why Universal Internet Access Runs Through Apartment Buildings | Welcome to Community Networks March 19 is the next Institute for Local Self-Reliance Community Broadband Networks initiative and the American Association of Public Broadband webinar. It will dive into the challenge of how local co...

⚡Join us & @aapbroadband.bsky.social on 3/19 for our next webinar, "High-Density, High Impact: Connecting Apartment Buildings, Public Housing and Multi-Dwelling Units”

In it, we'll dive into how local communities are focusing on where the largest numbers of disconnected Americans are clustered ⚡

Chittenden County CUD Continues Affordable Fiber Expansion In Vermont | Welcome to Community Networks Chittenden County Communication Union District recently completed a planned fiber extension into the heavily rural communities of Essex Town, Essex Junction, Jericho, Shelburne, Westford, and Willisto...

Vermont's CUDs "continue to make steady inroads in delivering high-quality broadband access to long-neglected rural Vermont residents."

Read more from @communitynets.bsky.social:
communitynetworks.org/content/chit...

DOJ's recent 6th Circuit filing misspelled:

Voters as “Votors”
Emergency as "Emeregency"
United States as "United Staes"

And, it included a non-party in the caption.

These are the people who want access to your sensitive voting records and who my team fights in court every day.

The Handbasket 100% independent journalism by Marisa Kabas

Now that CNN and WBD are set to become state media in a sale to Paramount/Oracle/TikTok, it is especially important to support independent media.

Off the top of my head:

www.thehandbasket.co
404media.co
www.garbageday.email

Add your favorites in the replies. Fuck state-backed media monopolies.

Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for an Ellison Takeover

The richest man owns X.

The second and third richest men control Google.

The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post.

And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros.

See the problem here?

Starlink Rockets Past the 10 Million Subscriber Mark Globally, Adds 1 Million Subs in Just 53 Days Is there really a need for BEAD when Starlink is likely adding 225,000 U.S. rural customers every 50 days on average?

The "need for BEAD" has always been to get durable broadband infrastructure built in places where there isn't any. If you think Starlink dishes eliminate that need, well okay, pull the plug on BEAD. (Hint: Not gonna happen!) But there's no reason to spend BEAD $$$ on Starlink marketing subsidies.

With ACP Gone, New Mexico Creates First State-Level Internet Affordability Program | Welcome to Community Networks New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law today new legislation that would provide tens of thousands of low-income households in “The Land of Enchantment” an Internet lifeline similar to ...

New Mexico just showed how quickly affordable legislation can pass when the stars align

Today NM Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed SB-152, creating the 1st state-level ACP-style Internet affordability program in the nation - passed in 25 days fr legislative start to finish⚡

Congrats New Mexico!

Fort Pierce, Two Years Later: Fiber, Smart City, and Steady Growth - Episode 677 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast | Community Broadband Bits | Episode 677 Jason Mittler returns to share progress on fiber expansion in Fort Pierce, digital equity efforts in Lincoln Park, and how municipal ownership allows the city to lower rates while strengthening its ut...

Jason Mittler returned to our podcast and joined host @sportshotchris.bsky.social to talk about how Fort Pierce, FL is expanding its fiber network

They also discuss digital equity efforts in Lincoln Park, and how municipal ownership allows the city to lower rates while strengthening its utilities

Bois Forte Band Begins Construction on $20 Million Tribal Fiber Project | Welcome to Community Networks The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa (also referred to as Ojibwe) has officially begun construction on a foundational fiber optic broadband expansion project in northern Minnesota. The ambitious undertakin...

And here we have a feature story on the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa getting started on construction of a $20 million Tribally-owned network

@tribal-bb-bootcamp.bsky.social @matthewrantanen.bsky.social @sportshotchris.bsky.social

⚡We've add new features and functionality to our Community Network Map to show more detail on where (and what) publicly owned networks are across the U.S.

Today, we take a big step: adding Tribal networks serving their communities⚡

Link below ⬇️

communitynetworks.org/content/our-...

Will states get their "non-deployment" BEAD dollars to help tackle the nation's massive digital divide or will NTIA flout the law?

Our story at link below in light of recent developments 🌐⬇️

communitynetworks.org/content/ntia...

Mergers, Monopoly Prices, and Accountability - Episode 676 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast | Community Broadband Bits | Episode 676 Chris Mitchell, Doug Dawson, and Sean Gonsalves break down the latest telecom mergers, Starlink’s push to reshape BEAD rules, and new research showing how lack of competition drives higher prices for ...

On our latest podcast, @sportshotchris.bsky.social is joined by @dougdawsonccg.bsky.social & @seangon.bsky.social to dive into the wave of major telecom mergers, what growing market power means for consumers, and dig into new research fr Chattanooga on the economic benefits of municipal fiber

🌐💻

A $20 Verizon Internet Deal on Paper – Will Depend Heavily on Enforcement | Welcome to Community Networks California’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recently signed off on Verizon’s $20 billion merger with telecom giant Frontier with some notable conditions. While the concessions extracted from Veriz...

California regulators recently signed off on Verizon’s $20 billion merger with some notable affordability conditions

Still, affordability advocates "remain concerned about the long-term impacts of major telecommunications mergers on the broadband landscape in California."

Our story here

Mapping Food Deserts and Grocery Consolidation To help users explore how corporate concentration has reshaped food access across the United States, ILSR created an interactive map that shows food deserts alongside the location of different types o...

While our broadband team focuses on local connectivity solutions, our GIS specialist @cthemaplady.bsky.social made time to create an interactive map for one of ILSR's other initiatives (Independent Business)

It maps food deserts & shows how corporate concentration has reshaped food access in the US

They don't want oversight? Fine. No money then.

Understand that once StarLink has a monopoly, it will quadruple or 10x its prices, install horrible filtering, and steal all your data.
Elon’s behaviour is consistent.
StarLink is not “cheaper“; it is TEMPORARILY subsidised by Bad People to build a monopoly that it can then *exploit brutally*

Starlink Demands Less Oversight As It Receives Hundreds Of Millions In New Subsidies | Welcome to Community Networks Elon Musk’s Starlink is making new demands of states with an eye on eroding accountability and oversight, reheating concerns about whether spending big money on the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) network is th...

And here is an incisive update that @karlbode.com wrote for us on how Starlink is demanding less oversight

communitynetworks.org/content/star...

When Starlink Rewrites the Rules of Broadband Funding - Episode 675 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast | Community Broadband Bits | Episode 675 Chris Mitchell, Doug Adams, and Karl Bode break down Starlink’s behind-the-scenes push to rewrite BEAD rules, what it means for accountability and public dollars, and why communities could once again ...

On our latest podcast, @sportshotchris.bsky.social, Doug Adams and @karlbode.com break down Starlink’s behind-the-scenes push to rewrite BEAD rules, what it means for accountability and public dollars, and why communities could once again be left holding the bag

Maryland Lawmakers Advance Broadband Affordability Bill Despite Federal Pushback | Welcome to Community Networks Two dozen state lawmakers in Maryland have signed on to the Broadband Opportunity and Fairness Act, state legislation that seeks to address broadband affordability. Introduced by Delegate Kris Fair (D...

NTIA has threatened to without federal broadband $$ from states that enact affordable broadband legislation

But, a Maryland lawmaker tells NTIA to hold his beer as he filed an affordable broadband bill along with 25 co-sponsors that may just dodge a Trump admin bullet

Our story here 🌐💻⬇️

New York Expands Its Historic Investment In Municipal Broadband | Welcome to Community Networks New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a dramatic expansion of the state’s Municipal Infrastructure Program. It will result in an additional $36 million cash infusion for the growing number of c...

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a dramatic expansion of the state’s Municipal Infrastructure Program, relying on American Rescue Plan $$

Meanwhile, the current admin has been busy undermining the intent of the BEAD program, which states are relying on to close the digital divide

Our story here 🌐💻⬇️

Trump administration’s tribal broadband cuts, “reforms” raise red flags ahead of consultation The Trump administration canceled $160M in tribal broadband grants and promises "reforms" that could undermine tribal sovereignty. Consultations begin Jan. 20.

Our Senior Researcher Jessica Auer recently published a piece in Tribal Business News about how the future of tribal broadband has quietly but fundamentally shifted over the last few months

What's shifted? ⬇️

Navigating the Legal Landscape of Community Broadband YouTube video by Institute for Local Self-Reliance

⚡“Navigating the Legal Landscape of Community Broadband” free webinar starts in 30 mins. Join us where we’ll be joined by Keller & Heckman attorneys Sean Stokes & Casey Lide⚡

Community leaders, policymakers & broadband advocates nationwide this one's for you

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BItC...

⚡Join us today at noon ET for our free webinar with @aapbroadband.bsky.social and our special expert guests

We'll have Sean Stokes and Casey Lide from Keller & Heckman exploring laws, risks & solutions shaping local broadband networks⚡

communitynetworks.org/content/aapb...

Meet the Municipal Networks that Launched in 2025 | Welcome to Community Networks In 2025, we saw seven new municipal broadband networks across the country that were lit up for service. As is usual, it was a mixture of partnerships, business models, and construction approaches to m...

Community matters - especially now

Publicly-owned, locally-controlled broadband is one way communities strengthen themselves, putting connectivity in local hands and opening the digital world to everyone

We celebrate the muni networks that were launched in 2025 here! 🎉🌐💻

Clock ticking for Charter to complete northern Richland County broadband work Charter Communications is officially on the final ARPA countdown clock. And, at this point, no overtime is likely.

Critics are fond of saying municipal broadband is a "boondoggle" for taxpayers

Never mind the fact that it's NOT true, lookie here

Charter got $2 mil in tax dollars back in May 2023 to expand Internet access in Richland County. Now local officials are worried Charter won't meet the 2026 deadline

Next week: join us, @communitynets.bsky.social for “Navigating the Legal Landscape of Community Broadband,” where we’ll be joined by Keller & Heckman attorneys Sean Stokes and Casey Lide.

Learn to tackle legal, governance, and regulatory hurdles head-on.

Register: sites.google.com/ilsr.org/ils...

AAPB and ILSR to Host Webinar on Legal Challenges Facing Community Broadband | Welcome to Community Networks The free event, featuring Keller & Heckman attorneys Sean Stokes and Casey Lide, will focus on the most pressing legal considerations facing community broadband projects, partnerships, and compliance....

⚡Our webinar series with @aapbroadband.bsky.social returns on Jan 20

Communities kicking the tires on building a municipal network or thinking about a public-private partnership are not going to want to miss this free event

Navigating the Legal Landscape of Community Broadband