Welcome to Community Networks

Unbuffered Live! Coming Tuesday, April 28th at 2pm ET

Ry Marcattilio — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:45:48 +0000

Unbuffered Live! Coming Tuesday, April 28th at 2pm ET

Ry Marcattilio Fri Apr 17, 2026

Fri Apr 17, 2026

Join us for our very first episode of Unbuffered Live! at our new time, on Tuesday, April 28th at 2pm ET. Host Christopher Mitchell will be joined by guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting), Heather Mills (ITG) and Draw Garner (Benton Institute for Broadband and Society) to talk about the intersections of tech, Internet access, and policy.

B4DE Reprise: Following the Money on Digital Equity and AI Data Centers

sean — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:31:05 +0000

B4DE Reprise: Following the Money on Digital Equity and AI Data Centers

Sean Gonsalves

sean Thu Apr 16, 2026

Thu Apr 16, 2026

With tax day as a backdrop, the ILSR Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance convened its quarterly Building for Digital Equity livestream yesterday that shined a light on how public dollars and tax policy intersect with digital equity. The event – an ongoing series sponsored by UTOPIA Fiber – brought together community organizers, policy experts, and local government leaders on the frontlines of working to expand opportunities for those being left in the digital dust – with a special focus on how the emergence of AI hyperscale data centers are impacting communities and how communities can fight for a better deal.

Farewell - Episode 125 of the Connect This! Show

Ry Marcattilio — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:39:52 +0000

Farewell - Episode 125 of the Connect This! Show

Ry Marcattilio

Ry Marcattilio Fri Apr 10, 2026

Fri Apr 10, 2026

After five and a half years and 124 shows, we’re saying goodbye to Connect This!, where we've spent time with you, our wonderful audience, talking about building and managing networks, competition in the marketplace, creating clear and effective marketing campaigns, state and federal infrastructure grant programs, dark money campaigns, local broadband champions, affordability, digital skills, and more. Keep in touch with us via Unbuffered, our new show.

California Activates Nation’s Largest Middle-Mile Network, Connecting Tribal, Rural Areas

sean — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:28:18 +0000

California Activates Nation’s Largest Middle-Mile Network, Connecting Tribal, Rural Areas

Broadband Breakfast

sean Thu Apr 9, 2026

Thu Apr 9, 2026

On Thursday, the California Department of Technology (CDT) announced that after five years of planning, building, and promising access, the state’s $3.2 billion Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative (MMBI) is now operational. The high-speed network connected the last mile to the state’s first customer, the Bishop Paiute Tribe, a Native American community in Inyo County.

Pennsylvania’s Claverack Cooperative Passes 100 Mile Fiber Milestone

sean — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:23:10 +0000

Pennsylvania’s Claverack Cooperative Passes 100 Mile Fiber Milestone

Karl Bode

sean Wed Apr 8, 2026

Wed Apr 8, 2026

Pennsylvania’s Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) says it’s making steady inroads in expanding affordable fiber access throughout rural Bradford and Wyoming Counties. The cooperative recently passed a notable milestone: the cooperative just wrapped up a project that delivered 100 miles of new fiber-optic cable to pass roughly 1,300 previously-unserved and underserved homes and businesses in rural Bradford and Wyoming counties for the first time ever.

Court Asked to Pause Digital Equity Act-Related Lawsuit, Pending Key Court Decision

sean — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:00:33 +0000

Court Asked to Pause Digital Equity Act-Related Lawsuit, Pending Key Court Decision

Broadband Breakfast

sean Mon Mar 30, 2026

Mon Mar 30, 2026

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance has been fighting to restore a $2.75 billion federal digital equity program, but the lawsuit over the Trump administration’s suspension of grants may come to a pause. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) filed a motion to put its lawsuit suing President Donald Trump on hold, because there is a similar case further along that would control the outcome.

Municipal Broadband Leaves Big National ISPs in the Dust, Report Finds

sean — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:56:25 +0000

Municipal Broadband Leaves Big National ISPs in the Dust, Report Finds

Sean Gonsalves

sean Mon Mar 30, 2026

Mon Mar 30, 2026

A new speed analysis published by Ookla finds that municipal broadband providers consistently leave their private Internet service provider (ISP) competition in the dust. “Small Towns, Big Speeds: How Some Municipal Broadband Providers Outperform Their ISP Peers” examined speed test data that included some of the largest municipal networks in the U.S. from December 2024 through December 2025 and compared their performance to each other and to their privately-owned ISP competitors.

On Tax Day, Advocates Spotlight How Local Tax Dollars Can Close the Digital Divide and Hold AI Data Centers Accountable

sean — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:07:22 +0000

On Tax Day, Advocates Spotlight How Local Tax Dollars Can Close the Digital Divide and Hold AI Data Centers Accountable

Sean Gonsalves

sean Wed Mar 25, 2026

Wed Mar 25, 2026

As Americans file their taxes this Tax Day, digital equity leaders across the nation will gather for a timely exploration of how public dollars are being used to strengthen communities – and how local advocates can negotiate better deals as AI data centers rapidly expand. Co-hosted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance Community Broadband Networks Initiative and the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), the next Building for Digital Equity livestream – “Local Dollars, Local Solutions: Digital Equity Tax Money & How to Negotiate Better AI Data Center Deals” – promises to offer insights from frontline forces working to ensure broadband and technology investments serve public needs rather than distant corporate interests.

Lafayette’s LFT Fiber Steadily Expands, Offers Even Faster Speeds

Ry Marcattilio — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:59:51 +0000

Lafayette’s LFT Fiber Steadily Expands, Offers Even Faster Speeds

Karl Bode

Ry Marcattilio Wed Mar 25, 2026

Wed Mar 25, 2026

Lafayette, Louisiana-based LFT Fiber, formerly known as LUS Fiber, says it continues to expand its fiber footprint and introduce faster symmetrical speed tiers to many Louisiana locals long trapped on the wrong side of the digital divide.

ILSR and AAPB Webinar Shines Light on Connecting Multi-Family Housing

sean — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:20:59 +0000

ILSR and AAPB Webinar Shines Light on Connecting Multi-Family Housing

Sean Gonsalves

sean Fri Mar 20, 2026

Fri Mar 20, 2026

The webinar examined what it takes to connect communities floor by floor, building by building. The conversation ranged from why MDU's matter to the business and technical realities of providing Internet access to those who live in them, as well as the federal and state policies that help or hinder the push to give everyone the ability to meaningfully participate in a digital economy.