Localizing the Internet: Five Ways Public Ownership Solves the U.S. Broadband Problem

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance recently published a report (Localizing the Internet: Five Ways Public Ownership Solves the U.S. Broadband Problem) by Becca Vargo Daggett that “argues that a publicly owned information infrastructure is the key to healthy competition, universal access, and non-discriminatory rates. The paper notes that high speed broadband is becoming ever more widespread. But, it argues, the way in which that broadband is introduced may be as important as whether it is introduced. The executive summary is available online – as is the whole report.

Windom on MPR for FTTH

This morning I heard a great story on Minnesota Public Radio about one of the Get Broadband communities – Windom. The news was good “…Windom sits on a state of the art fiber to home telecommunication system. Some say it’s the most powerful digital network in Minnesota, maybe even the country…”MPR does a nice job of talking about the importance of broadband in a rural community, featuring community people who use the Internet, and some who don’t, and they have posted a nice slideshow of Windom on the MPR web site.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/01/16/close_divide/