The UTOPIA Model — Open Access and Community Broadband - Episode 3 of Unbuffered
In this episode of Unbuffered, Christopher Mitchell talks with Roger Timmerman, executive director of Utopia Fiber, about the consortium’s open‑access municipal fiber model and its performance. They dive into an Ookla study that ranked Utopia Fiber #1 for latency, explaining how the network’s active Ethernet architecture (as opposed to shared PON) delivers superior responsiveness even at lower speed tiers. Timmerman also shares the challenges of measuring open‑access networks, the growth of Utopia’s subscriber base across Utah, Idaho, and Montana, and upcoming expansion projects in California. Finally, he reflects on his early days rescuing Utopia from financial distress and offers advice for communities considering municipal broadband.
Telecom Then, AI Now — Rethinking the FCC’s Role - Episode 2 of Unbuffered
In this episode of Unbuffered, former FCC chief of staff Blair Levin discusses the pivotal regulatory decisions of the 1990s—such as the 1992 Cable Act, the 1993 spectrum auction authority, and the 1996 Telecom Act—that laid the groundwork for today’s...
Is the Internet Still a Public Good? - Episode 1 of Unbuffered
In the inaugural episode of Unbuffered, Chris Mitchell and a panel of longtime internet policy experts discuss whether technology—especially the internet and AI—is inherently harmful or simply mismanaged. They cite recent Pew and NBC surveys showing public concern over data‑center...
Reading the Signals: What Broadband Policy Shifts Mean on the Ground - Episode 680 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast
In this episode, host Chris interviews broadband veteran Doug Dawson to dissect recent industry shifts, including the Astound‑Google Fiber merger and New Mexico's new state‑level affordable connectivity program. They explore how consolidation drives economies of scale for fiber deployment, the...
Government Power, Media Empires, and the Fight for an Informed Public - Episode 679 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast
In this episode, host Carl Bode and guest discuss the entanglement of government authority, media consolidation, and municipal broadband, using historic cases like Burlington Telecom’s Al Jazeera controversy to illustrate the challenges of public‑owned networks. They trace how telecom giants have...
Fort Pierce, Two Years Later: Fiber, Smart City, and Steady Growth - Episode 677 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast
In this episode, host Jason Mittler updates listeners on Fort Pierce’s fiber rollout two years after its launch, highlighting continued network expansion, the city’s smart‑city initiatives, and steady subscriber growth. He discusses targeted digital‑equity programs in the Lincoln Park neighborhood that aim...
Mergers, Monopoly Prices, and Accountability - Episode 676 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast
In this episode, Chris Mitchell, Doug Dawson, and Sean Gonsalves dissect recent telecom mergers, examine Starlink’s attempts to influence the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) funding rules, and discuss new research linking reduced competition to higher consumer prices. They...