 Here at CBAN we are always looking for new ways to communicate with our members. Since our founding 4 years ago we've provided regular webinars and webcasts, including Lunch and Learn and Member Spotlight series; email newsletters from Broadband Bytes; and one-one-one and group meetings. Now, we are excited to have launched a new form of communication - the Broadband Action podcast! Broadband Action features audio content from our previous video presentations as well as new and original content. So far our library includes a discussion of anti-municipal lobbyists, an exploration of state broadband offices, low-Earth orbit satellite internet, supply chain issues, and the Affordable Connectivity Program. New episodes are made available every couple of weeks. Broadband Action is a great way to get caught up on the go using your favorte podcast platform. Just search "Broadband Action" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Amazo, and Stitcher. We hope you'll take a listen and spread the word!
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 We’d like to welcome Irby as a CBAN Associate Member. You may have had the opportunity to visit with the Irby team at the recent CBAN Reception and IAMU Spring Forum. Irby is a value-added distributor for a variety of products in the broadband space. Their product lines include 3M, AFL, Cisco, Commscope, Exfo, Fluke, OFS, and many more. Irby has secured a large order of loose tube fiber that will be available for ordering early this summer. Our Outside Account Manager’s can be reached at Cory Scheibly scheibly@irby.com and John Felton jfelton@irby.com
Thank you to Irby for supporting CBAN and welcome to the community!  With a mission of providing the best broadband internet experience to Fort Dodge residents, the City of Fort Dodge on Monday hired a local expert in Jeremy Pearson to lead Fort Dodge Fiber, the city’s new municipal broadband utility.
Pearson comes to the City from the Fort Dodge Community School District where he served as the Supervisor of Information Technology. He oversaw all IT operations for the district of 3,600 students and 700 staff, coordinated construction projects throughout the district, and maintenance of the servers, fiber, and wireless networks throughout the district. “This project and the opportunities it will bring to the City of Fort Dodge will last long into the future,” said Pearson. “With this investment in our community, everyone will benefit. We’ve heard loud and clear from the community that our residents and local businesses want a better option to provide broadband services. In my over 25 years in the technology field, I’ve always tried to provide the best quality customer service, and tried to make the end users feel valued and respected. I will bring that experience to Fort Dodge Fiber to make this experience the best it can be.” Pearson’s appointment as Fiber Director is effective on May 2nd. “Being able to onboard this early in a massive project such as this is so beneficial,” said Pearson. “I’ll get to understand the engineering and thought process as the different phases are planned and eventually installed. I’ll be able to work alongside the engineers and consultants to ask questions and gain insight as to how to make this project the best it can be. And, knowing the citizens of Fort Dodge want more than what is available to them today, getting to be a part of the team to help deliver that made this a very exciting opportunity.” Pearson has been part of the Fort Dodge Community since he was a freshman at Iowa Central Community College in 1994. He lives in Fort Dodge with his wife Mary, who is an elementary music teacher at Duncombe Elementary School. He has four children, Cole, Adam, and Kira. We were excited by the great turnout at the 2022 CBAN Reception on April 6th. The event was held the evening before the IAMU Spring Broadband Forum on April 7th. It was also the first event since pre-COVID that the entire CBAN team were together in the same place at the same time! Below (left-right) are CBAN co-founders Todd Kielkopf, Jon Anne Willow, and Curtis Dean; and CBAN Community Manager Kate Kielkopf  Thank you to everyone for attending!
For the past two years or so, there's been a gold...I mean...fiber rush in the suburbs of Iowa's capital city. First, Mi-Fiber build fiber to the community of Waukee. Later, Metronet moved in and started building fiber in several other suburbs including Johnston and Urbandale. The City of West Des Moines launched a conduit construction project and announced that Google Fiber would be their anchor tenant. Now, Google says it will tackle Des Moines itself. Google announced its plans recently, saying it was beginning to work with the City of Des Moines on the permitting process. Meanwhile, the company says it has begun to hook up customers in West Des Moines using the city-owned conduit there.
 March 2022 Lunch and Learn Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at noon CDT Premieres live on YouTube and LinkedIn In this edition of Lunch and Learn, CBAN co-founders Curtis Dean, Todd Kielkopf, and Jon Anne Willow will be discussing the practice of digital redlining and how the Federal Communications Commission is seeking public comments on the practice. We will also take a look at how the federal infrastructure funding for broadband deployment is expected to flow from the federal level, to states, and finally to broadband providers. During our interview segment, Jon Anne discussed the status of state broadband offices across the nation. Those offices will be in charge of distributing those federal infrastructure dollars within their boundaries, and some states are much better prepared than others. Jon Anne’s conversation focuses on the state of Michigan, which trails many other states in readiness to act on federal broadband dollars.
 One of the biggest criticisms of Starlink, the low-earth orbit satellite internet service has been its prices. Prepare for more grumbling now as Elon Musk's company says its increasing both the montly cost and the equipment fees for its standard product. Initially, getting Starlink (which is only available in some areas) would set you back $500 upfront for the equipment and $99 a monthf or the service. Now, those prices are going to $599 and $110 a month respectively. While the performance of Starlink has been solid, bringing 100+ Mbps download speeds to areas that had few choices before, the monthly cost was already a big lift for many rural residents. Raising the price another 10% could put it further out of reach for many homes and businesses in its target market. It appears that prices for Starlink's recently-announced premium service will go unchanged - $2500 upfront and $500 for improved performance.
Charles City, Iowa Charles City Considers Omnitel Broadband Expansion Dickson, Tennessee Dickson Electric System holds town hall meeting about proposed broadband internet service Jefferson County, Washington Rural Jefferson County is building its own broadband network Washington, D.C.
FCC Asks for Public Input on Eliminating Digital Redliningwww.cnet.com/home/internet/fcc-asks-for-public-input-on-eliminating-digital-redlining/  CBAN is pleased to welcome Open Country to the ranks of our growing Associate Member community! Open Country is a turn key solution for fiber and broadband construction across the Midwest, delivering safety, quality, professionalism and efficiency ensuring a superior customer experience. Core competencies: FTTP/FTT/x and Fiber Network Construction, Installation, drop buries and Fulfillment Operations, Self-Performing Wireless Turn-Key Deployment Industries served: FTT/x Industry, MSO’s, Tier 1 & 2 RBOC’s, Wireless Carriers, Rural and Independent Telephone Company‘s, Government and Municipal Services. We encoruage CBAN members to reach out to Todd Gatzke, CEO of Open Country, and welcome him to our community! tgatzke@opcountry.com.
CBAN would like to welcome our newest Community Member, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Information Technology! Anyone who lives in Iowa is likely familiar with ISU Extension. The organization's mission: ISU Extension and Outreach builds a strong Iowa by engaging all Iowans in research, education, and extension experiences to address current and emerging real-life challenges. We welcome ISU Extension to the CBAN family, now 115 members strong in 13 states!
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