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The citizens group "Campaign for DBQ Municipal Internet" presented a petition to the Dubuque City Council on April 2nd, requesting that the city fully investigate a municipal fiber network. The petition contained over 600 signatures of Dubuque residents, frustrated by the level of service provided in the community. Mediacom is the incumbent cable provider and CenturyLink is the incumbent telephone company."  Christine Darr, one of the grassroots group organizers, says the FCC's repeal of net neutrality was a primary driver of the effort that began in late 2017. During remarks to the Dubuque City Council, Darr and others pointed out other concerns that are driving their advocacy. In particular, Campaign for DBQ Municipal Internet is urging the City to conduct a feasibility study to fully explore the benefits and costs of a network in the northeast Iowa city of around 58,000. John Swift, (right in screenshot above)a Dubuque resident and professed "internet power user", works from home. "The internet is important for me, and 2017 was a bad year for the internet," Swift told the Council, referring to the net neutrality ruling. "There simply isn't enough competition in Dubuque for me to just choose another internet provider that will protect my privacy and guarantee my content won't be throttled." Dubuque City Manager Mike Van Milligan says city staff will conduct additional research in order to provide information to the City Council before their budget planning session this summer.
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The twenty-first century version of the Colorado gold rush continues unabated. This time around, the gold is fiber optics. On Tuesday, April 3rd, six more communities in the Mile High state voted to overturn a 2005 state law that prohibits municipal broadband, giving those cities the authority to pursue fiber projects. The towns of Severance, Lake City, Lyons, Frisco, Firestone, and Limon approved the referenda by overwhelming margins, joining over 70 other Colorado communities that have rejected the state law.
After losing yet another court battle against the City of Iowa City and ImOn Communications, Mediacom says it will drop its lawsuit that aimed to block ImOn from providing services in Iowa City. The lawsuit, filed by Mediacom in 2015, was originally dismissed by the US District Court in 2016. Mediacom appealed to the US Court of Appeals Eight Circuit, and this weeks unanimous ruling of that three-judge panel affirmed the lower court decision. At issue was an agreement between ImOn Communications of Cedar Rapids and the City of Iowa City for access to space in a city parking ramp for a telecommunications hut and use of city-owned fiber to provide internet and telephone services to businesses. Mediacom claimed the arrangement put them at a competitive advantage and that ImOn should have been required to get a franchise from the City. However, the court ruled that since ImOn is not providing video services - the only service covered under Iowa franchising rules - no franchise is required. Mediacom has indicated that it will not pursue the issue further in court. Their local franchise with the City of Iowa City expires this summer and the company plans to move Iowa City into its statewide video franchise through the Iowa Utilities Board.
CLICK HERE for a story in the Iowa City Press-Citizen. The 2019 IAMU Broadband Conference dates are set - March 13 & 14, 2019. The dates are earlier than in past conferences due to a shuffling of other Midwest telecom shows that we don't want to conflict with. The Minnesota Telecom Alliance moved their conference to the last week in March and the Iowa Communications Alliance moved to the third week, forcing us to move to the second week in March.
The venue is yet to be determined but will likely be in the Des Moines area as usual. For now, put those dates on your calendar and we'll announce details as they become available. Pella could become the latest Iowa community to authorize a municipal telecommunications utility as voters head to the polls in a special election on May 1st. Proposition A reads “Shall the City of Pella, in the County of Marion, State of Iowa, be authorized to establish a Municipally-Owned telecommunications utility?”. The issue was approved by the Pella City Council during a special meeting on March 12, 2018. If authorized by voters, the city is expected to move forward with a feasibility study, having already solicited RFP's for companies to perform a study earlier this year. There have been three municipal broadband elections in Iowa since 2015. In November 2015, voters in Decorah voted by a margin of 93% to 7% for municipal telecom and Vinton's referendum passed 88 to 12 percent the same day. A year ago, Adair made it unanimous with 100% voter approval of their referendum.
The 8th annual IAMU Broadband Conference is in the books. Over 140 people (attendees and vendor representatives) enjoyed two days of learning and networking at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Urbandale.
Broadband Vanguard Awards IAMU honored two individuals and one organization for outstanding support and service to municipal broadband during the inaugural Broadband Vanguard Awards held on Thursday, March 22, 2018. IAMU Executive Director Troy DeJoode presented each of the winners with a certificate during the awards ceremony.
 Approximately 40 people from 15 communities in Iowa attended the Community Broadband Summit held Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Urbandale, Iowa. The Summit was presented by the Community Broadband Action Network and sponsored by Farr Technologies and HR Green.
 The purpose of the Summit was to educate community leaders and advocates about their options to pursue municipal broadband as a way to improve broadband access, speed, reliability, and quality in their towns. In addition to communities that are exploring community broadband, representatives of several of Iowa's "veteran" broadband utilities - Algona, Osage, and Spencer - participated to provide support for new communities.  The Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN) was established to provide a collaborative network and marketplace for communities, community-based broadband providers, and solutions providers. CBAN’s goal is to provide pathways for successful action by communities that want to guarantee fast, affordable, reliable, and universally-available broadband access to their citizens.
When fully operational, CBAN will increase the number of communities exploring how to impact their broadband options by:
Keep watching for more details about CBAN in future issues of Broadband Bytes! Submitted by Presenting Sponsor Power & Tel Few industries today are as dynamic and exciting as wireless communications. Every day, customers find new frontiers with technology. Businesses find more ways to remain relevant and competitive in the marketplace. At Power & Tel, we know your focus is on delivering excellent wireless accessibility to your customers. As more and more people rely on wireless networks to stay in touch with loved ones, conduct their business, obtain their education, and enjoy countless other benefits of today’s technology, the demands on systems and infrastructure will only become more complex. This is why we are so excited about the 2018 IAMU Broadband Conference happening March 21-22.  We have a stellar line-up planned for you. Our industry-leading network of manufacturers and our supply of world-class brands and products are always reliable, top quality, and cost effective. Our experts on hand will include representation from these Featured Solutions:
Come by, say hi and let us know what products and solutions you’re most interested in. Also, be sure to enter to WIN our GRILL giveaway, click here to pre-enter or enter to win onsite. Solving supply chain challenges amid the convergence of multiple platforms is our core strength. With Power & Tel as your partner, your network always delivers. If you would like more information on Power & Tel (Link to Corporate Brochure), our featured solutions or additional products and services, please contact Mike.Brems@ptsupply.com Click to download my vCard · Hyperlinks:
The 8th Annual IAMU Broadband Conference is just a few days away, and we're putting the finishing touches on what promises to be one of our best conferences ever! When you check in you'll be given a printed program. If you'd like to see the conference schedule in grid format, CLICK HERE (PDF). Sponsors and ExhibitorsIt looks like our exhibit hall will be almost full during the Vendor Show on Wednesday, March 21st. Here is the list of exhibitors as of today, with just a couple of tables open. A final vendor map will be provided at check-in. Presenting Sponsor  Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors: Finley Engineering & ICAN, Inc. Breakfast Sponsor: Consortia Consulting Exhibiting Vendors (in addition to sponsors)
Hospitality RoomsWe'll have 4 hospitality rooms this year, beginning at 7:00pm after the Vendor Reception. All of the rooms are in the same general location on the ground floor (lower level) and not in guest rooms. Thank you to the hospitality sponsors
The early bird gets the worm. In this case, the worm is a standard guest room at the Holiday Inn & Suites for just $65 a night in conjunction with the IAMU Broadband Conference.
IAMU's room block for the conference expires at the end of the day today (Friday, March 9th). After that, rooms will still be available at the Conference hotel but at a much high rate. Haven't registered for the IAMU Broadband Conference yet? There's still time. Just go to the Events page at www.iamu.org and find the Broadband Conference on the list of upcoming IAMU events. You will want to use your IAMU membership user name and password when you register so you get member rates. |
Broadband Bytes NewsPresented by the Community Broadband Action Network and curated by Curtis Dean. The Broadband Bytes Blast is emailed to subscribers every Friday afternoon.
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