CBAN wants to extend a big thank you to the companies that have signed up as sponsors and exhibitors at the 2024 CBAN Spring Summit on April 9, 2024 at Stoney Creek Hotel in Johnston! If you haven't registered yet, please take a moment to do so. Remember, our sessions will also be streamed live to our registrants so if you can't be there in person you can still participate! ASSOCIATE MEMBERS - We have just 5 openings left for exhibit tables and sponsors, so join the companies listed above to participate! CLICK HERE to sign up so you don't miss out!
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We are grateful to have netElastic as CBAN's newest associate member. Along with all our other associate member, netElastic suports the CBAN mission of Building Broadband Bridges! We asked netElastic to provide the following introduction to the rest of the CBAN family. netElastic is an innovative software company dedicated to helping communities deliver broadband to more residents while minimizing investments in infrastructure through virtual routing solutions.
netElastic developed one of the first software-based broadband network gateways (vBNGs) and has been a leader in vBNGs ever since. Community broadband providers have been choosing netElastic vBNG over traditional router manufacturers due to netElastic’s greater scalability, flexibility, and lower costs. Communities rely on netElastic to help virtualize their network to help stretch investment dollars while upgrading their network performance. netElastic Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT) helps conserve IPv4 addresses while ensuring a smooth transition to IPv6. netElastic's software-based CGNAT also offers the lowest TCO in the industry. In a move that goes against recent trends for more municipal broadband networks, the town of Bardstown, Kentucky, has decided to sell its city-owned cable system to Charter Communications. While the decision was driven by the need for immediate cash flow to finance essential water and sewer utility projects, many critics argue that this move is short-sighted and could have long-term ramifications for the community's broadband and technology future. At the heart of the issue is the surrendering of local control over Bardstown's broadband infrastructure. With Charter Communications taking over the cable system, the town relinquishes its ability to shape and tailor its internet services to meet the unique needs of its residents. This loss of control could potentially result in decreased service quality, limited choices for consumers, and a lack of investment in expanding broadband access to underserved areas within Bardstown. Furthermore, by selling its cable system, Bardstown is essentially handing over the keys to its technological future to a large corporation whose primary goal is profit. This raises concerns about whether Charter Communications will prioritize the needs of Bardstown's residents or focus solely on maximizing its bottom line. History has shown that in many cases, corporate interests do not always align with the best interests of local communities. One of the key arguments put forth by Bardstown officials in favor of the sale is the belief that the town is too small to sustain its own cable system financially. However, this contention is challenged by the existence of numerous small communities across the United States that have successfully operated and managed their own broadband utilities. Indeed, many of these other communities are smaller than Bardstown. These communities have demonstrated that with careful planning, investment, and community support, it is indeed possible for small towns to maintain control over their broadband infrastructure while providing affordable and reliable internet access to residents. Rather than viewing the sale of the cable system as the only solution to generate revenue for essential utility projects, Bardstown should explore alternative options that allow the town to retain control over its broadband future. This could include seeking partnerships with neighboring communities, exploring grant funding opportunities, or even considering the possibility of creating a cooperative broadband utility owned and operated by the residents themselves. While the sale of Bardstown's cable system may provide a short-term financial boost, it comes at the expense of sacrificing local control over the community's broadband and technology future. By exploring alternative solutions and leveraging the examples set by other small communities across the country, Bardstown has the opportunity to chart a more sustainable and empowering path forward for its residents.
Much attention has been focused on closing the "digital divide" when it comes to access to faster broadband speeds. But what about the growing importance of latency as a measure of broadband quality? At NTCA's RTime conference in Flordia last week, steps to reduce latency in rural areas came front and center during a panel discussion. Brent Lagg, executive director of Connected Nation, says one of the challenge is the lack of internet exchange points across the nation. Currently there are only 57 cities that have internet exchange points, and those are in urban areas. So rural carriers are forced to haul their data over middle mile networks to reach the peering point, increasing lag for their customers. And that adds to the digital divide. “We can’t have one type of experience in urban areas and a different experience in rural areas” - Brent Lagg, Connected Nation In addition for the need for more internet exchange points in strategic locations, the panel discucssed the need for more robust middle mile routes to connect to them. For more on the panel discussion, CLICK HERE to read the story at Telecompetitor.
CBAN has released its first ever Impact Report, outlining the activities that CBAN has participated in since our foundingin 2018. The process of putting the report together was very eye-opening for our small but passionate team! We're proud to say that we've served 59 communities in our various roles with a total population of nearly one million people! From broadband studies to community engagement and digital equity activities, CBAN continues to build up on the foundation of promoting better broadband access and digital equity. As we move forward, we are more dedicated than ever to "Building Broadband Bridges". We're excited to have all our CBAN members along for the journey! We hope you will take a few minutes to review the 2023 Impact Report and share your comments with us at hello@broadbandaction.com. And if you're a Broadband Bytes subscriber but not yet a CBAN member, join us! CLICK HERE with information on our membership categories and to join.
Curtis Dean with CBAN will be leading a panel discussion at Connected America, a major industry gathering in Dallas, Texas on March 12-13, 2024. And YOU are invited to attend absolutely free! CBAN has been given free guest passes to attend the event, and we'd love to have you join us! The session Curtis is leading is Connecting the Rural Economy. A great panel will join the discussion:
Note from Curtis: I'm really excited about this panel! I've seen several of the panelists present in the past and they bring an amazing trove of experience to the table. If you are interested in receiving a free pass, drop Curtis Dean a note at cdean@broadbandaction.com.
U.S. broadband consumers are now using more than twice as much data each month than they were right before the pandemic, according to the latest quarterly report from Hoboken, New Jersey-based broadband analytics software and service provider OpenVault. From October through December last year, U.S. high-speed-internet subscribers chewed through, on average, 641 gigabytes of the good stuff. Median consumption — a more accurate measurement of the bulk of the market — was 423.7 gigs. Compare that to the fourth quarter of 2019, the last quarter before the COVID pandemic changed usage patterns forever — 344 GB was the average usage and 190.7 GB was the median during that three-month period. For more coverage of the Open Vault data usage report, CLICK HERE to read the article at NextTV. NOTE: You need to sign up for their free email list to view the full story.
Willmar, a community of 21,000 in central Minnesota, is the latest American community to take charge of its broadband future. The Willmar City Council has authorized the construction of an open access fiber network in partnership with Minnesota-based Hometown Fiber. The city council approved a community outreach and education proposal on a vote of 5-2 after more than a year of planning. Dissenters were hesitant to move forward with the outreach until a formal operations agreement was finalized and ready for city approval. For more about the Willmar project, CLICK HERE to read an article on the Blandin Foundation website.
Our latest episode of Broadband Action is now live for listening on your favorite podcast platform our the CBAN YouTube Channel! In this episode we discuss the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, also known as BEAD, which is slowly inching toward implementation. Our guest is Brian Hurley, Chief Regulatory Counsel at ACA Connects, which recently released the fourth edition of their BEAD Impact Report. Brian walks us through the latest projection on how BEAD will help close our nation's broadband divide. CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube CLICK HERE to access the podcast on Spotify, or search "Broadband Action" on your favorite podcast platform. And don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE! |
Broadband Bytes NewsPresented by the Community Broadband Action Network and curated by Curtis Dean. Archives
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