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New Map Shows Community Broadband Networks Are Exploding In U.S. (www.techdirt.com)

submitted 2 months ago by otter@lemmy.ca to c/technology@lemmy.world

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cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/36607

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[–] can@sh.itjust.works 61 points 2 months ago (10 children)

All told, there’s now 400 community-owned broadband networks serving more than 700 U.S. towns and cities nationwide, and the pace of growth shows no sign of slowing down.

Some of these networks are directly owned by a municipality. Some are freshly-built cooperatives. Some are extensions of the existing city-owned electrical utility. All of them are an organic, popular, grass-roots community-driven reaction to telecom market failure and expensive, patchy access.

Cannot imagine happening in Canada but we desperately need it.

[–] Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz 25 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Definitely seeing that where I live. One of the local electric companies started offering gigabit fiber for $75, where most people were paying a lot more than that for DSL or low quality satellite (which were the only choices before). It's been a huge improvement for those people, and it's forced some of the long stagnant Telco companies to actually compete and start rolling out fiber of their own.

[–] LunchMoneyThief@links.hackliberty.org 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

it’s forced some of the long stagnant Telco companies to actually compete and start rolling out fiber of their own.

The fact that they failed to do so of their own volition is reasonable grounds to continue to avoid said Telco even after they've finally deployed fiber.

[–] Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Right, but in my case I'm not actually a customer of the local electric company that offers fiber. However pressure from them got my telco company (the only choice I have besides satellite) to offer me fiber, raising my max speed from 3Mb/s to 1000Mb/s.

[–] LunchMoneyThief@links.hackliberty.org 5 points 2 months ago

Glad things turned out favorable for you.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

One of the local electric companies

Already leagues ahead of me :(

[–] Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Do you live off grid?

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 months ago

Haha, no, just a monopoly, but that does make me appreciate the absurdity of it, thanks. Ironically being off the grid is the only alternative.

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