[1st-mile-nm] Community Broadband Network Map Updated with Cortez, Others

[Christopher Mitchell]

We have updated the Community Broadband Map with a few new exciting
networks, including one in Idaho and one in rural SW Colorado that
Richard announced on this list:
http://www.muninetworks.org/communitymap

I recently wrote about 2 new networks being built that you may be interested in:

Cortez, Colorada, in the SW most county of Colorado.
http://www.muninetworks.org/content/cortez-colorado-also-launches-open-access-network

Cortez is building an open access network... the current phase is
connecting businesses.  I get the distinct impression that they
eventually want to connect the whole county eventually.  They have a
great set of principles for the project:
http://www.cityofcortez.com/government/general_services/cortez_fiber_home_project/principles_community_broadband

Cortez is 8,000 people and is the county seat for a rural county long
screwed by Qwest.


Meanwhile, up in Idaho, the town of Ammon is building a similar
open-access network:
http://www.muninetworks.org/content/idaho-town-builds-incremental-open-access-network

This is town of 15,000 outside the larger area of Idaho Falls, so a
bit less rural.  But nonetheless, these incremental approaches may be
the single best approach to expanding access right now.  They often
expand as other projects (water, road repairs, etc) allow the
community to increase its fiber or conduit assets at a very low cost.


For those who are interested in the daily stories we publish at
MuniNetworks.org (which are mixed with urban/rural focus), we do have
a weekly newsletter that compiles the week's stories.  Sign up here:
https://spreadsheets0.google.com/viewform?formkey=dF9ZdmFsam5FNHN1MTJXNkt4V3VsRGc6MA



Christopher Mitchell
Director, Telecommunications as Commons Initiative
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
http://www.muninetworks.org
@communitynets
612-276-3456