Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
Katie Kienbaum
Before joining ILSR, Katie conducted outreach to members of rural electric cooperatives in western North Carolina. She holds a degree in economics and environmental studies from the University of Pittsburgh.
Stories by this author
Building a New Path Toward Tribal Connectivity - Community Broadband Bits Podcast 362
Unlocking the Value of Broadband for Electric Cooperative Consumer-Members
When privately owned utilities refused to electrify rural areas, communities established electric cooperatives to light up their homes and farms. A recently released report, Unlocking the Value of Broadband for Electric Cooperative Consumer-Members, describes how electric co-ops now have an opportunity revisit that role as they bring Internet access to their rural members nationwide.
The report, published in September by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), finds that millions of people in electric cooperative service territories lack access to broadband. As the report explains, rural electric cooperatives are uniquely poised to meet their members’ needs for better connectivity. However, public investment may still be necessary to connect many rural communities.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 344
This is the transcript for episode 344 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher speaks with Jack Davis, vice president and CTO of Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative, about the co-op's Fiber-to-the-Home project in rural Missouri.
Visualizing Connectivity in North Carolina
At the beginning of the year, our Community Broadband Networks team visited North Carolina as part of the Let’s Connect speaking tour. While preparing for the trip and after returning to Minnesota, we researched and mapped Internet access and broadband funding in the state.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 386
This is the transcript for episode 386 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher talks with folks from Medina County Fiber Network and Lit Communities about their partnership that's helping connect Ohio bussinesses and soon residents over an open access network.
Monopoly ISPs Too Big to Make Good on Covid-19 Internet Offers
Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Internet access is more important than ever before. Elementary school math classes, routine doctor’s appointments, after-work happy hours, and more all require a high-speed broadband connection now.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 416
This is the transcript for episode 416 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. For this episode, Christopher interviews John Bowcut about the municipal broadband network owned by Spanish Fork, Utah. The pair discuss the network's 20-year-long history, upgrading from cable to fiber optics, and Utah's restrictions on community broadband.
Arlington Dark Fiber Network at Crossroads, ARLnow Reports
When Arlington County, Virginia, decided to deploy dark fiber and make it available to businesses in 2015, officials dreamed of economic development, tech innovation, and competition in the broadband market. Four years and approximately $4 million later, the fiber network has fallen short of those lofty goals and instead lies in the ground mostly unused.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 363
This is the transcript for episode 363 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. In this episdoe of Community Broadband Bits, Christopher interviews Brian Worthen of Mammoth Networks. They discuss how the Wyoming-based company is providing connectivity and backhaul in the American West, and they talk about the future of rural broadband.
Transcript: Community Broadband Bits Episode 389
This is the transcript for episode 389 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. In this episode, Christopher speaks with Mayor Gary Fuller from Opelika, Alabama, about the city's decision to privatize its broadband network in order to serve more people.