Contact your Multnomah County Board of Commissioners!

Sharon Meieran, Multnomah County Commissioner from District #1 has filed a proposed budget amendment to fund part of a feasibility study for a Municipal Broadband Utility. They will vote on this amendment on Thursday May 31. Please contact your Multnomah County representatives and urge them to support this important step towards breaking the monopoly power of the big telecommunications companies! https://multco.us/board

Rally for Net Neutral Municipal Internet!

Inspired by the recent retrograde action at the FCC and the continued inaction at the City of Portland, numerous spontaneous eruptions of outrage have broken the surface in and around the area. One of the more public will occur this Sunday afternoon, January 14, 2018 in downtown Portland.

Rally for Net Neutral Municipal Internet! https://www.facebook.com/events/1775718709399941/

To be sure, building infrastructure isn’t inexpensive. It is just way more expensive to still be alive and *not* build infrastructure.

Lafayette’s Municipal Fiber is cash positive after only 3 years

The LUS Fiber system, a municipally-owned fiber project started taking customers in early 2009. Over the last three months, the books have tipped to cash-positive. That is, revenue exceeds bond payments and operating expenses. That means they can either lower prices, or accelerate bond payments. It is a validation of the model of public ownership of communications infrastructure that incumbent carriers, such as the cable and phone franchisees, would rather you never, ever heard about. It is well past time for Portlanders to seriously consider how we get there as well. Ask your candidates where they stand on the issue. Point them at the model we prefer.

Broadband Strategic Plan before City Council, September 14 at 2pm

At 2 p.m. on September 14, the Portland City Council will consider adoption of a Broadband Strategic Plan (Resolution 974). The plan has been prepared over the last year by the Office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management. Wednesday will be an opportunity for people to testify to City Council about the plan prior to the vote on adoption. If you care about the poor state of Broadband availability, capacity and pricing in Portland, if you hope someday to be rescued from the mire of mediocrity and monopoly abuse, please consider taking action, by attending this session and letting City Council know how vital it is to solve these problems. Testimony can be 3 minutes, there is a sign up sheet by the door to Council Chambers before the session (see the official rules).

Sandy moving ahead with a municipal fiber network

So far, Sandy residents seem solidly behind the project. In a survey the city conducted to gauge interest in building the network, one resident wrote, “I am so proud to be part of a city that is this forward thinking.”

The Oregonian is reporting that the City of Sandy, Oregon is moving ahead with a municipal fiber network, as other communities have in various ways around the country and around the world. You know, living here in Portland, I sorely wish I could be proud too.

Broadband Strategic Plan City Council Work Session July 26 at 9:30 a.m.

From Mary Beth Henry, Deputy Director of the office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management with the City of Portland:

You are welcome to attend the upcoming City Council Work Session on Portland’s draft Broadband Strategic Plan: Connecting to our Future on July 26, 2011 at 9:30 am in Council Chambers, City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Avenue, Portland. The session will feature Anthony Townsend, co-author of The Future of Cities, Information and Inclusion http://member.iftf.org/user/20 and Amber Case, Cyborg Anthropologist http://caseorganic.com/about among other speakers. The agenda and speakers biographies can be found at http://www.portlandonline.com/cable/index.cfm?c=55322. The session will stream live on cable CityNet 30 http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?c=28262&a=230361. Thanks!