Monthly Archives: May 2011

May 11 Draft Broadband Strategic Plan

Advocacy, tips

As of a few days ago, the City has posted a draft Broadband Strategic Plan. I encourage everyone to read the document and then to comment on it and to point out where it comes up short.

Portland needs to invest in scarcity-squashing infrastructure. The City has built its own fiber infrastructure for governmental use. It’s time for the City to look out for its citizens and let them own their own infrastructure as well. The public stands to reap enormous benefits, both in avoiding perpetual rent and by enabling competition in service providers on the infrastructure. Don’t let this opportunity slip by.

Lunch 2.0 with Portland Broadband Strategic Plan June 29

events

A public meeting to discuss the draft of Portland Broadband Strategic Plan has been scheduled for June 29 from noon to 3pm at the Portland Building. Here is a calagator link to the event.
http://calagator.org/events/1250460630
If you can, please attend and let the City know what you think. Your persistent input is ESSENTIAL to getting a plan that moves us forward rather than slips us backward!

What Open Access looks like

Advocacy, video

There was a recent piece on a PBS program called “Need to Know”, very much worth a watch.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

It shows the kind of competition spurred by Open Access rules on infrastructure. Sadly, the FCC is such a basket case, we are unlikely to ever get these kind of sensible rules if we have to rely on them. A recent article by Benoît Felten explains why. Localities are more apt to understand the urgency and aren’t as insulated from the failures of the existing model.