Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (Tak Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include:

• Now that final Benefit of the Bargain numbers are in on the BEAD program, the trend is clear: tens of thousands of locations will no longer see any federal solution, and nearly a million more will get worse and more expensive satellite service rather the fiber.
• With BEAD now a shadow of what it could be, it's never been more apparent that local governments need to step into the gap. Where are they all?
• A new report claiming just 8 million Americans remain offline as of 2025 shows the trouble of asking too simple of questions and accepting too simple of answers in describing the problem of the digital divide.

Join us live on October 24th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Email us at broadband@communitynetworks.org with feedback and ideas for the show.

Subscribe to the show using this feed or find it on the Connect This! page, and watch on LinkedIn, on YouTube Live, on Facebook live, or below.

In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by Bob Frankston, a pioneer in home networking and co-creator of VisiCalc, to explore the evolution of Internet infrastructure.

Frankston challenges the conventional understanding of networking, arguing that the Internet should be treated as a public utility rather than a commodity. He reflects on the origins of home networking, the rise of broadband, and why the current telecommunications model is fundamentally broken.

Frankston advocates for a future where connectivity is treated like roads and sidewalks—open, abundant, and community-owned.

Tune in for a deep dive into how shifting the business model of broadband could unlock new opportunities for innovation and resilience.  

This show is 47 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license

In this episode of the podcast, Chris is joined by Bob Frankston, a pioneer in home networking and co-creator of VisiCalc, to explore the evolution of Internet infrastructure.

Frankston challenges the conventional understanding of networking, arguing that the Internet should be treated as a public utility rather than a commodity. He reflects on the origins of home networking, the rise of broadband, and why the current telecommunications model is fundamentally broken.

Frankston advocates for a future where connectivity is treated like roads and sidewalks—open, abundant, and community-owned.

Tune in for a deep dive into how shifting the business model of broadband could unlock new opportunities for innovation and resilience.  

This show is 47 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license