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01:00FeaturedEconomic Development Fundraising for Community Broadband
Tags: broadband strategy economic development investment sustainability
Economic fundraising is a proven practice that could net a community several million dollars for its broadband buildout if executed properly. Tom DiFiore, who has helped communities nationwide raise over $1.7 billion for economic development projects, shares tips on how to recruit enthusiastic investors from within your city and neighboring areas. The concept is simple, but be prepared for a lot of hard work. DiFiore explains how to recruit people who’ll invest an amount greater than the
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01:00Featured
Jobs Creation, Community Enhancement & Broadband in NC
Tags: mcnc strategy broadband rural north carolina
While some communities are benefiting from their electric or telecom co-op expanding to offer broadband services, others have created nonprofit corporations specifically for delivering broadband. Is this move right for your community? Jobs and sizeable community enhancements have come to several N.C. communities thanks to non-profit broadband operator MCNC. Listeners pick up important lessons and tips from MCNC president Joe Freddoso on how to do effective strategy planning.Joe describes some
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01:00Featured
Keeping Community Broadband Alive and Well In a Hostile NC
Tags: wilson broadband strategy muni broadband community
Communities have a tough time getting broadband should tune in to see how Wilson, NC. keeps doing well in a state very hostile to muni networks. Wilson was an early broadband freedom fighter, and against heavy odds, managed to keep the right to own and operate their network, Greenlight. Brian Bowman, Wilson's Public Affairs Manager, offers insights to Greenlight's continued business and political success despite Time Warner's intense efforts to undermine them. Greenlight owes its s
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00:33Featured
Evolving Role of Regional Co-ops in Community Broadband
Tags: coop broadband strategy rural broadband connect america fund
The Internet connection for this broadcast failed 35 minutes into the show. We couldn't revive the feed. Kevin has agreed to come back at a later date to complete the interview. Be on the look out for Part 2 of our interview. With the increasing drive by communities to get better broadband networks in their areas, there is likewise a growing interest in creating cooperatives to move these projects forward. How do communities create co-ops that ensure the best interests of constituents and
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01:00
Take This Broadband Plan to the Bank - Literally!
Tags: community broadband public private partnership funding strategy networks
Communities may be leaving an awful lot of money on the table for funding broadband because they're not going to the most logical money source on the planet - the bank. Stearns Brothers & Co Senior VP Aaron Gadouas explains that approaching banks and other tradition financial institutions is a viable option that more communities should explore.
Critiquing the nine business models presented in Craig Settles' Building the Gigabit City (Chapter 5), Gadouas lays out tactics for preparing your community to take it to the bank and get financing:
* securing credible memoranda of understanding
* pre-selling network service subscriptions
* leveraging support from local banks and credit unions
* avoiding obvious and not so obvious pitfalls
Mr. Gadouas, with 15 years experience in corporate finance and new product development, is widely recognized for his track record of innovation that includes creating a public-private financing program for healthcare organizations. At a recent Kansas City conference, he presented government and private sector organizations with a game plan for financing broadband infrastructure. -
01:00
Crowdfunding for Broadband Gathers Steam. Get on the Train!
Tags: crowdfund community broadband mapping strategy
Blacksburg, VA raised $91,000 to build a 1 gig network downtown using crowdfunding (bit.ly/ZVsVIz). A Kansas City neighborhood crowdfunded a wireless network buildout. Have we found the key to unlocking a big increase in broadband networks?
As interest in this tactic builds, two community broadband veterans are rolling out a Web tool to crowdfund, aggregate demand and coordinate stakeholders. The design of this service reflects a belief that funding is just one of the challenges communities must address.
Crowdfiber co-founders Greg Richardson and Bailey White advocate an integrated approach to broadband deployment that builds a pre-launch subscriber base while simultaneously raising money to fund the network. In addition, communities must be adept at organizing and project management.
Listeners come away from this interview with a better understanding of:
* crowdfunding best practices; * using the Google “fiberhoods” tactic to map demand; and * organizing stakeholders (a.k.a. herding cats).
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01:00Featured
Internet Hero B4RN Puts "Community" in Broadband
Tags: b4rn rural broadband broadband strategy investment community
This is the re-scheduled interview: "Hey, were you born in a barn?" "No, but our broadband was and it kicks butt!" That's B-4-R-N, thank you. Broadband for the Rural North. They have a story to tell, and every community whose broadband and broadband options suck needs to listen to every word. Their broadband project is so effective B4RN just won the Internet Hero award from the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA). Eight parishes in the northwest of Engla
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01:00
Nat'l League of Cities: Better Broadband for Stronger Cities
Tags: national league of cities community broadband strategy adoption planning
"It is important for cities to realize that this [broadband] is the way forward and, if used correctly, it can have a lasting impact on their economic, environmental and special development," says Julia Pulidindi, National League of Cities Senior Associate in their City Solutions and Applied Research Department.
Pulidindi joins Gigabit Nation to present steps that communities should take to get constituents on the same page and moving forward to getting better broadband. She highlights creative ideas that have enabled communities to build highspeed Internet infrastructure, and drive various constituents to use the networks.
Pulidindi gives listeners insights to the type of national broadband policy issues that the NLC is advocating for in D.C., and invites comments from the audience on these issues. NLC also has state affiliates, we explore how these provide cities and towns with valuable access to information and communication channels that can help local broadband efforts.
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01:01
Survey Says!? Broadband Impacts Economic Development.
Tags: community broadband economic development strategy gigabit digital inclusion
In March this year, in partnership with Broadband Communities Magazine, host Craig Settles conducted a survey of local government administrators and staff, service providers, consultants and others involved with broadband projects. What they have to say in Craig Settles' report, The Gigabit city & Economic Development, could directly influence your community’s efforts.
Magazine Editor Masha Zager joins us to analyze what survey results mean to your community. 60% of respondents say fiber networks attract business, 54% say it increases home-based businesses. Nearly half feel 20 – 120 Mbps is minimum needed to impact certain economic outcomes. Only 7% see “searching for a job” as the greatest benefit broadband offers individuals.
The survey explored broadband’s impact on six local economic outcomes in particular: attracting new businesses to town reviving depressed communitiesm making local companies more successful improving individuals’ income-earning potential increasing home-based businesses improving depressed business districts The survey also looks at the potential for broadband-enabled telemedicine to impact economic development, and probed how respondents view certain national broadband policies. We solicited feedback on possible broadband funding models. If economic development is important to you, listen to this show.
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01:01
It Takes a Village & Broadband to Raise a Startup
Tags: Kansas City Google Fiber home based business broadband strategy Fiber to the Home
63% of participants in a national survey have seen communities use broadband to harness home-based businesses into a economic engine, or believe strongly that communities can do this. Gigabit Nation goes to Kansas City to spotlight this dynamic at work.
Kansas City Startup Village (KCSV) participants give listeners first-hand details on how a booming entrepreneurial movement has taken root and is expanding thanks to Google Fiber. They offer valuable lessons to other communities that want to do likewise. Today's guests are:
* Adam Arredondo and Matthew Marcus, co-founders of Local Ruckus and KCSV Co-Leaders;
* Mike Demarais, Co-Founder, Handprint
* Ben Barreth, founder of the Homes for Hackers program
* Brittain Kovac, staff member of startup Leap2 and Event Manager for KCSV; and
* Jonny Kot, community leader and founder of Tech-Pointer.
Our guests have complementary and contrasting viewpoints on:
* the role of Google Fiber in driving entrepreneurship in Kansas City
* how communities can encourage and support startups
* sustaining and expanding entrepreneur support programs.
Listeners can download a copy of the survey analysis report that addresses the increase of home-based businesses and other economic outcomes broadband influences.
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00:31
The Path Community Welcomes Author Miriam Ezell
by The Path Community in Spirituality
Tags: Coach Kim Coach Greg Miriam Ezell Listen to your Heart She Knows Best Path Community
Coaches Kim Skaggs and Greg Reich facilitate the growth andleadership of the Path Community each week. They are a perfect blend of passion, insight, wisdom and love for people and God. Inside the Path Community you will find people like yourself. Coaches, Trainers, and Business owners that want to make a difference in the lives of people they lead and serve. This week Kim and Greg welcomes to this months Path Blog radio program, Miriam Ezell. She will be sharing from her book, Listen to your Heart, She Knows Best. She has been personally coaching women since 2008 after leaving her career as a CPA and VP of Finance. Miriam coaches clients to create personal transformation and healthy choices that enable them to live a purposeful life. She created The Living On Purpose Empowerment Series For Women to bring peace, joy, love, faith, courage and hope to women who desire a life of purpose.
You can learn more about Miriam, her new book and how to connect with her as a speaker. Coach Miriam
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01:01
Use Mapping Data to Make Better Broadband Policy
Tags: north carolina mapping montana strategy broadband
This session helps state officials and project teams involved with broadband more effectively capture and manage broadband mapping data. Equally important, we explore how the apparatus for gathering coverage and availability data can be put to greater use for economic development and other useful policymaking.
Angela Bailey, Director of NC Broadband, a division of the North Carolina Dept of Commerce, and Jennie Stapp, Montana State Librarian and Montana GIS Coordinator Stu Kirkpatrick discuss lessons learned from their respective states’ mapping projects. They also explain how they turned this, combined with other state data, into policies and action.
As we come to grips with the fact that stimulus money for mapping runs out in 2014, and some begin taking appropriate action, it is important that other states quickly follow suite. Our
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