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We’re pleased to bring you the first episode from a special bonus series of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast titled “Why NC Broadband Matters.” The series is a collaboration with the nonprofit NC Broadband Matters, whose focus is on facilitating the expansion of ubiquitous broadband coverage to local communities for residents and businesses. We’ll be working with NC Broadband Matters on this series to develop nine more episodes that center around broadband in North Carolina.
“Overbuilding Means Providing Internet Choice: How One Small Company is Closing North Carolina’s Digital Divide,” is a conversation between host Christopher Mitchell and Alan Fitzpatrick of Open Broadband. The North Carolina company delivers high-quality Internet access to local communities. As Fitzpatrick notes in the interview, Open Broadband uses different types of technology, depending on what’s most effective in each region. The goal is delivering quality Internet access.
Christopher and Alan talk about how the term “overbuilding” is now associated with waste, rather than with competition. They discuss the benefits of overbuilding and competition, problems with of lack of choice, and Alan reviews some potential long-term policy changes that could encourage investment. Alan and Christopher talk about local government involvement in promoting competition for better access to high-quality connectivity. They also touch on how lack of competition can increase the digital divide and how North Carolina could make changes to allow local governments to work with private providers in order to expand Internet access.
We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.
This show is 28 minutes long and can be played on this page, on this page or via iTunes or the tool of your choice using this feed, or at the NC Broadband Matters page. We encourage you to check out other “Why NC Broadband Matters” content at the source so you don’t miss future bonus content that may not appear in the Community Broadband Bits Podcast feed.
Listen to other Community Broadband Bits episodes here or view all episodes in our index.
Thanks to Shane Ivers for the Music: What’s The Angle? by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com a Creative Commons Attribution (4.0) license.