"A regulated company will always renege on promises to provide public benefits tomorrow in exchange for regulatory and financial benefits today." This philosophy by Gigabit Nation guest Bruce Kushnick makes one wonder, is a recent AT&T announcement cause for joy, or a call for community broadband advocates to circle the wagons?

Last month some policymakers jumped for joy when the incumbent said it planned to spend $14 billion to upgrade its wired and wireless infrastructure. Others groaned as AT&T simultaneously began a drive to gut regulation that may be many small towns and rural communities last hope for even a hint of improved broadband services.

Kushnick, Exec. Dir of New Networks Institute, explains his analysis of historical evidence that infers “AT&T is lying about the amount of money they will spend or the deployments they will accomplish.” He presents reasons communities should care that this may be a smokescreen to enable company attacks on regulations that protect consumers and local business. Kushnick also gives communities some tips for how to fight back against these kinds of attacks in our statehouses.

"If you've got good people of good will on both sides who really want to get something done, you can have really good debates and then you compromise." This philosophy of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, if nothing else, should be the governing rule everywhere for state legislative action on broadband issues. 

Iowa Democratic State Representative Mary Gaskill and Republican State Senator Mark Chelgren join us to discuss initiatives both legislators are pursuing to help bring better broadband to constituents. In addition, they give listeners valuable lessons for working effectively with elected representatives on both sides of the aisle. 

Communities planning broadband projects are advised to include tactics for building strong working relationships with elected officials locally and at the statehouse. These relationships can be key to resolving some of the various challenges along the way to broadband deployment.

Discussions about broadband and economic development often focus on actions taken after a community launches its network. However, even during broadband planning, right of way (ROW) issues can greatly influence a network's role as an economic engine.

Galen Updike, Broadband Development Manager at the Arizona Department of Administration, is one of over 36 industry influencers attending a special roundtable in D.C. on broadband's economic impact. He describes for listeners details about Arizona's creative approach to developing ROW policies that accelerate broadband deployments. 

Updike joins host Craig Settles in Washington where these ROW and other policies ideas will be compiled into a national knowledgebase to benefit communities' broadband efforts. Our Gigabit Nation audience gets a sneak preview of that knowledgebase.

National Broadband Plan architect Blair Levin joins us to discuss the broadband implications of his new plan to accelerate growth, shrink the national debt, revolutionize the delivery of government services and help slow global warming.

With former FCC Chairman (93-97 Reed Hundt, Levin recently co-authored the e-book "The Politics of Abundance: How Technology Can Fix the Budget, Revive the American Dream, and Establish Obama’s Legacy." The book advocates strongly for a four-part plan that expands the Internet and the electric power grid:

Tax carbon-intensive emissions from power plants in return for reducing income tax rates;  Couple utility reform with corporate tax reform; New wave infrastructure financing to support, among other things, next-generation data networks; andAccelerate all government services to the digital platforms,

Listeners get a very good policy analysis from Levin and host Craig Settles, plus a preliminary look at issues both gentlemen will explore later in the week at a Washington, DC private roundtable on the economic and community impact of broadband.

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 of the nonprotif's main accomplishments during the year since he was on Gigabit Nation last year, and their preperations for December's 12 Days of Broadband. Joe also shares MCNC's plans for 2013. The co-op connects K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, and non-profit healthcare sites throughout the state.

Before you know it, Tennessee is going to become a 1-gig state, as Bristol becomes its latest town to begin offering 1 Gbps service to residents and businesses. Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) is a municipal-owned utility that has been doing broadband right since 1998.

BTES CEO Dr. Michael Browder describes the utility's long history of using fiber to serve customers, initially by linking its substations to the main office, and most recently through its powerful upgrade of broadband services. Dr. Browder reveals a few of BTES' secrets in staying ahead of the technology curve as well as their bigger competitors. 

Listeners also learn some valuable tips on planning, marketing and producing significant benefits for BTES' various constituencies. Communities laying out their 2013 broadband plans definitely want to tune in for this interview.

Broadband can be abysmal, even in average income urban areas, if you have policymakers, service providers, journalists and community stakeholders who confuse availability with access. Arkansas State Senator Linda Chesterfield explains the difference, and why this difference matters to broadband adoption.

Sen. Chesterfield, at a recent Delta Regional Authority broadband summit (skip to 5hr, 45min), spelled out in chapter and verse that having Internet access available has limited value if the people who need it can’t access it. She expands on this message by explaining to listeners how stakeholders can enable various constituents to not only get online, but also be more productive once they get there.

In rural US communities such as those in the Mississippi Delta region, getting access is not an easy challenge. However, Sen. Chesterfield offers powerful insights to other broadband advocates to help them overcome these hurdles.

While we labor to get broadband into more communities to improve economic development, education, and the business of government, have we overlooked how broadband is changing the way we choose our government?  If we are going to endow broadband with great powers to transform communities, we certainly have to examine the technology's role in shaping government at all levels.

Kristal High, Editor-in-Chief of Politic365, addresses politics, technology and national technology policy. She gives listeners an understanding of how increasing broadband deployments and adoption may impact the electoral process.

Michael Snook, CIO for Progressive Change Campaign Committee, gives us a peek under the covers of one of the more successful advocacy groups this election cycle. PCCC used Internet technology to impact several aspects of campaigning in a host of House and Senate races.

Our guest tackle several pressing questions, including: 

will increasing and improving broadband infrastructure in low-income and rural communities increase political participation by these communities? will new Internet technologies alter or improve the dynamic by which campaigns are won and lost. what policy changes make enable individuals to make better use of Internet technology in the political process? how will highspeed Internet access impact the process of governing after the campaign is over? can technology counterbalance the impact of big money in elections?

Quite a few utility companies, particularly those privately-owned, seem to be dragging their feet when it comes to upgrading technology that runs their infrastructure. However, tropical storm Sandy and other major natural disasters in recent months reveal communities cannot allow these heads to stay buried in the sand. 

Broadband has a lot of potential to impact smart grids’ ability to improve disaster preparation and response. Two industry experts present this case. Todd Q. Adams, an energy technology veteran and expert in sustainability, facilitates public awareness and community education forums for advanced energy and water management initiatives. Seyi Fabode is co-founder of Power2Switch, a website that educates consumers about retail electricity and enables electricity customers to comparison shop for electricity providers and save money on their electric bills. 

Our guests help listeners understand in layperson’s terms what communities and their utility companies need to do influence useful changes. They address partnership strategies, infrastructure funding issues and overcoming the challenges of adopting new tactics.

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 their partners are served?

Kevin Larson, Gen. Manager of the Minnesota telephone co-op Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC), helps listeners understand the key elements of successful co-op business strategy. CTC is involved with several projects within the state.

Questions addressed in this interview include:

What are some successful building blocks if a community is considering starting a new co-op?

How can existing telephone co-ops expand into, or increase the size of, broadband services Will the FCC’s transition of the Universal Service Fund into the Connect America Fund benefit co-ops How will AT&T’s move to abandon rural communities impact co-ops’ ability to deliver services.

This is the first of two broadcasts from the Blandin Foundation’s “Minnesota’s Better with Broadband” summit where Gigabit Nation host Craig Settles delivers the keynote presentation.