In Minneapolis, a small and privately owned ISP has been steadily building fiber across the city and developing a stunning reputation for great customer service, low and predictable pricing, and generally being a great company to do business with. Co-founder Travis Carter of US Internet joins us for episode 194 of the Community Broadband Bits podcast. We discuss their approach to building networks, especially their philosophy around customer service and just how poorly some of US Internet's competitors treat their customers. As a small firm that is carving out its own path in a world of giants, its experiences are important lessons and points of consideration for community networks. We also discuss how US Internet interacts with local governments. Though the company has high praise for Minneapolis, it discusses where some of the challenges have been in navigating local government zoning and permitting. Travis also offers some advice based on how smart investments and a well-organized approach to leasing fiber have helped US Internet to begin expanding in suburb Saint Louis Park. USI coverage map is available here. For more information on USI's pricing, see their website for Fiber-to-the-Home and telephone service. We plan to have Travis back on in the future again, so if you have questions you would like us to ask, please tell us! Read the transcript from this show here. We want your feedback and suggestions for the show - please e-mail us or leave a comment below. This show is 30 minutes long and can be played below on this page or via iTunes or via the tool of your choice using this feed. You can download this Mp3 file directly from here. Listen to other episodes here or view all episodes in our index. Thanks to Kathleen Martin for the music, licensed using Creative Commons. The song is "Player vs. Player." Community Broadband Bits Episode 194 - Travis Carter of US Internet, small ISP in Minneapolis