On the eve of summer 2022, Viodi’s cameras captured some amazing stories of how two Canadian independent broadband providers are solving the rural digital divide. Now, as summer has passed, those stories of bringing fiber to the dairy, to the alpine lake, and to the home, are available, courtesy of Calix, for viewing at
Although the areas served by these providers are vastly different, a common link, like so many operators Viodi has reported on, is their community-centric nature.
Be the Local Broadband Professor
The advantage of being embedded in the local community is implicit in the advice given by Rhod Shaw, Principal & Chairman of the Alpine Group, at the State and Federal update session at the 2022 Independent Show (TIS). ACA Connects President and CEO, Grant Spellmeyer, the moderator, discusses the panel, and reinforces the idea that local operators should help educate elected officials about the challenges and opportunities broadband brings to their constituents.
Doing It Her Way – A Conversation with the Chairman of the Board, Patty Boyers
Whether it is at the Independent Show or the ACA Connects Summit, a highlight of these conferences is catching up with Boycom president and ACA Connects Chairman, Patty Boyers. Unfortunately, we didn’t speak about her well-deserved Cable Hall of Fame recognition. In our interview, filmed at TIS22, Boyers provides the backstory of why she chose the moniker, Chairman.
XGS PON & More at the Broadband Forum’s BASe Event at Fiber Connect 22
“GPON may be good enough, but you really have to think about 2026,” recommends Teresa McGaughey, AVP, Access and Field Marketing for Calix. Speaking at the end of the Broadband Forum’s BASe Event at Fiber Connect 22, McGaughey indicates that the steady growth in bandwidth will cause peak usage demand challenges for GPON around that timeframe. OMDIA’s Chief Analyst, Broadband Access Intelligence, Service, Julie Kunstler, adds that, generally, new builds and new operators are bypassing GPON and incorporating XGS-PON as their baseline network.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts
- Robotic, electric snowplows for cleaning sidewalks could improve the quality of life for those in cold climates. Managing the sidewalks may be as challenging as the technology, as @BernGrush points out in his LinkedIn commentary.
- An interesting white paper from AirBnB (PDF) argues that the way governments approach economic development “must consider how to recruit individuals and families who can work remotely and how to ensure that the benefits of remote work are felt by the wider community… The remote work ‘revolution’ has particular promise for smaller cities and rural communities.” The importance of and the promotion of good broadband is highlighted, and Bemidji, MN (home of Paul Bunyan Communications) is referenced as an example.
- Important read from Optimus Price CEO, Carlos Fenollosa as he writes about the gatekeeping that forced him to move away from self-hosted email. “After self-hosting my email for twenty-three years I have thrown in the towel. Email is now an oligopoly, a service gatekept by a few big companies which does (sic) not follow the principles of net neutrality.”
- Based on Ookla’s data, it is no wonder that the FCC is pulling back Starlink’s RDOF funding.
The Korner – 10 Lessons from a Drone Crash – Or, I Should Have Listened to My Spouse
Flight conditions were perfect near the Perrine Memorial Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho. No one was around, except for my spouse, who suggested flying over a cliff wasn’t a good idea given that it had been a few months since my trusty drone had seen the sky. Unfortunately, she wanted to explore the area and left me by myself to navigate the crystal sky above the mighty Snake River (red flag #1 – always have a visual observer).
View (YouTube) and Read More (Click on the “Show More” in the description below the video)
