Some things are worth repeating. Recognizing that North Carolina was at the vanguard of technology deployment in the 1990s, CLIC’s North Carolina chapter, NC Broadband Matters, engaged a keynote speaker in April who received a standing ovation after he spoke about how North Carolina can be a technology leader again. The speaker, four-term Governor James B. Hunt (1977-1985, 1993-2001) dre…
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Why CLIC-NC? Because NC Hearts Gigabit
There was a buzz at the Broadband Communities' recent Atlanta conference earlier this month, and part of that circled around a new grassroots group whose founders were present and speaking about their new educational project, NC Hearts Gigabit. Formed as a project of CLIC-NC, the North Carolina chapter of CLIC, NC Hearts Gigabit will serve as a story-telling platform about North Carolina's n…
read moreFrom CLIC-NC: Mozilla Brings Together Gigabit Lovers in Charlotte, NC
-by Christa Wagner Vinson and Alan Fitzpatrick Mozilla, probably best known for its adorable vulpine mascot from the Firefox web browser, came to Charlotte last month to talk about the virtues of high-speed gigabit Internet connectivity and what can be done with it. Mozilla’s foundation has recently been connecting tech enthusiasts, digital literacy advocates, and other leaders through its H…
read moreWilson Greenlight to Continue Gigabit Fiber Service in Rural Pinetops and Vick Family Farms — with conditions
Late last night, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation, HB 396, allowing Wilson’s Greenlight to continue providing broadband service to Pinetops and Vick Family Farms. The bill sets additional conditions and also authorizes Greenlight to resume charging those customers for service. This action somewhat resolves a series of legislative and regulatory decisions that required Gr…
read moreNC Legislators Should Encourage, not Disconnect, Modern Rural Internet
Background: A tiny, rural town in North Carolina has gigabit internet from a community-owned fiber provider, Wilson Greenlight, and the big cable and telephone companies want it disconnected. Today a local newspaper printed an editorial from an industry front group (just like the one these monopolies used in 2010 and 2011). Titled “City-Owned Broadband Squeezes Taxpayers” the “American Tax…
read moreNC Anti-Competitive Broadband Law to Disconnect Rural Pinetops from its Gigabit Internet by Halloween
Listen to this great interview by the Institute for Local Self Reliance of one of Pinetops’ Town Commissioners, Suzanne Coker-Craig, who is forced to watch her rural Gigabit town be disconnected from Wilson Greenlight internet service because of North Carolina’s anti-competitive state law (commonly known as H129). Said Coker-Craig: “This is a situation where Pinetops and other rural areas…
read moreFor Rural Pinetops, Being a Gigabit City is More than A CuriosiTees
CuriosiTees is a screen printing and custom t-shirt store in a tiny rural town called Pinetops, NC (population ~1300). But it’s more than that. It’s a testament to the economic impact of finally getting access to fiber to the home speeds and internet choice in North Carolina’s rural homelands. It’s evidence that community-run fiber networks can bring modern infrastructure and economic …
read moreFor Rural Pinetops, being a Gigabit City Means Business
Many people would think that a blog about a small rural town becoming a Gigabit city would be about the miracles of speed. But the real story is much deeper. It is about what it feels like to finally have internet choice, to have reliable internet service in an information dependent economy, to be treated with respect by customer service agents, and to finally feel hope - actual excitement -…
read moreThanks to Wilson, Tiny Rural Pinetops is A Gigabit City
“We just love it!” That was the response of Pinetops Acting Town Manager, Brenda Harrell, when asked what it is like for her rural residents to now have access to Gigabit internet speeds. In April, Wilson, North Carolina’s community-owned fiber network reached out, passed every home and turned on its fiber to the home service in neighboring rural Pinetops. Pinetops is located about a…
read moreWhy Fast, Affordable, Modern Broadband is Critical for Rural NC
Access to modern broadband is essential for rural economic growth and jobs, for accessing school and college courses no matter where you live, for health care and home values. Click on the image, download our pdf and share the news.
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