ILSR: Rural America, Broadband Is Not On The Way

This video, produced by the Institute for Local Self Reliance, discusses the necessity for rural communities to control their own broadband destiny rather than waiting for existing providers to take care of them.

President Obama at Cedar Falls

President Obama travelled to Cedar Falls, Iowa to talk about the importance of expanding access to high-speed broadband Internet, January 14, 2015.

Community Broadband Networks

Produced by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, this video explains why communities are building faster, less expensive connections that put community needs first.

Ammon, ID

The city of Ammon, Idaho is building the Internet network of the future. Households and businesses can instantly change Internet service providers using a specially-designed innovative portal. Video produced by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Cedar Valley Fiber Availability

The Cedar Valley region of Iowa is located in the upper Midwest. Within the seven county region there are an impressive number of low cost 100% fiber broadband communities, including one the worlds first gig cities, Cedar Falls. Fiber gives Cedar Valley businesses a competitive advantage.

NextLight: Longmont, CO

​Introducing NextLight™, Longmont’s community-owned fiber-optic network provided by Longmont Power & Communications. Over 100 years ago we began providing power and light to our community as a municipal electric utility. Now we are providing light that can carry gigabits of data in seconds, and can connect our community at the speed of light.

Sandy,OR: Gig City

​Located at the foot of Mount Hood in Oregon, Sandy's municipally-owned full fiber network offers gig Internet service for under $60 to every resident in the city. City managers, frustrated that they couldn't even get a DSL line in to city hall started off by building their own wireless and DSL network, beginning in 2001. In 2008 they began incorporating fiber. Today, 60% of the community has already subscribed to the Fiber-to-the-Home network, or is on a waiting list.