Unbuffered

Chris, Sean Gonsalves, and Sascha Meinrath dig into Vermont’s speed testing, open broadband data, Starlink’s Ukraine shutoff, and the cute mascots masking AI data grabs.

How can digital equity programs escape the boom-and-bust funding cycle? Chris and Samantha Schartman of Connect Humanity explore co-investment through the Alt Funding Field Guide.

Should California have to give up its consumer protections to receive federal broadband dollars? Chris and Chao Jun Liu unpack Condition 50, the BEAD contract term that could stop states from enforcing their own Internet laws.

What causes new Internet service providers to stumble right out of the gate, and what is really going on behind the scenes at state broadband offices? Chris, Doug Dawson, Doug Adams, and Jade Piros de Carvalho unpack the hidden operational traps that derail network builds, and the compliance fatigue surrounding the BEAD program.

As ownership caps fall and mega-mergers unite giant media studios, what happens to the future of real journalism? Chris sits down with Free Press's Matt Wood and tech journalist Karl Bode to unpack how media consolidation fuels "enshittification" and erodes local news

Are broadcast license threats being weaponized to silence free speech? Chris, Gigi Sohn, and Berin Szóka unpack Disney’s landmark lawsuit against the FCC and the dangerous rise of regulatory intimidation.

Is national broadband data actually reliable, or are we just taking ISP claims on faith?Join Chris and Sean as they unpack flawed FCC reports, major BEAD dropouts, Starlink tree canopy problems, and the questionable math of DOGE.

Chris and Doug Dawson break down new Ookla FWA data, critique the FCC’s flawed mapping challenges, examine the final BEAD funding numbers, and tackle the wild economics of artificial intelligence.

Can local governments build modern public safety infrastructure without sacrificing citizen privacy or handing millions to private cloud vendors? Former Shreveport CTO Keith Hanson joins Chris to break down the hidden costs of vendor-owned surveillance, the realities of municipal IT bureaucracy, and how cities can use creative, low-cost solutions to retain control over their own data.

Are Flock safety cameras keeping communities safe, or just building a private dragnet for mass surveillance? Chris sits down with independent reporter Daniel Boguslaw to unpack the Flock Safety debate and reveal how everyday citizens are fighting back.

Chris and Doug Dawson discuss a major court ruling that could make Fiber deployment across railroad rights-of-way easier, Starlink’s ambitions to become a mobile network operator, and what recent court decisions could mean for the future of the FCC.

Lee Brown and John Fredericks join Chris to discuss how Erwin Fiber weathered Hurricane Helene and what the community is building back stronger.

From Massachusetts' affordable housing retrofit program to a giant mirror in space, Chris and Sean unpack the latest stories shaping broadband.

What do surveillance, A.I., and broadband policy have in common? Chris and Sascha connect the dots.

What happens when telecom companies are allowed to walk away from providing basic, reliable phone service? Chris, Harold, and Arturo explore AT&T’s push to end its landline commitments in California and why network modernization shouldn't leave vulnerable communities behind.

Chris and Doug Dawson unpack a new survey of rural Americans, the lawsuit over the Digital Equity Act, and what the FCC's latest satellite decisions could mean for the future of our skies

From America's 250th anniversary to BEAD and broadband policy, Chris, Sean, and Karl unpack some of the biggest stories shaping the telecommunications landscape

The story behind the Tribal Broadband Bootcamps and the growing movement to build tribal networks across Indian Country

Chris, Sean, Jordan, and Karl break down SpaceX IPO and Starlink, before Chris sits down with Jeff Gavlinski to preview this year’s Mountain Connect conference in Denver.

A conversation about Longmont's NextLight network, community broadband, affordability, and what it takes to build one of the most successful ISPs in the country

What does it take to build a sustainable model for closing the digital divide? How DigitalC grew to nearly 10,000 subscriber households

What Vermont is getting right — and why Google’s AI search changes feel different

A conversation about digital equity, dark money, and the fight over Internet access

 In this episode of Unbuffered, Chris is joined by Ernesto Falcon, Program Manager of Communications and Broadband Policy with the Public Advocates Office for a conversation about competition, mergers, and how to make sure the lowest-income households have access to an Internet connection that allows them to participate in the economy and civic life, as well as access telehealth and educational services on an equitable playing field. 

A conversation about AI policy, emergent systems, distributed knowledge, and why the things that are easiest to measure “might not be the right things to measure.”

BEAD delays, LEO satellites, permitting, affordability, and why mobile networks may be getting worse

A conversation about how we organize networks—and who they serve

An important conversation around what happened when federal agents came to Minnesota—and how communities responded

A deep dive into one of the most successful municipal fiber networks in the country—and what other communities can learn from it

Blair Levin returns to reflect on the decisions that built today’s Internet—and why we may not be ready for what comes next in an AI-driven world

Unbuffered launches with a powerhouse roundtable on broadband policy, the FCC, and media consolidation. Karl Bode, Gigi Sohn, Doug Dawson, and Sean Gonsalves dig into whether today’s technology ecosystem is helping or hurting the public

Unbuffered is here. In this kickoff episode, Chris Mitchell introduces a new chapter that builds on Community Broadband Bits while expanding the conversation around Internet access, power, and local control. Tune in for what’s next!

Doug Dawson returns to break down the latest shifts in broadband policy and what they mean on the ground. From funding uncertainty to real deployment challenges, this episode cuts through the noise to focus on what communities should actually be paying attention to

As telecom companies and billionaires consolidate control over media outlets and platforms, what does that mean for journalism and democracy? Chris and Karl Bode unpack the long arc of media consolidation, the decline of local news, and why rebuilding informed communities may require both policy reform and stronger local connections

As communities invest in broadband infrastructure, a bigger question looms: who controls the data flowing through those networks? Sascha Meinrath joins us to unpack the growing intersection of connectivity, surveillance, and civil liberties

Jason Mittler returns to share progress on fiber expansion in Fort Pierce, digital equity efforts in Lincoln Park, and how municipal ownership allows the city to lower rates while strengthening its utilities

Chris Mitchell, Doug Dawson, and Sean Gonsalves break down the latest telecom mergers, Starlink’s push to reshape BEAD rules, and new research showing how lack of competition drives higher prices for consumers

Chris Mitchell, Doug Adams, and Karl Bode break down Starlink’s behind-the-scenes push to rewrite BEAD rules, what it means for accountability and public dollars, and why communities could once again be left holding the bag

Brendan Kelly of REVinternet joins Chris Mitchell and Sean Gonsalves to explain why these neighborhoods are stuck with outdated networks—and how a community-centered approach can finally deliver affordable, reliable Internet where big ISPs have failed