Public or Private Ownership? Community Broadband Bits Episode 132
b'Ever since the last time I spoke with Blair Levin on Episode 37, I have wanted to have him back for a friendly discussion about public or private ownership of next generation networks. \\n\\nThough Blair and I entirely agree that local governments should be free to decide locally whether a community broadband network investment is a wise choice, he tends to see more promise in partnerships or other private approaches whereas we at ILSR tend to be concerned about the long term implications of private ownership of essential infrastructure.\\n\\nIn what may be the longest interview we have done, Blair and I discuss where we agree and how we differ. We weren\'t looking to prove the other wrong so much as illustrate our different points of view so listeners can evaluate our sides. Ultimately, we both believe in a United States where communities can choose between both models -- and some may even seek solutions that incorporate both.\\n\\nBlair Levin was the FCC Chief of Staff when Reed Hundt was Chair and was instrumental in forming Gig.U. In between, he did a lot of things, including being Executive Director for the FCC\'s National Broadband Plan. He is currently with the Metropolitan Project at Brookings.\\n\\nRead the transcript of our discussion here.\\n\\nWe want your feedback and suggestions for the show - please e-mail us or leave a comment below. \\n\\nThis show is 37 minutes long and can be played below on this page or via iTunes or via the tool of your choice using this feed. \\n\\nListen to previous episodes here. You can can download this Mp3 file directly from here.\\n\\nFind more episodes in our podcast index.\\n\\nThanks to Dickey F for the music, licensed using Creative Commons. The song is "Florida Mama."'