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Connect This! offers an irreverent and inside look at broadband tech and policy. Each week features people with direct experience building networks or working on policy to improve broadband access. We talk about current events and focus on a big topic for

Institute for Local Self-Reliance


    • May 8, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 14m AVG DURATION
    • 114 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Connect This!

    Charter and Cox Merge, Hotspots Under Threat, and the End of the Digital Equity Act | Episode 114 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 80:10


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Angela Siefer (National Digital Inclusion Alliance) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include: […]

    Project Kuiper, Fixing Urban Mobile, and Kentucky Wired | Episode 113 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 70:33


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Topics include: Join us live on May 2nd at 2pm ET, […]

    The Future of Passive Optical Networks | Episode 112 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 75:06


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Shane Eleniak (Calix) to talk about: Join us live on April 18th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you […]

    The Most Consequential Year in Telecom History Since 1996 | Episode 111 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 78:00


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) with special guest Blair Levin (New Street Research) to talk about states asking the federal government for defaulted RDOF funds back, the Arielle […]

    The Revolving Door, the Limit of Public Dollars, and Whether the Maps Will Matter After BEAD | Episode 110 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025 75:27


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about a grab-bag of topics including: Join us live on March 14th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever you get […]

    BEAD: The Metamorphosis | Episode 109 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 76:05


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about major changes coming to the BEAD program and a grab-bag of other topics, including: Join us live on March 7th […]

    Advancements in Cable Networks – Connect This! Show Episode 108Coming up: Connect This! Show Episode 108

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2025 74:02


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Jason Livingood (Comcast) to talk how cable network operators are innovating to reduce latency, combat buffer bloat, and improve their […]

    advancements cable networks
    Frontiers in Fiber Optic Sensing | Episode 107 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2025 74:17


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) along with special guest Paul Dickinson (Dura-line, Fiber Optic Sensing Association, and Aii) to talk about the future of fiber optic sensing to […]

    What We Expect in 2025 | Episode 105 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2025 75:42


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Communications) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Join us live on January 10th at 2pm ET, or listen afterwards wherever […]

    2024 in Review | Episode 104 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2024 70:45


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Communications) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Jade Piros de Carvalho (Bonfire). Topics include: Join us live on December 19th, at 2pm ET or listen afterwards wherever you get […]

    What Comes Next | Episode 103 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 68:43


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-host Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (TAK Communications) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Heather Mills (Tilson) and Lori Adams (Nokia) to talk about what comes next as we approach a new year. Topics include: Join us live on […]

    Dear Rural America: Starlink and Mobile Wireless Are Not Coming to Save You | Episode 102 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2024 73:39


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print.  Topics include: Join us live on November 22, at 2pm ET or listen […]

    Nice Knowing You, BEAD, and Building Better Middle Mile Networks | Episode 101 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2024 76:04


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Matt Peterson (SFMIX). They talk about some of the sea changes we expect to see with the change in federal […]

    Resilient Networks, BEAD Hypocrisy, and the 2024 Election | Episode 100 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2024 75:22


    Catch the latest episode of the Connect This! Show, with co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Gigi Sohn (American Association for Public Broadband) and Blair Levin (New Street Research) to celebrate 100 episodes of the show. They talk about a new […]

    Cox v. Rhode Island and FWA Advancements | Episode 99.4 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2024 75:37


    Join us Friday, September 27th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guest Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and special guests Matt Larsen (Vistabeam) and Sascha Meinrath (X-Lab) to talk about the Cox v. Rhode Island case […]

    Convergence is Here | Episode 99.3 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2024 75:45


    Join us Thursday, September 12th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about Verizon buying Frontier, AT&T working with Gigapower on open access efforts, […]

    FWA vs. Wired Connections, Spectrum Sharing Rules, and Satellite Service | Episode 99.2 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2024 65:18


    Join us Thursday, August 29 at 4:30pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about the growth of the Fixed Wireless Access service marketplace by the large mobile carriers, […]

    Brownsville is Lit, SpaceX and BEAD, and SiFi and T-Mobile | Episode 99.1 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2024 64:43


    Join us on Thursday, August 15th at 2:30pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guests Alexis Shrubbe (University of Chicago) and Sean Gonsalves (ILSR) to talk about Brownsville, […]

    USF Reform and the Start of the Big Fiber Rollup | Episode 99 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2024 66:48


    Join us Wednesday, July 31st at 3pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) along with special guest Case Lide (Keller and Heckman) to talk about T-Mobile buying Metronet, USF being […]

    Net Neutrality, Chevron Deference, and The Hotspot Problem | Episode 98 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2024 75:51 Transcription Available


    Join us Friday, July 19th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and recurring guest Gigi Sohn (American Association for Public Broadband) to talk about net neutrality, the consequences […]

    Texas Maps and Plans, Starlink and the Ozone, Sony Lawsuit, and Colorado MDU Laws | Episode 97 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 72:27 Transcription Available


    Join us Friday, June 28th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) to talk about library speed test maps in Texas and broadband plans in San Antonio, whether Starlink […]

    State Broadband Offices, BEAD and the Unserved, the Legacy of the ACP | Episode 96 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2024 67:30 Transcription Available


    Join us Friday, June 7th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Robert Boyle (Planet Networks) as well as special guest Blair Levin to talk about how state broadband offices are faring under […]

    Untangling BEAD, Minnesota Repeals Preemption Law, and Open Access is Hard | Episode 95 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2024 75:10 Transcription Available


    Join us Friday, May 24th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) along with special guests Alexis Schrubbe (University of Chicago) and Brian Snider. They'll talk about how the […]

    Net Neutrality Returns, New York’s Affordable Broadband Law Upheld, and the ACP Looks Done | Episode 94 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2024 77:57


    Join us Friday, May 3rd at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter will be joined by regular guests Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) with special guests Sean Stokes (Partner, Keller and Heckman) and Roger Timmerman (UTOPIA Fiber). On the docket: […]

    Middle-Mile Madness | Episode 93 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2024 76:08


    The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program represents a generational investment in new infrastructure, and will no doubt bring new fiber connections to millions of households around the country. Is the current state of middle mile in the United States ready? Join us Friday, April 12th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of […]

    Gaming the Data, a Trojan Horse in New York, and Punishing Bad Actors | Episode 92 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2024 76:34


    Join us Friday, March 29th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and special guest Gigi Sohn (American Association for Public Broadband) to talk about whether […]

    A New Broadband Definition, Rural Tribal Priority Window, and Feasibility Studies | Connect This! Show Episode 91

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 73:22


    Join us Friday, March 15th at 1:30pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and special guests Brian Snider (formerly Lit Communities) and Matthew Rantanen (Waskawiwin) to talk […]

    Recent Broadband News | Connect This! Show Episode 90

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 78:30


    Join us Friday, March 1st at 3pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Email us […]

    Are We Doing Digital Equity Wrong? Lessons from the FCC| Connect This! Show Episode 89

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2024 76:37


    On the most recent episode of the Connect This! Show, co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) were joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) tackle the hard questions in digital equity work now that the ACP is going away. Among the discussion: FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel's […]

    A Surge in Municipal Networks and the Real Margins for ISPs | Episode 88 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2024 75:19


    Join us Friday, February 2nd at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to talk a new report from ILSR on the surge of community owned networks […]

    The 2024 Prediction Show | Episode 87 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2024 73:28


    Join us Tuesday, January 16th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting), Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), and special guest Roger Timmerman (Executive Director UTOPIA Fiber) to prognosticate all of the broadband […]

    Reflecting on 2023, Unused Capacity in Government-Only Fiber Networks, and the Return of Dark Money with Gigi Sohn | Episode 86 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2023 80:25


    Join us Wednesday, December 13th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber). They'll talk about what we saw in 2023, whether there's hope for an ACP […]

    The Future of LTE Networks | Episode 85 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 79:04


    Join us Friday, December 1st at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and special guest Mike Dano (Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading) to tackle the future […]

    Digital Discrimination, Canada Mandates Open Access, and Progress in Washington State | Episode 84 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 75:35


    Join us Wednesday, November 15th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to talk about the FCC's digital discrimination docket, open access fiber in Canada, progress […]

    A Call to Fund ACP, MDU Solutions, and Did NTIA Solve the Letter of Credit Problem? | Episode 83 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 75:12


    Join us Wednesday, November 1st at 3pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to talk about the White House asking for $6 billion to keep the Affordable […]

    Recent Broadband News | Episode 82 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 81:13


    Join us Wednesday, October 11th at 3pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), with special guest Matt Larsen (Vistabeam) to talk about all the recent broadband news […]

    Net Neutrality, Spectrum Sharing, and the Mystery of the Missing Monopolies | Episode 81 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2023 78:44


    Join us Thursday, September 28th at 3pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), with special guest Sean Gonsalves (ILSR) to tackle the promised return of net neutrality […]

    Municipal Partnerships, a (Finally) Complete FCC, and Low-Income Plans for BEAD | Episode 80 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2023 79:00


    On the most recent episode of the Connect This! Show, co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) were joined by regular guest Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and industry veteran and returning guest Heather Gold (HBG Strategies) to talk about why we don't see more cities doing deals with entities like Google Fiber, what […]

    The Only History of LTE You’ll Ever Need | Episode 79 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2023 75:48


    Join us Thursday, September 7th at 2pm ET for a very special episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and special guest Spencer Sevilla (University of Washington, ICDT Lab) to talk about how the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard for wireless networks […]

    The One Where We’re Supposed to Be Nice to the FCC | Episode 77 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2023 74:46


    Join us Tuesday, August 8th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and special guest Robert Wack (Carroll County, Maryland Health Department) to talk about all […]

    Gaming the FCC’s 10-day Rule, Competition on Open Access Networks, and Letters of Credit | Episode 76 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2023 74:36


    Join us Tuesday, July 25th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print.  Email us […]

    Astroturf Campaigns in Utah and Fixed Wireless, Mapping, and Maine – Episode 75 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2023 74:47


    Join us Wednesday, July 12th at 4pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print.  Email us […]

    The Promise of BEAD, FCC Investigates Data Caps, and Capacity | Episode 74 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2023 77:47


    Join us Thursday, June 22nd at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and regular guest Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) will be joined by Drew Clark (Broadband Breakfast) and Angela Bennink (Kitsap PUD) to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Stay tuned for […]

    Recent Broadband News | Episode 71 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2023 65:30


    Join us Friday, May 12, at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guest Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) and special guests from the city of Longmont, Colorado to talk about all the recent broadband news that's fit […]

    Live From the Broadband Communities Summit | Episode 70 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2023 63:46


    Join us Monday, May 1st at 8pm ET for another special live episode of the Connect This! Show, from Broadband Communities Summit in The Woodlands, Texas. Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) will be joined by Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber), Heather Gold (HBG Strategies) and Bob Knight (Harrison Edwards) at the conference's welcome reception. They'll tackle the question […]

    texas woodlands broadband communities summit
    Ookla Speed Test Report and Data Privacy | Episode 69 of the Connect This! Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2023 81:12


    Join us Thursday, April 20th at 2pm ET for the latest episode of the Connect This! Show. Co-hosts Christopher Mitchell (ILSR) and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by regular guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to catch up on all the recent broadband news that's fit to print. Email […]

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