Unbuffered

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 . ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support th...

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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

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

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

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 ★ Support this podcast ★

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

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

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. ★ Support this podcast ★

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 ★ Support this podcast ★

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

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

A conversation about digital equity, dark money, and the fight over Internet access ★ Support this podcast ★

 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 s...

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.” ★ Support this podcast ★

BEAD delays, LEO satellites, permitting, affordability, and why mobile networks may be getting worse ★ Support this podcast ★