this happened again today just interviewed the COO of a cooperative in North Carolina that is bringing gigabit fiber for $80 a month to long-unserved rural communities thanks to ARPA legislation those communities turned around and voted out the folks that made it happen - ThreadSky

karlbode.com • 114 days ago

this happened again today

just interviewed the COO of a cooperative in North Carolina that is bringing gigabit fiber for $80 a month to long-unserved rural communities thanks to ARPA legislation

those communities turned around and voted out the folks that made it happen

Reposted from Karl Bode

every single week I talk to a different municipality or cooperative that is using American Rescue Plan Act funds to deploy amazing cheap broadband to rural markets that rewarded the people that wrote and passed the legislation by kicking them out of office

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karlbode.com•114 days ago

and they didn't do it because they understand the policy issues and voted in their best self interests

they did it because dem messaging stinks, the press doesn't think infrastructure policy stories get enough ad engagement, and we've replaced journalism with corporatist and right wing propaganda

realitytourist.bsky.social•114 days ago

It's because Republican legislators and governors stood in front of those projects and took credit for them. It sucks that local media doesn't see any reason to correct that notion, and those voters aren't reading or listening to national media, so how is it that Democrats are to blame?

karlbode.com•114 days ago

The messaging has improved here and there but it really isn't fierce, creative, repetitive, or consistent enough to break through

penguin007.bsky.social•114 days ago

The problem with getting them to listen to Dem messaging though is the same problem getting me to listen to Fox or Newsmax.

ducks4real.bsky.social•114 days ago

Beyond frustrating.

kevinrusch.com•114 days ago

So the answer seems to be that we need to combat such toxic propaganda. Which is a tall order, given that the constitution only applies to people trying to be not-evil.

karlbode.com•114 days ago

antitrust reform, FCC policies protecting media ownership diversity, media ownership limits, education reforms with an eye on media literacy, creative new funding models for independent journalism, more ethical and decentralized social media platforms....

kevinrusch.com•114 days ago

Cool. We'll use the Dems' broad power from the elections they just won to implement these things ASAP.

karlbode.com•114 days ago

these are things academics had been advocating for for the last thirty fucking years but the primary dem media policy instead mostly consisted of rubber stamping shitty mergers and paying empty lip service to journalism

kevinrusch.com•114 days ago

Yes, I agree. It's bad and getting worse, and the real thing is that the dishonest players are getting more deeply entrenched, and the people who are trying to fix things are getting further from ever winning again.

timrandosaurus.bsky.social•114 days ago

I think a better answer is to build infrastructure up in blue areas which are just as underserved as rural bits, except maybe those voters will support its sponsors.

spfhockeyfan.bsky.social•114 days ago

It’s white people who don’t get the messaging - I’m starting to think they aren’t open to it to begin with.

chefdejour.bsky.social•114 days ago

It will be privatized for profit while Trump holds a continious yardsale of the whole country.

hoolie97060.bsky.social•114 days ago

It’s all so stupid and backwards

hellomyfriend67.bsky.social•114 days ago

One of the biggest ironies is that thanks to Biden and the Dems, MAGA can consume and amplify their fascist propaganda faster than ever before.

bradlobdell.bsky.social•114 days ago

😂

oldbrownshoe.bsky.social•114 days ago

Voting against their own interests to “own the Libs” is a winning strategy for their Representatives.

gemmadoogs.bsky.social•114 days ago

Unbelievable

davidclinch.bsky.social•114 days ago

Maybe connect access to broadband to default access to authoritative information

as58.bsky.social•114 days ago

Musk wants them to use $tarLink

karlbode.com•114 days ago

Yeah they're going to be redirecting a lot of money for cheap affordable fiber to expensive, congested starlink

freakymf.bsky.social•114 days ago

This is a CLEAR failure of the Biden/Harris admin to communicate what these communities were getting. Dems have always been stunningly bad at messaging.

karlbode.com•114 days ago

the press really really doesn't care about infrastructure improvements or consumer protection stories as well

gwill2k.bsky.social•114 days ago

I hope they don’t use their new found connectivity to sign up for a Twitter Account 🤦‍♂️

snidely1459.bsky.social•114 days ago

Cc: @leopardsatemyface.bsky.social

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