Podcast
Unbuffered
Unbuffered explores Internet access, digital equity, and local technology solutions, but with a broader lens on how tech shapes our lives, our communities, and our sense of agency. We make technology and technology makes us.
- Tech News chart
- #86
- Episodes
- 736
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 49 min
- On air since
- 2012
- Latest episode
- 1 week ago
Episodes
736 episodes, newest first
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48 min
Off the Funding Cliff: Building Sustainable Support for Digital Adoption – Episode 31 of Unbuffered
Episode 31
Show notes
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.
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42 min
Condition 50: The Fine Print Threatening California’s Internet Protections – Episode 30 of Unbuffered
Episode 30
Show notes
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.
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53 min
Why ISPs Fail and the Reality Facing State Broadband Offices - Episode 29 of Unbuffered
Episode 29
Show notes
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.
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49 min
Who Controls the Megaphone? - Episode 28 of Unbuffered
Episode 28
Show notes
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
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48 min
The FCC on Trial: Defense of Free Speech and the Future of Media Regulation - Episode 27 of Unbuffered
Episode 27
Show notes
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.
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43 min
Tree Canopies, Broken Data, and DOGE Math - Episode 26 of Unbuffered
Episode 26
Show notes
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.
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46 min
The FWA Reality Check and the BEAD Final Numbers - Episode 25 of Unbuffered
Episode 25
Show notes
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.
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56 min
Local Tech, Big Surveillance: Rethinking Municipal IT - Episode 24 of Unbuffered
Episode 24
Show notes
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.
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55 min
Flock Off! - Episode 23 of Unbuffered
Episode 23
Show notes
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.
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32 min
Fiber on the Right Track - Episode 22 of Unbuffered
Episode 22
Show notes
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.
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36 min
Built for the Storm - Episode 21 of Unbuffered
Episode 21
Show notes
Lee Brown and John Fredericks join Chris to discuss how Erwin Fiber weathered Hurricane Helene and what the community is building back stronger.
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41 min
Time for a Retrofit! - Episode 20 of Unbuffered
Episode 20
Show notes
From Massachusetts' affordable housing retrofit program to a giant mirror in space, Chris and Sean unpack the latest stories shaping broadband.
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1 hr
Technology Without Guardrails - Episode 19 of Unbuffered
Episode 19
Show notes
What do surveillance, A.I., and broadband policy have in common? Chris and Sascha connect the dots.
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55 min
Dialing Back Protections: The Battle for California's Lifelines - Episode 18 of Unbuffered
Episode 18
Show notes
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.
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33 min
Protecting Tribal Access to Spectrum - Episode 17 of Unbuffered
Episode 17
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49 min
Too Easy to Reach Orbit? - Episode 16 of Unbuffered
Episode 16
Show notes
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
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53 min
The Plot to Hijack America’s Broadband - Episode 15 of Unbuffered
Episode 15
Show notes
From America's 250th anniversary to BEAD and broadband policy, Chris, Sean, and Karl unpack some of the biggest stories shaping the telecommunications landscape
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53 min
Five Years of Tribal Broadband Bootcamps - Episode 14 of Unbuffered
Episode 14
Show notes
The story behind the Tribal Broadband Bootcamps and the growing movement to build tribal networks across Indian Country
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54 min
What the Tech!?! SpaceX IPO Edition - Episode 13 of Unbuffered
Episode 13
Show notes
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.
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39 min
How NextLight Became the #1 Internet Service Provider in the Country - Episode 12 of Unbuffered
Episode 12
Show notes
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
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