Municipal Broadband

BlueShaun

Senators back municipal broadband
Back in March, West Virginia announced plans to roll out a statewide broadband service that's handled like a public utility. As I reported at the time, this plan enraged companies like Verizon, who want to keep the government out of the broadband business in the name of The Market. But as I also mentioned, we have the government to thank for the US Postal Service, the American railroad system, and the Internet itself. So there is plenty of precedent for government involvement infrastructure projects, especially when private industry is too slow in moving in.

At least some Senators agree that municipal broadband is a good thing, and they've introduced legislation designed to ensure that municipalities have the option of providing community-wide broadband if they feel that their community isn't being served by existing private-sector offerings. McCain (R-AZ) and other senators are seeking to amend the Telecommunications Act of 1996 in order to halt telecomm-backed state and federal legslative iniatives aimed at keeping local governments out of the broadband business. From the Information Week coverage:

Last month, a Republican congressman from Texas, Pete Sessions, introduced legislation seeking to prohibit local governments from providing telecommunications service where private companies already offered competing services. Sessions, a former employee of Southwestern Bell, has received more than $75,000 in political contributions from telecom giant SBC, according to several published reports. Sessions' wife also still works for SBC.

If this bill passes, I look for it to wind up in the courts. SBC and other broadband providers aren't going to sit still while the state provides access to communities that they can't or won't serve.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050624-5038.html

jwt

Yup

Thats what happens when elected officials realise BB is a utility service.


John