[Commcomp] FYI - Muni Broadband - courtesy of PLAN . . .

[Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores]

Growing Economy

 


        By Nathan Newman 

 


  Municipal Broadband Attacked in North Carolina

With the US lagging behind most of the developed world with less 
Internet access and slower speed connections, it's somewhat outrageous 
that any state government would block communities from extending 
broadband access to their citizens-- but North Carolina is now debating 
HB 1587 
, 
which is being promoted 
 
by the North Carolina Cable Telecommunications Association to stop local 
communities from owning and subsidizing access to community-run 
telecommunications systems.

Last year, North Carolina passed a "video franchise" bill on the promise 
that this would speed broadband deployment in the state. Instead, local 
governments have seen a 27.8 percent drop in cable TV taxes, with little 
evidence of expanded broadband offerings at the local level. There were 
no requirements in the legislation that cable or telecom companies build 
out broadband access to rural or economically depressed areas-- and so 
the companies haven't. And now those same companies are pushing 
legislation 
that 
would prevent local North Carolina governments from spending their own 
tax money to extend Internet access to their residents.   

Across the country, corporate interests a few years ago began lobbying 
states to shut down municipal Internet programs 
. 
While a number of states passed the corporate bills, most refused. 
However, earlier this year Wyoming passed a law 
 
to restrict public broadband Internet systems and the industry has 
turned its eyes on North Carolina as the next target with HB 1587 
.

North Carolina organizations like NC PIRG 
, 
NC Justice Center 
, AARP 
, and 
NC Counties Association 
 have 
condemned the bill locally and, at the national level, U.S. Rep. Rick 
Boucher, D-Va. has been so appalled at this corporate-backed attempted 
shutdown 
 
of community broadband that he has drafted a federal bill to keep states 
from putting up barriers to public Internet access. "Broadband is every 
bit as essential as electricity was when it was emerging 100 years ago," 
Boucher says.

While the North Carolina bill received some initial committee approval, 
hopefully the rest of the legislature will let the bill die in 
committee-- and thereby let the option of municipal broadband live.  

More Resources 


-- 


Ben Manski

LIBERTY TREE
Foundation for the
Democratic Revolution

http://www.LibertyTreeFDR.org/

"If ye love wealth better than liberty . . . may your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."  ~ Samuel Adams 




       
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