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Telecoms Suing Municipalities That Plan Broadband Access

Law.com has up a review of ongoing and historical cases of telecoms suing municipalities that plan broadband networks. In many cases those same telecoms have spent years ignoring as potential customers the cities and towns now undertaking Net infrastructure projects, only to turn around and sue them. One lawyer who has defended many municipalities in this position says, "This is similar to electrification a century ago when small towns and rural areas were left behind, so they formed their own authorities." Bob Frankston has been writing for years about the financial model of artificial scarcity that underlies the telecoms businss plans. This post gives some of the background to the telecoms' fear of abundance.

3 of 288 comments (clear)

  1. Why do they hate America so? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 4, Funny

    And is there any way we can post the plans for the wiring of their top execs offices and homes online so all the world can assist them in not having broadband?

    After all, it's for the public good - the USA is near the bottom for high speed Net access among first world nations ...

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    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  2. Re:The government? by clang_jangle · · Score: 5, Funny

    Internet access is not "necessary infrastructure"

    Then get the fuck off it and stop clogging our tubes, Ebeneezer!

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    Caveat Utilitor
  3. Re:open access by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was in the trial program for Google TiSP.

    Long story short: the speed was crap.