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Big Telecoms Strangling Municipal Broadband, FCC Intervention May Provide Relief
MojoKid writes: With limited choice and often dismal upstream speeds, it's no wonder many people are excited to hear that newcomers like Google Fiber are expanding super-fast gigabit internet across the country. But some Americans also have access to other high-speed fiber internet options that compete with the big guys like Comcast and Time Warner Cable: municipal internet. In the case of the small town of Wilson, NC, town officials first approached Time Warner Cable and Embarq, requesting faster Internet access for their residents and businesses. Both companies, likely not seeing a need to "waste" resources on a town of just 47,000 residents, rebuffed their demands. So what did Wilson do? It spent $28 million dollars to build its own high-speed Internet network, Greenlight, for its residents, offering faster speeds and lower prices than what the big guys could offer. And wouldn't you know it; that finally got the big telecoms to respond.
However, the response wasn't to build-out infrastructure in Wilson or compete on price; it was to try and kill municipal broadband efforts altogether in NC, citing unfair competition. NC's governor at the time, Bev Perdue, had the opportunity to veto the House bill that was introduced, but instead allowed it to become law. However, a new report indicates that the FCC is prepared to side with these smaller towns that ran into roadblocks deploying and maintaining their own high-speed Internet networks. The two towns in question include aforementioned Wilson, and Chattanooga, TN. Action by the FCC would effectively strike down the laws — like those that strangle Greenlight in Wilson — which prevent cities from undercutting established players on price. The FCC is also expected to propose regulating internet service as a utility later this week.
However, the response wasn't to build-out infrastructure in Wilson or compete on price; it was to try and kill municipal broadband efforts altogether in NC, citing unfair competition. NC's governor at the time, Bev Perdue, had the opportunity to veto the House bill that was introduced, but instead allowed it to become law. However, a new report indicates that the FCC is prepared to side with these smaller towns that ran into roadblocks deploying and maintaining their own high-speed Internet networks. The two towns in question include aforementioned Wilson, and Chattanooga, TN. Action by the FCC would effectively strike down the laws — like those that strangle Greenlight in Wilson — which prevent cities from undercutting established players on price. The FCC is also expected to propose regulating internet service as a utility later this week.
For somebody making such a claim, you offer surprisingly few citations. Zero to be precise.
I certainly am unhappy with our electricity-provider — our wires hang on the poles, which makes them vulnerable to even light snow and wind. We routinely lose power for a few minutes here, which is just insane — back in USSR (for all its other faults) I don't remember such nonsense like ever. Cables must be buried underground, but, facing no competition the local utility is not in any hurry to do that.
You really want to go into particulars, huh? Ok, first question is, how long after the first mommy makes a complaint, will the municipal network allow access to porno-sites and bomb-making material — and just who will be maintaining the black list of disallowed sites? Second question: how much will the maintenance cost? Third question: will the technical support be any better than those professionals working for Comcasts et al. — what do the good folks in that know, that Comcast does not about troubleshooting Internet connectivity? Fourth question: how will the network deal with hijacked computers connected to it? Should I go on?
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
You aren't active in your local government, are you? Your loss.