Slashdot Mirror
Louisville's Fiber Internet Expansion Opposed By Koch Brothers Group (usatoday.com)
Slashdot reader simkel shared an article from the Courier-Journal:
A group affiliated with the Koch brothers' powerful political network is leading an online campaign against Mayor Greg Fischer's $5.4 million proposal to expand Louisville's ultra-fast internet access... Critics argue that building roughly 96 miles of fiber optic cabling is an unnecessary taxpayer giveaway to internet service providers, such as Google Fiber, which recently announced plans to begin building its high-speed network in the city. "Fundamentally, we don't believe that taxpayers should be funding broadband or internet systems," said David Williams, president of the taxpayers alliance, which is part of industrialists Charles and David Koch's political donor network... The group says $5.4 million is a misuse of taxpayer funds when the city has other needs, such as infrastructure and public safety.
To shore up public support, the mayor has begun arguing that high-speed connectivity would make it cheaper to install crime-monitoring cameras in violent neighborhoods.
To shore up public support, the mayor has begun arguing that high-speed connectivity would make it cheaper to install crime-monitoring cameras in violent neighborhoods.
Kentukywired intends to wire the whole state. The Kochs have strategically chosen to pick this fight in Louisville, a classic (D) run bed of corruption.
Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
"And what was it that happened to the inventor of the guillotine again?" - He survived!
Rather appropriate since according to Wikipedia "Guillotin was opposed to the death penalty and hoped that a more humane and less painful method of execution would be the first step toward a total abolition of the death penalty". However someone else with the same surname was executed by a guillotine.
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
...
Towards the end of the Reign of Terror, a letter from the Comte de Méré to Guillotin fell into the hands of the public prosecutor, Fouquier-Tinville in which the Count, who was to be executed, commended his wife and children to Guillotin's care. The authorities demanded Guillotin inform them of the whereabouts of the Count's wife and children. As Guillotin either would not or could not give the information, he was arrested and imprisoned. He was freed from prison in the general amnesty of 9 Thermidor 1794 after Robespierre fell from power and abandoned his political career to resume the medical profession.
...
The association with the guillotine so embarrassed Dr. Guillotin's family that they petitioned the French government to rename it; when the government refused, they instead changed their own family name. By coincidence, a person named Guillotin was indeed executed by the guillotine – he was J.M.V. Guillotin, a doctor of Lyons. This coincidence may have contributed to erroneous statements that Guillotin was put to death on the machine that bears his name; however, in reality, Guillotin died at home in Paris in 1814 of natural causes, specifically from a carbuncle, and is now buried in the Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
...
Well in New Zealand, Tax payer funded fibre is working out great for us.
Unlimited data, no traffic shaping, net neutrality, access to multiple ISPs , no port blocking.
100/20 comes in around NZ$75-95 a month, but you can pay higher if you want more bandwidth.
Turns out that governments SHOULD be looking after those that pay taxes and get to vote.
Thats one of the advantages of proportional representation, those elected are more likely to get voted out if they screw up, so they do more to keep the voters happy and less to keep big business happy.
They oppose government giveaways to rich corporations that the Koch Brothers don't own or have invested interest in.
Infrastructure spending supports companies and individuals as well. Your highway which Walmart uses to ship their products is the same highway that you use to commute to work. Upgrading to fiber will have a net improvement for the community. The big companies will benefit from it, also the individuals.
Unfortunately there are too many groups who wants the government out of everything, doesn't see the big picture, where infrastructure which is expensive, has a low profit margin to build. Needs government support to keep it running and operational, as it is one of the few things that really will pay for itself over time.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.