municipalbroadband
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Colorado voters really want city-run broadband service
Internet access and quality varies widely depending on where you live in the US. There's a huge rural broadband gap that the FCC, companies like Microsoft and the Trump administration have said they'd like to close in the coming years and as Cleveland's situation shows, service can be drastically different even within the same city. One solution that has been proposed as a fix for spotty or inadequate broadband service is city-run internet, and it's one that Colorado communities are continuing to back.
Virginia bill would effectively ban city-run broadband
Now that the FCC can't prevent states from blocking municipal broadband, telecom-backed politicians are doing their best to shut down these government-run networks. Virginia House Republican Kathy Byron has put forward a bill that would make municipal internet virtually impossible. Towns couldn't offer internet service so long as there's at least one private provider offering 10Mbps downloads and 1Mbps uploads to 90 percent of customers in the area -- and that's pretty easy to find in Virginia. Those towns that do clear this hurdle would have to both conduct a "comprehensive" assessment and give private ISPs 6 months to come up with solutions that are potentially less expensive.
FCC backs down from municipal broadband case
After losing its bid to protect municipal broadband services, the Federal Communications Commission has apparently given up the fight to keep local competition in high-speed internet service. As Ars Technica reports today, the FCC has decided not to pursue another review of the case that could have put the matter in front of the Supreme Court.
FCC loses its bid to protect city-run broadband
If you were hoping that the FCC's efforts to protect municipal broadband would survive telecoms' attempts to destroy it, we have bad news. A federal appeals court has shot down an FCC order that preempted laws banning city-run internet access in North Carolina and Tennessee, prompting both states to file lawsuits. According to the decision, the Commission was overriding state rights without legal authority. While the FCC interpreted a clause in the Telecommunications Act (that it must "encourage" a timely rollout of broadband) as giving it permission to step in, the court sees it as insisting that cities must expand their internet options. There has to be a clearer mandate, the judges say.
22 Massachusetts towns will build their own gigabit internet service
The FCC made it clear that towns should have the freedom to build their own broadband services, and one cooperative group is determined to take advantage of that liberty. WiredWest has gained the support of 22 Massachusetts towns for a municipal broadband effort that will give them all fiber optic service. It won't be the cheapest option, but it'll be much faster than the pokey DSL, fixed wireless and satellite data that residents have had to settle for in the past. It'll start at $49 per month for 25Mbps speeds and no caps, with 100Mbps and a lightning-quick 1Gbps respectively available for $79 and $109 per month.
State laws restricting city-run broadband overruled
Today is one of the more momentous days in the FCC's recent history. Its net neutrality vote will get most of the press attention, but its moves to protect municipal broadband from state legislators are also quite important. The proposal adopted today is narrowly focused, but it could have huge implications. What the regulator has decided to do is preempt state laws that seek to restrict the spread of city-built broadband networks in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Wilson, North Carolina. But the agency also reserved the right to intercede on behalf of municipalities on a case-by-case basis if it thought that local or state governments were getting in the way of improving competition and spreading access to broadband internet.
FCC plans to fight state laws restricting city-run internet access
Frustrated that your state won't let you get city-run broadband, even when it could be faster or cheaper than the privately-run alternatives? The FCC may soon act on its warnings and do something about it. The Washington Post understands that the Commission is exploring a draft proposal that would fight laws curbing municipal internet access in North Carolina and Tennessee. Reportedly, these measures prevent the FCC from using its authority to promote high-speed data deployments in the US -- Tennessee, for example, won't let cities offer broadband beyond specific regions. While the proposal would only target two states, the measure could well represent a launching pad for regulation affecting all 21 states that ban or restrict city-operated services.
