WiFi Planet overviews anti-muni broadband bills. “They’re back, like platform shoes,” says Esme Vos of MuniWireless.com
She’s referring to North Carolina’s House Bill 1587, which harkens back to previous years when telecom companies and existing broadband providers pushed for laws in states like Pennsylvania and Louisiana — even nationally — that would limit competition from municipalities. MuniWireless.com, which just wrapped its 2007 conference near Boston, has been covering the latest bill since its inception.
“The Local Gov’t Fair Competition Act,” would “establish requirements for local governments that provide communications services to the public.” As passed this week by the North Carolina House Public Utilities Committee, the bill doesn’t totally shut down the possibility of muni networks, but the requirements it sets forth come close.
Vos calls HB1587 “bad for the communities of North Carolina and bad for United States as a whole. It is particularly offensive because it is touted as being necessary to achieve a “level playing field” for the incumbent communications providers, yet the incumbents do not, and could not, comply with HB 1587 themselves.” The mayor of Raleigh, Bruce Rose, said much the same to WRAL: “The bill you are considering would be a devastating blow to local governments all across the state.”
The bill now goes to a Finance committee before going to the full House and then state Senate (and maybe back to the House if the Senate modifies anything).
According to the Baller Herbst Law Group, which tracks legislation about community broadband, the only other state with negative-for-municipalities bills possible is Missouri, but neither of its bills are currently on the Missouri House calendar.
Bills which they deemed positive for community broadband are possible in Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
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