Mother Board - The Federal Communications Commission is going to allow two cities to ignore state laws that ban them from building community-owned broadband networks, according to chairman Tom Wheeler.
It's big news for Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Wilson, North Carolina, and it's a signal to other cities in the 21 states that have laws restricting municipal broadband that they can start considering their own networks without worrying about their state laws.
Some quick background: Many cities that are poorly served by existing cable and internet companies decide to build their own networks. It's a particularly attractive option for cities and towns in rural areas, and President Obama and Chairman Wheeler have been pushing it as something cities should consider if they are unhappy with their current service.
Wheeler decided today that North Carolina's and Tennessee's laws could be preempted. The full commission will vote on his decision later this month.
1 comment:
I would love to see that in my town.
I got tired of paying through the nose for 500 channels that I never watched and being forced to subsidize propaganda organs like Fox News.
I cut the TV cord.
Now I am paying seventy bucks a month for internet only. I am willing to be that a municipal feed could do it for half that price.
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