FCC Outlines Plan To Crush Awful State Protectionist Broadband Laws: from the it’s-about-time dept by Karl Bode, Tech Dirt
While net neutrality rules are designed to protect consumers from a lack of last-mile competition, the agency’s moves on municipal broadband are intended to actually strike at the issue of limited competition at the root. As we’ve noted a few times, ISPs (with ALEC’s help) have passed laws in twenty states preventing those towns and cities from deciding their own infrastructure needs for themselves.
It’s pure, unabashed protectionism: the bills do little more than protect regional duopolies from change while hamstringing local communities desperate for better service. Usually the laws are passed under the auspices of protecting taxpayers from themselves, ignoring that the bills’ sole purpose is to protect duopoly revenues.
TV and Internet Service Providers Deliver the Worst Customer Experience: Fifth Annual Temkin Experience Ratings Evaluates 293 Companies Across 20 Industries
The poster child for poor customer experience in these industries – Comcast – was not only the lowest-scoring TV service and Internet service provider, but it was also one of the lowest-scoring companies in the entire Ratings. It ranked 289th overall out of 293 companies for its Internet service and ranked 291st overall for its TV service.
Of the 17 companies that received “very poor” ratings (below 50%) across the 193 companies, five of them were from these two industries: Comcast for TV (43%), Comcast for Internet (45%), Time Warner Cable for Internet (47%), Charter Communications for TV (48%), and Time Warner Cable for TV (48%).
“Internet and TV service providers are awful to consumers. The lack of competition continues to fuel this bad experience epidemic,” states Bruce Temkin, managing partner of Temkin Group.
California
Broadband coming to Orleans by Jessie Faulkner, Times Standard
The Karuk and Yurok Tribes have been collaborating to bring the speeded-up service to the Klamath River communities of Orleans, Weitchpec, Wautec, Johnsons as well as Orick. A $6.6 million California Public Utilities Commission grant, awarded in October 2013, is financing the project. The tribes provide matching funds.
Colorado
Fort Collins eyes starting broadband Internet service by Nick Coltrain, The Coloradoan
If the city of Fort Collins made a sound while examining the possibility at offering its own Internet service, it’d be the chirps and whirrs of a 56K modem — Almost connected but with no guarantee of success.
Minnesota
Businesses would be able to tie into countywide broadband by John Gessner, Sun This Week
Scott County has a high-speed, fiber optic network available for businesses and Internet service providers to tap into.
Neighboring Dakota County doesn’t. One result? Up to 10 companies that were wooed by Dakota County communities instead chose Scott County for its access to limitless bandwidth, according to Craig Ebeling.
Fiber Optic Project Moves Forward: KDUZ
Ten city councils and a standing room only crowd packed the United Farmers Cooperative Berdan Center on Monday for a public hearing and adoption of a tax abatement resolution to fund a loan to the Renville-Sibley County Fiber Joint Powers Agency for the RS Fiber Cooperative.
Maine
Broadband companies showing interest in Sanford by Ellen W. Todd, Sanford News
The City of Sanford, in collaboration with the SREGC, intends to finance and own a fiber-optic network connecting 80 community institutions and private enterprises — businesses, the hospital, municipal facilities, the mill complex, industrial parks, schools — in Sanford-Springvale.
Last year, the SREGC commissioned a study on the feasibility of bringing broadband (fiber-optic) communications access to the city. The company that did the study — Tilson Technology Management company of Portland — concluded that broadband access has the potential to add “between $47 and $192 million to the Sanford-Springvale region’s economic output over the next ten years.”
Montana
Lawmakers consider issuing bonds for broadband expansion by Alison Noon, The News Tribune
New Hampshire
Editorial: Fast internet could be a boon for Concord
Creating a truly high-speed, affordable municipal internet network could be a pipe dream – or it could be a pipeline to a more vibrant Concord with a booming economy and a growing population of young entrepreneurs and knowledge workers.
New York
County touts pros of Municipal Broadband System WKBW-7
Erie County’s Broadband Committee released a new report Wednesday touting the pros of building a Municipal Broadband System.
Erie County Legislator calls for faster internet by Mark Belcher, News 4 Digital Producer
“A municipal broadband network could be our generation’s great infrastructure project, like the Erie Canal or the Hoover Dam,” Burke said.
Cayuga County’s high-speed Internet needs, state broadband initiatives discussed at Wednesday Morning Roundtable by Robert Harding, Auburn Citizen
According to Batman, what started out as a few towns became a larger collaboration to find a high-speed Internet service provider for the area. He said the group contacted these companies with a few ideas, including a public-private partnership.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of interest in such a venture.
“It simply is not a viable alternative,” Batman said. “It simply is too expensive to serve me and my neighbors without financial incentives and support.”
North Carolina
Community broadband debate centered in a North Carolina town by Renne Schoof, McClatchy Washington Bureau
“You don’t realize how fortunate you are to live in an urban setting in my district until you go into a remote area and have no access to broadband or to cellular telephone,” he said.
Tennessee
Rural Tennessee counties need broadband and internet service too by Dave Shepard, Columbia Daily Herald
The battle is typical of the Big Guys (telecommunications companies) verses the Little Guys (Municipal Electric Providers). My rural district which is comprised of 3 rural counties, Dickson, Hickman, and Maury, need expanded broadband service to make us competitive for industrial and business recruitment. We need expansion of broadband service into unserved areas to help our students do homework assignments and our residents to connect to a high speed internet service for business and pleasure. This service is already available to our state’s residents in densely populated areas all over the state of Tennessee.
My rural counties and constituents need broadband and internet service too, and I plan to vote to help them get it.
BTES adopts resolution to support legislation of municipal broadband by Tammy Childress, Bristol Herald Courier
The Bristol Tennessee Essential Services board adopted a resolution Wednesday to support legislation for municipal broadband.
City County approved a similar resolution earlier this month.