Current Events > House Republicans propose federal ban on municipal broadband

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/02/gop-plan-for-broadband-competition-would-ban-city-run-networks-across-us/

House Republicans have unveiled their plan for "boosting" broadband connectivity and competition, and one of the key planks is prohibiting states and cities from building their own networks. The proposal to ban new public networks was included in the "Boosting Broadband Connectivity Agenda" announced Tuesday by Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Bob Latta (R-Ohio), the top Republicans on the House Commerce Committee and Subcommittee for Communications and Technology, respectively.

Republicans call it the CONNECT Act, for "Communities Overregulating Networks Need Economic Competition Today." The bill "would promote competition by limiting government-run broadband networks throughout the country and encouraging private investment," the Commerce Committee Republicans said in their announcement, without explaining how limiting the number of broadband networks would increase competition. Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) is the lead sponsor.

The bill itself says that "a State or political subdivision thereof may not provide or offer for sale to the public, a telecommunications provider, or to a commercial provider of broadband Internet access service, retail or wholesale broadband Internet access service."

The bill has an exception that would allow existing government networks to continue in cities and towns without substantial broadband competition. States or municipalities that already offer Internet service may continue to do so if "there is no more than one other commercial provider of broadband Internet access that provides competition for that service in a particular area."

But existing networks would also be prevented from expanding into other areas. The bill says that states and municipalities already offering service "may not construct or extend facilities used to deliver broadband Internet access service beyond the geographic area in which the State or political subdivision thereof lawfully operates." The Republican bill also makes an exception for the Tennessee Valley Authority, which operates a fiber network but doesn't have carveouts for any other specific entities.

The bill is reminiscent of laws in nearly 20 states that restrict the building of municipal networks. But it has no realistic chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled House.

"I think they know it won't go anywhere and just want to make a statement against municipal networks without really caring how it will work," Christopher Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Networks initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, told Ars. Mitchell's group has done research on how publicly owned networks encourage economic development by attracting businesses and jobs.

PCMag recently named Chattanooga, Tennessee, the best work-from-home city in the nation, citing in part the city's "widely available broadband Internet" provided by the Chattanooga Electric Power Board. Comcast initially tried to block that public network from being built but eventually upgraded its own service to better compete against the public option.

The Republicans' proposed ban on state and municipal networks is one of 28 bills in the Republican agenda. Most of the others remove regulatory requirements or speed up permitting processes for ISPs. Republicans said the 28 bills "aim to turbocharge public and private investment," even though the ban on state or municipal networks would reduce public investment.

Comcast thanks them for their service

---

Nice freedom you got there repubs

---

Why do idiots vote for literal scum?

---

...So the way to stop the problems of America's internet that comes from the internet companies having too much power and monopiles is to.... give them more power?

At least it's keeping with how the right does things.

---

*Comcast agent hands GOP man silver briefcase full of $100 bills*

"Hehe, pleasure doing business with ya. Same time, next month right? :)"

---

No, this is dumb.

Also I suspect this is just political grandstanding, like the constant "repeal Obamacare!" bills that mysteriously ceased as soon as Obama left office.

There is literally no logic to this. It makes no fucking sense and only serves to protect big ISPs

of course republicans will lap it up

---

I wonder which ISP's lobbyists drafted that legislation for them

---

The sad thing is that while anyone with a brain can see through this charade, but the base of the GOP will eat this up and think this is a good thing because Republican leaders say it is
---

sktgamer_13dude posted...

The sad thing is that while anyone with a brain can see through this charade, but the base of the GOP will eat this up and think this is a good thing because Republican leaders say it is

Literal sheep to their shepherd.

Yeah if there is one problem with American Internet, it's that there are too many public options strangling private alternatives.

What the fuck are these fuckers smoking?

---

States rights?

hockeybub89 posted...

Yeah if there is one problem with American Internet, it's that there are too many public options strangling private alternatives.

What the fuck are these fuckers smoking?

Huge wads of cash.

---

sktgamer_13dude posted...

The sad thing is that while anyone with a brain can see through this charade, but the base of the GOP will eat this up and think this is a good thing because Republican leaders say it is

Yeah, and that's the most frustrating thing of it all. The Republicans consistently screw over their base, but said base will still treat them as the next best thing since Jesus.

---

Questionmarktarius posted...

No, this is dumb.

Also I suspect this is just political grandstanding, like the constant "repeal Obamacare!" bills that mysteriously ceased as soon as Obama left office.

49 Senate Republicans voted for their actual attempt to do that, though

---

sktgamer_13dude posted...

The sad thing is that while anyone with a brain can see through this charade, but the base of the GOP will eat this up and think this is a good thing because Republican leaders say it is

I don't think that's it. Your average Republican voter never sees this story; Fox isnt gonna do a segment on it, the Daily Caller isn't gonna write it up. Those outlets constantly bang the culture war drum and what the GOP actually does in office gets ignored.

---

what happened to Republicans favoring the government staying out of private businesses affairs?

what happened to Republicans favoring state level decisions over federal mandates?

oh, right, $$$$ is more important than everything else to these people

---

The government should be investing into more internet infrastructure overall. I'd actually consider it a pretty important issue that deserves more attention. A lot of rural areas have few to no good options for the internet in an age where being online is borderline essential.

I really think that we should be investing in either better options for satellite internet, or stronger overall infrastructure for rural areas on that front.

But yeah, odds are these guys were paid off, so here we are.

---

this legislation sounds dumb

if they want competition they need to address the problem of monopolies and duopolies - almost always by private companies - in areas

---

That sounds rather counter productive. If you want to increase competition youd want government ownership of the infrastructure and have the access to the network be handled by private companies. Local government owns the cables. Bandwidth is sold to companies who then resell it to consumers. Companies compete over price, claimed speeds and actual speeds from their capacity. Rules in place that determine when expansion is to occur based on how much of the total capacity is being used. You cant have multiple companies installing all the infrastructure needed to provide internet access, so no real competition is possible if the laws basically requires that.

---

Anyone who claims both sides are the same is intentionally sticking their fingers in their ears at this point

---

Alpha218 posted...

Anyone who claims both sides are the same is intentionally sticking their fingers in their ears at this point

Left: "we're gonna do the thing, and Jeff Bezos is going to pay for it!"
Right: "no, and we're going to forbid even trying!"

Both are pretty dumb

Fucking old cocksuckers. Keep your fucking hands off my internet.

---

shockthemonkey posted...

we need more competition so lets ban competition is the most Republican logic ever

This. I read that twice thinking I was skipping over words or something. The act did the exact opposite of what the title implies it does.... which is obviously their plan. Republican branding is some of the most dangerous form of disinformation out there.
---

I'm sure TN will be throwing their support behind this. We've already got this in place after several Municipality's set up their own broadband that was much better than what ISP's were offering.

Comcast and AT&T pay big money to keep out elected officials in their pockets.
---

Party of states rights

---

Tyranthraxus posted...

Party of states rights

"States rights!" states have consistently shit all over local minimum wages. This is nothing new.

Guys I'm introducing the FREEE Act for everyone, and it helps promote freedom by enslaving all of you for eternity for the purposes of advertising raid shadow legends on the internet forever. How does this promote freedom? Well, after being enslaved to advertise, you'll all hate it and promote freedom every chance you get.

---