Tennessee Leaders Call on the FCC to Axe State Broadband Restrictions

Without gigabit connectivity, small towns will suffer economic hardships in the coming years, according to elected officials speaking at a rally on high-speed broadband expansion on Nov. 18 in Chattanooga (TN).

State representatives, mayors and private-sector leaders all gathered in “Gig City” to support recent petitions to the Federal Communications Commission that would vacate state restrictions on community broadband operations in Tennessee and North Carolina. The pundits stressed that rural areas with limited or no access to broadband will be unable to develop, attract and retain bright young minds and new businesses unless cities are free to operate publicly owned networks. Tennessee State Sen Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) called the Internet “the essential utility of the 21st century,” adding that Tennessee’s restriction on expanding Chattanooga’s gigabit network needs to be lifted. “What needs to [happen] is removing the restriction of the electronic footprint, so anybody who wants to provide accessible, high-speed broadband will not be encumbered by unnecessary regulations,” State Sen Bowling said.