Let’s Keep the Community in Community Broadband

[Commentary] A handful of telco and cable companies and their allies are advancing what some consider the sugarcoated destruction of free-market dynamics and the democratic process by attacking North Carolina’s community broadband networks.

The State Assembly passed a bill (H-129) that severely restricts communities’ ability to choose their own best broadband solutions, even if those solutions include public private partnerships. The battle continues as the State Senate now reviews the bill. Pro-community network forces have stepped up their opposition, driven by new data showing North Carolina is dead last at meeting the FCC’s broadband standard of 4 Mbps. Another survey reveals that seven of the 10 worst cities for low broadband speed relative to price are in North Carolina. A national trend is brewing as similar battles pitting consumers and local businesses against incumbents have started in other states that have poor broadband coverage, threatening the national broadband strategy’s success. The threat is considered so real that FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn took the unusual step of publicly speaking out against H-129 last week.