Muni broadband providers don’t want to face common carrier rules

Many smaller Internet providers do not want heavier Internet regulation. 43 municipal broadband providers asked the Federal Communications Commission to avoid reclassifying them as common carriers, a move that would expose them to network neutrality rules and potentially other requirements under Title II of the Communications Act.

At least a few dozen municipal broadband providers oppose Title II regulation, including Cedar Falls Utilities in Iowa, which recently hosted President Barack Obama when he was arguing against anti-municipal broadband laws. The 43 signers of the letter included Cedar Falls, though it did not include two municipal broadband providers in Chattanooga (TN) and Wilson (NC) that have asked the FCC to preempt state laws. If the FCC does reclassify broadband under Title II, it should exempt small and medium-sized providers "from any new and enhanced transparency obligations; and ensure smaller ISPs that utilize poles that are subject to the cable rate formula are not forced into paying higher fees based on the telecommunications rate," they wrote.