AT&T opposes municipal broadband bill

For many rural Tennesseans, the bills that would allow municipal broadband providers to expand services is a step toward faster Internet. For the telecommunications industry, it is unwanted competition. AT&T Tennessee President Joelle Phillips has emailed Tennessee employees, encouraging them to reach out to legislators and oppose two bills filed in the General Assembly, versions of which have been killed in at least three previous legislative sessions. "Government should not compete against the private sector, which has a proven history of funding, building, operating and upgrading broadband networks," she said in the emailed statement. "Rather than delivering more broadband, we believe that this policy will discourage the private sector investment that has delivered the world-class broadband infrastructure American consumers deserve and enjoy today."

Chattanooga, Clarksville, Jackson, Bristol, Morristown, Pulaski, Tullahoma and Columbia are among Tennessee cities that provide broadband access to residents and businesses, but they can connect only those within their electric service limits. The bills, filed by Republican legislators Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) and Rep. Kevin Brooks (R-Cleveland), would allow the government-owned providers to serve homes outside those boundaries. Phillips said AT&T is not opposed to municipal networks, but government-owned providers should be limited to areas where broadband service from the private sector is unavailable or is not likely to be available in "a reasonable time frame." The proposed bill "allows for unfettered deployment of these publicly funded networks," she said.