Nebraskan Group Seeks Vote On Municipal Broadband Rules

NEBRASKAN GROUP SEEKS VOTE ON MUNICIPAL BROADBAND RULES
[SOURCE: Technology Daily 12/6, AUTHOR: Michael Martinez]
A group of Nebraskans is trying to mount resistance to a state law preventing municipalities and utilities from owning and operating their own high-speed Internet networks. A 2005 state law imposed a two-year moratorium against publicly owned telecommunications services. But on Monday, an executive of an Internet firm based in Nebraska filed papers with Secretary of State John Gale to authorize a ballot initiative that would permit communities and power companies to provide telecommunications services, including broadband. Linda Aerni, the president of Community Internet Services, took the first step in pushing for such a ballot initiative. Voters will be able to decide on the issue themselves -- if about 80,000 signatures are collected by next summer for a ballot initiative. Earlier this year, the state commissioned a task force, of which Aerni was a member, to examine the issue. That group last month recommended that lawmakers continue to keep public entities out of the broadband business. Aerni was among the minority that objected to that conclusion.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-TVFR1165583189239.html