Big Telecom Convinced Wyoming’s Politicians to Rewrite a Community Broadband Bill

A bill introduced in Wyoming that set aside money to invest in municipal-owned internet was revamped before it passed to favor Big Telecom. The bill originally listed “a city, town or county or joint powers board,” as eligible for state funding to set up a local ISP, but after consulting with industry lobbyists, elected officials changed the bill and it now limits funds to “public private partnerships.” The bill, which has passed both the state house and senate and is expected to be signed by Gov Matt Mead (R-WY), established a $10 million fund for building broadband infrastructure under the state’s ENDOW initiative—Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming. The original text of the bill was fairly flexible, allowing towns or counties to apply for funds to establish municipal networks: publicly-owned and operated ISPs that function kind of like a public utility. But that language was changed in a substitute bill that was introduced in its place, in part due to the demands of telecom lobbyists, according to one state senator.