Cities combat state laws in the quest for faster, cheaper Internet

Across the US, cities are deciding to compete with cable and telecom giants and invest in the latest technology for superfast Internet: fiber optics. It’s called gigabit Internet. Almost 90 cities have it — provided through the local electric utility or in partnership with a private company. It’s changing the landscape. Competition is thriving. Incumbent providers are lowering their prices and increasing speeds in cities with the service. But the giants are striking back — through litigation or by working with lawmakers — on the grounds that it is unfair to have to compete with a city-owned business, funded by taxpayer dollars.

There are 19 states that have laws on the books that restrict or prohibit city-led broadband. One of those states with restrictive laws is Tennessee, where utilities that provide high-speed Internet service may not expand past their service areas. This poses a problem for rural areas like Tennessee’s Bradley County, just 30 miles east of Chattanooga. Country roads lead to a picturesque landscape of grazing cattle and cornfields. But its Internet landscape — that’s a different story.