Cities Take Proactive Approaches to Anti-Muni Broadband Legislators

[Commentary] Local elected leaders, administrators, public utility managers and community stakeholders are stepping up their advocacy game in response to recent legislative losses. Whether or not a state has municipal network restrictions, any city that has even small aspirations for building a network should have a 12-month public relations plan. In addition to the threat of prohibitions, many state legislatures are pursuing an array of broadband policies, so cities should get in front of these discussions. PR is broadly defined as actions taken to influence a group of people with whom you do business. State legislatures influence cities’ ability to access money, resources and permissions. Subsequently, design a PR plan with the goal of influencing legislators’ hearts and minds regarding community broadband.

[Settles assists communities with developing their broadband business and marketing plans, and help communities raise money for broadband projects]