Inside the tiny Kansas town battling cable lobbyists over municipal broadband

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When the Kansas state senate proposed legislation barring local governments from providing high-speed Internet to their citizens, one small community, which was effectively exempt from the legislation, spoke out the loudest.

The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 304, prohibited the creation of municipal broadband networks for areas in the state that were deemed “unserved.” This meant that, in the event that an Internet service provider declined to invest in small Kansas communities that were unlikely to provide a return on their investments, the local governments were legally barred from providing broadband to their citizens themselves. Larry Gates, utilities director for the city of Chanute (KS), played a big role in the effort that ultimately persuaded State Sen Julia Lynn (R-KS) to withdraw SB 304 so her committee could “tweak” its language. Chanute launched a webpage on its city website urging Kansans to sign a petition against the bill, issued press releases denouncing the bill and the cable lobbyists who were behind it, and posted YouTube videos detailing what was at stake. Moving ahead, Gates wants to put the vitriol that resulted from the bill aside -- he’s apologized for calling out Senator Lynn and KCTA President and cable industry lobbyist John Federico by name -- and work to find a way to improve services in the state without the legal battles and confrontation.


Inside the tiny Kansas town battling cable lobbyists over municipal broadband