As public broadband networks ramp up, so do new attacks

The US has gained an additional 47 municipal broadband networks since January 2021, bringing the total to nearly 450. But as municipal and public networks gain in popularity, efforts to squash them are growing as well. Among the latest moves against public broadband includes proposed legislation circulating in the state of Kentucky that could see one municipality forced to sell its fiber network. The legislation reportedly being proposed by State Senator Gex Williams, a Republican, would require the Frankfort Plant Board (FPB) to sell or transfer its telecommunications business to a private entity. The issue caught the attention of the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB), led by Gigi Sohn, who called the proposed legislation "a solution in search of a problem." AAPB has also been leading the charge against other emerging efforts to challenge municipal projects. In 2023, an organization called the Domestic Policy Caucus (DPC) launched a new campaign against public broadband efforts: NoGovInternet.com, which primarily takes aim at Utah's Utopia Fiber. DPC is also supporting a campaign called Mass Priorities, which is rallying against municipal projects in Massachusetts.