This Week in Comcast: Is municipal broadband the next net neutrality?

Like network neutrality, publicly-owned broadband is a topic that’s often murky, as major players seek to establish their own set of facts and define the issue based on their own priorities. Outside cash, for or against, pours in to fight the issue.  Comcast, for its part, is a known contributor to industry associations that have put up large chunks of change to fight municipal broadband legislation at the grassroots level, such as in Fort Collins (CO) where city officials recently approved building out a municipal network.

There’s nothing to suggest "astroturfing" is happening now with municipal broadband, but it’s worth noting how much the issue is beginning to bubble up, which means even the seemingly insignificant actions of ISPs like Comcast will be increasingly scrutinized by advocates, media outlets and stakeholders, just like they are when net neutrality comes into play.