August 3rd, 2007
Bill would forbid laws against muni Wi-Fi
US Representatives Rick Boucher (R-Va.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) this week resurrected the Community Broadband Act of 2007 (PDF). The measure to block state laws from preventing municipal Wi-Fi networks was part of last year’s rewrite of the Telecommunications Act, which died in the Senate.
Ars Technica prognosticates that the bill might find some more support this time around, given that the sorry state of US broadband is “a hot topic of discussion.”
Broadband may well be a hot topic — especially after the FCC handed Verizon its hat over spectrum auction rules — but municipal Wi-Fi is decidedly losing its luster, with EarthLink running screaming away from that business model.
“By partnering with private industry, community broadband networks offer the promise of increased economic development and job creation, nowhere is that more important than in my home state of Michigan,” said Rep. Upton in a statement. “At the end of the day, we will foster even more competition and choices for consumers across the nation.”
While it’s patently clear that the telecoms plain don’t like cities treating broadband as a utility everyone should have access to, the public policy argument has been that cities and regional governments could give themselves preferential treatment. The bill attempts to negate that argument by banning public providers from giving themselves any “regulatory preference.” They also have to gather input from the private sector before deploying. In Ars’ opinion:
The Community Broadband Act is a good bill, as it attempts to eliminate barriers that currently exist to meaningful competition and better service in many parts of the country. Should the bill pass and the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction end in a way that leads to a viable third broadband pipe, there would be reason to think US broadband policy is taking a turn for the better.
