Municipal Wireless

=see local rural broadband 619eshoo sponsor (mostly has to do wth streamline regs make it easier for pvt contractors?big bill says state can't pass bill, but several already have, retroactive?
2018 version
<a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4814">https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4814</a>2<a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/news/press-release/hearing-subcommtech-review-broadband-infrastructure-bills/" style="box-sizing: border-box;">3 million Americans</a> lack access to broadband internet from existing providers, usually in central areas of cities or distant rural areas. But cities’ ability to fill the gap with government-run internet networks is under attack.A bill in Congress would preserve that option.<h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20.475px; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Context</h4>At least <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/qkvn4x/the-21-laws-states-use-to-crush-broadband-competition" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">21 states prohibit or significantly limit</a> the ability of cities or municipalities to create their own broadband networks for their citizens.Take Congress’s home city of Washington, D.C. A 1999 negotiation between the local government and Comcast saw Comcast threaten to cut off internet access for the entire city. Under pressure, the ultimate agreement the city government signed off on “required that the city not ‘engage in any activities or outcomes that would result in business competition between the District and Comcast or that may result in loss of business opportunity for Comcast,’” Harvard University researcher Susan Crawford <a href="http://scrawford.net/fiber-by-cities-washington-dc-san-francisco-seattle/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">wrote</a>.Under President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/08/in-blow-to-muni-broadband-fcc-loses-bid-to-overturn-state-laws/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">attempted to block such state laws from going into effect</a>, which would have allowed all municipalities free reign to create their own broadband. However, a unanimous three-judge panel decision <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/08/in-blow-to-muni-broadband-fcc-loses-bid-to-overturn-state-laws/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">overturned that ruling</a> six months later, finding that the FCC had no legal power to preempt state laws.Congress, however, does have that power.<h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20.475px; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What the bill does</h4>The Community Broadband Act would prevent states or municipalities from creating laws to prevent their jurisdictions from creating their own broadband internet networks.The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA18) as <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4814" style="box-sizing: border-box;">H.R. 4814</a>, and in the Senate by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) as <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s742" style="box-sizing: border-box;">S. 742</a>.<h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20.475px; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What supporters say</h4>Supporters argue the legislation would allow all Americans to access the most important technology of our era in a less expensive and more competitive manner.“Broadband Internet is the most vital tool of the 21st Century economy,” House lead sponsor Eshoo <a href="https://eshoo.house.gov/issues/telecommunications/eshoo-introduces-legislation-to-increase-broadband-access-in-local-communities/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">said in a press release</a>. “Unfortunately, millions of Americans are still acutely impacted by a complete lack of or an inferior broadband connection. The Community Broadband Act is an important step in bridging the digital divide and will help local governments enable connectivity, increase economic growth and create jobs.”“Internet access is an economic necessity in today’s economy, but too many communities lack reliable access,” Sen. Booker <a href="https://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id%3B=566" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">said in a separate press release</a>. “I saw this problem first-hand as mayor of Newark. In places where reliable, high-speed internet access is lacking, some municipalities have bridged the gap by investing in and offering broadband internet to their residents. But barriers to municipal broadband networks remain. Our bill will help remove these barriers by giving cities the flexibility they need to meet the needs of their residents.”<h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20.475px; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What opponents say</h4>Opponents counter that internet access should be left in the hands of companies which already provide the service to millions, rather than local governments which would be starting from scratch and might be slower to act.“The general rhetoric behind these laws, from the incumbents, is that cities are too incompetent to run their own networks, so it’s a risk to taxpayers,” broadband consultant Craig Settles <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/qkvn4x/the-21-laws-states-use-to-crush-broadband-competition" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">explained to Vice</a>.However, state lawmakers who have introduced legislation preempting would-be local broadband networks <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/pgazv8/tech-giants-finally-abandon-alec-the-group-that-killed-broadband-competition" style="box-sizing: border-box;">have usually been heavily funded</a> by the likes of entrenched interests including AT&T;, Century Link, Comcast, DirecTV, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Time Warner, and Verizon — lending doubt to the politicians’ stated rationales.<h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20.475px; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Odds of passage</h4>Versions were introduced in the previous Congress, attracting <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr6013" style="box-sizing: border-box;">two Democratic cosponsors in the House</a> and <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s240/details" style="box-sizing: border-box;">five Democratic or Democratic-affiliated cosponsors in the Senate</a>, but never received a vote in committee.This new House and Senate version have attracted <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr4814/details" style="box-sizing: border-box;">six Democratic cosponsors</a> and <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s742/details" style="box-sizing: border-box;">five Democratic or Democratic-affiliate cosponsors</a>, respectively.The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is holding a hearing on this and several other broadband-related bills today, January 30 (<a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/hearings/closing-digital-divide-broadband-infrastructure-solutions/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">you can watch live here</a>). <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/news/press-release/hearing-subcommtech-review-broadband-infrastructure-bills/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">Only five of the 20 bills were introduced by Democrats</a>, indicating that this one could potentially get some bipartisan traction on the Republican-controlled committee.---ref9/14<div data-type="body-text" class="articlebody dsp-block-xs bod-m" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.6; position: relative;">What do <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/en_ca/read/google-cuts-ties-with-alec-over-groups-climate-change-lying" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Google</a>, <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/09/24/3571456/facebook-drops-alec/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-aims-to-be-greener-and-drops-alec-membership/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/24/yahoo-alec_n_5879390.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Yahoo</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-24/yelp-joins-the-tech-exodus-from-alec-like-google-and-facebook" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Yelp</a> all have in common? They're pulling out of the American Legislative Exchange Council, left and right. And thank goodness: ALEC, the nonprofit, "charity" group, is the one that has ushered in an environment where there is essentially no broadband competition.Ostensibly, <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/google-cuts-ties-with-alec-over-groups-climate-change-lying" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Google pulled out of the Koch-backed, right-leaning "model legislative group</a>" because it was "literally lying" about climate change, Microsoft didn't like ALEC's stance on renewable energy, and Facebook has yet to give a reason. <div class="ad-unitcontainercontainer" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; max-width: inherit;"><div class="article-iacwrapper" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">But really, the reason doesn't matter. ALEC's conservative policies are quite terrible for tech companies. Historically, it has existed specifically to let big business effect local changes that are good for big business. And that quite specifically includes <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-path-to-community-broadband-runs-through-an-army-of-telecom-lawyers" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">fostering an environment in which creating competitive alternative internet service providers is nearly impossible</a>, even illegal.Special interests effectively turn ALEC's lawmaker members into stealth lobbyistsFor the uninitiated, model legislative groups write bills that can be reused in many different states. Basically, ALEC lawyers will draw up legislation—to choose not-so-randomly, say, <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/two-cities-asked-the-fcc-to-bypass-state-laws-banning-municipal-fiber-internet" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">a bill that makes it illegal for local governments to start their own municipal broadband networks</a>—and then shop it around to state legislators across the country. Once it has a lawmaker willing to introduce its bill (and it's easy to get a champion, because 2,000 state legislators are members of ALEC), it (and its several-hundred corporate members) can go about lobbying to get the bill passed. In essence, it's national legislation being force-fed to people on a local and state level, the idea being that if something can't be passed in Washington, well, why not try to get it passed in as many states as possible.That's <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/six-ways-big-telecom-tries-to-kill-community-broadband" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">why we have 20 states where where it's illegal</a> (or very difficult, legally speaking) for local governments to start their own broadband networks—and, well, most of those states have similarly worded legislation, because a lot of it came from the came place. In a not-so-shocking coincidence, AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Century Link, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Time Warner, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, and DirecTV are all members of ALEC.<div class="ad-unitcontainercontainer" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; max-width: inherit;"><div class="article-iacwrapper" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">Is it any surprise, then, that ALEC has championed a piece of legislation, the "<a href="http://www.alec.org/model-legislation/municipal-telecommunications-private-industry-safeguards-act/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Municipal Telecommunications Private Industry Safeguards Act</a>", that "limits the authority of municipalities to own and operate telecommunications and advanced service and cable television facilities and to provide public and advanced telecommunication and cable television services to a municipality's inhabitants"?ALEC has very publicly opposed the idea that the Federal Communications Commission could try to preempt the laws the group helped pass to allow states to create their own broadband networks. <a href="http://www.americanlegislator.org/alec-urges-fcc-to-respect-federalism/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">From an ALEC letter written earlier this month</a>: Local government entry into the provision of wholesale or retail Internet or broadband services in an attempt to create competition should be permissible only in unserved areas and only where no business case for private service exists, upon a vote by local citizens, and subject to protections against cross-subsidies through taxes or other local government service revenues.Is it any surprise, as well, that "<a href="http://www.alec.org/model-legislation/a-resolution-regarding-the-regulation-of-broadband-information-services-in-innovative-and-expanding-competitive-markets/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">ALEC voices its support of lawmakers and regulators</a> avoiding the unnecessary, burdensome and economically harmful regulation of broadband Internet service companies, including the providers of the infrastructure that supports and enables Internet services"?Of course, those lawmakers that ALEC "voices its support of" are quickly turned into big business shills. An <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/us/alec-a-tax-exempt-group-mixes-legislators-and-lobbyists.html?pagewanted=all&r=0" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">investigative New York Times report from 2012</a>, in which hundreds of pages of ALEC correspondence were reviewed by its reporters, found that "special interests effectively turn ALEC's lawmaker members into stealth lobbyists, providing them with talking points, signaling how they should vote and collaborating on bills affecting hundreds of issues like school vouchers and tobacco taxes."<div class="ad-unitcontainercontainer" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; max-width: inherit;"><div class="article-iacwrapper" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">Each year, ALEC-supporting lawmakers, the overwhelming majority of which are Republican, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/us/alec-a-tax-exempt-group-mixes-legislators-and-lobbyists.html?pagewanted=all&r=0" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;">introduce more than 1,000 laws</a>. Roughly 200 of those proposed laws are passed. You can thank ALEC lawmakers for Stand Your Ground laws, new voter identification laws, ag-gag laws that classify whistleblowers as criminals, a series of laws that classify animal and environmental rights activists as terrorists, "three strikes" laws, many energy deregulation and anti-environment bills, school voucher program laws, and anti-Obamacare laws. There's even whispers that the organization has begun quietly opposing overseas laws requiring plain packaging for cigarettes.So, Google is out, Facebook is out, Microsoft is out, Yelp is out, Yahoo is out. Good on them. Your move, eBay and AOL. </div><div class="site-signature-icon m-b-5-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 30px;"><picture style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><source srcset="https://vice-web-statics-cdn.vice.com/logos/vice-tombstone.svg" media="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><img class=" " priority="5" src="https://vice-web-statics-cdn.vice.com/logos/vice-tombstone.svg" style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: 20px;" /></source></picture></div><ul class="topics topic-list m-b-5-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside;"><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;">TAGGED:</li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/tech" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">TECH</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/motherboard" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">MOTHERBOARD</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/google" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">GOOGLE</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/silicon-valley" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">SILICON VALLEY</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/yahoo" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">YAHOO!</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/congress" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">CONGRESS</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/power" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">POWER</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/microsoft" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">MICROSOFT</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/alec" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">ALEC</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/motherboard-show" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">MOTHERBOARD SHOW</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topiclink" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/municipal-broadband" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">MUNICIPAL BROADBAND</a></li><li class="topic hed-xs dsp-inline-block-xs m-b-0-xs" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.2; display: inline-block; text-transform: uppercase;"><a class="topic__link" href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/topic/broadband-competition" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">BROADBAND COMPETITION</a></li></ul><a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pgazv8/tech-giants-finally-abandon-alec-the-group-that-killed-broadband-competition">https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pgazv8/tech-giants-finally-abandon-alec-the-group-that-killed-broadband-competition</a>--ref alec boilerplate<a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/municipal-telecommunications-private-industry-safeguards-act/">https://www.alec.org/model-policy/municipal-telecommunications-private-industry-safeguards-act/</a>==<ol class="basic-search-results-lists expanded-view" start="1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding-left: 0px; list-style: none;"><li class="expanded" style="margin-bottom: 1.25rem; display: block;"><div>BILL</div>2. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2785?s=3&r=2" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">H.R.2785</a> — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Community Broadband Act of 2019Sponsor: <a target="blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/member/anna-eshoo/E000215" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">Rep. Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-18]</a> (Introduced 05/16/2019) Cosponsors: (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2785/cosponsors?s=3&r=2&overview=closed#tabs" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">4</a>)Committees: House - Energy and CommerceLatest Action: House - 05/16/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2785/all-actions?s=3&r=2&overview=closed#tabs" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">All Actions</a>)Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:<ol class="stat_leg" style="margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style: none; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top;"><li class="first selected" img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" border-left="border-left" px="px" solid="solid" rgb="rgb" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 8px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Introduced</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Passed House</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Passed Senate</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">To President</li><li class="last" img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" border-right="border-right" solid="solid" rgb="rgb" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 8px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Became Law</li></ol></li><li class="expanded" style="margin-bottom: 1.25rem; display: block;"><div>BILL</div>3. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2784?s=3&r=3" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">H.R.2784</a> — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Clearing Local Impediments Makes Broadband Open to New Competition and EnhancementsSponsor: <a target="blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/member/anna-eshoo/E000215" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">Rep. Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-18]</a> (Introduced 05/16/2019) Cosponsors: (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2784/cosponsors?s=3&r=3&overview=closed#tabs" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">0</a>)Committees: House - Energy and CommerceLatest Action: House - 05/16/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2784/all-actions?s=3&r=3&overview=closed#tabs" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">All Actions</a>)Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:<ol class="stat_leg" style="margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style: none; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top;"><li class="first selected" img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" border-left="border-left" px="px" solid="solid" rgb="rgb" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 8px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Introduced</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Passed House</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Passed Senate</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">To President</li><li class="last" img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" border-right="border-right" solid="solid" rgb="rgb" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 8px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Became Law</li></ol></li><li class="expanded" style="margin-bottom: 1.25rem; display: block;">5. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2692?s=3&r=5" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">H.R.2692</a> — 116th Congress (2019-2020)Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2019Sponsor: <a target="blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/member/anna-eshoo/E000215" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">Rep. Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-18]</a> (Introduced 05/14/2019) Cosponsors: (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2692/cosponsors?s=3&r=5&overview=closed#tabs" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">18</a>)Committees: House - Transportation and InfrastructureLatest Action: House - 05/15/2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2692/all-actions?s=3&r=5&overview=closed#tabs" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: transparent;">All Actions</a>)Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:<ol class="stat_leg" style="margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style: none; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top;"><li class="first selected" img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" border-left="border-left" px="px" solid="solid" rgb="rgb" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 8px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Introduced</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Passed House</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Passed Senate</li><li img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 10px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">To President</li><li class="last" img="img" bg_stat.png="bg_stat.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" border-right="border-right" solid="solid" rgb="rgb" style="display: inline-block; padding: 3px 8px 0px 5px; height: 17px; background-image: url(">Became Law</li></ol></li></ol>

=senate community 2017<div helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" margin-top="margin-top" em="em" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(20, 23, 18);"><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/richard_blumenthal/412490" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(157, 33, 70); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]</a> (joined Mar 28, 2017)</div><div helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" margin-top="margin-top" em="em" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(20, 23, 18);"><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/angus_king/412545" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(157, 33, 70); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">King, Angus [I-ME]</a> (joined Mar 28, 2017)</div><div helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" margin-top="margin-top" em="em" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(20, 23, 18);"><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/edward_markey/400253" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(157, 33, 70); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">Markey, Edward “Ed” [D-MA]</a> (joined Mar 28, 2017)</div><div helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" margin-top="margin-top" em="em" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(20, 23, 18);"><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/claire_mccaskill/412243" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(157, 33, 70); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">McCaskill, Claire [D-MO]</a> (joined Mar 28, 2017)</div><div helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" margin-top="margin-top" em="em" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(20, 23, 18);"><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/ron_wyden/300100" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(157, 33, 70); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;">Wyden, Ron [D-OR]</a> (joined Mar 28, 2017)</div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large; box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/local-peace-economy/how-cities-are-guaranteeing-net-neutrality-creating-their-own-broadband-systems">https://www.alternet.org/local-peace-economy/how-cities-are-guaranteeing-net-neutrality-creating-their-own-broadband-systems</a></div><div>
</div><div>Fort Collins, Colorado is planning to build its own internet service utility, trumping the Federal Communications Commission’s move last month to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/technology/net-neutrality-repeal-vote.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">extinguish net neutrality</a>.</div>Fort Collins joins a growing list of cities opting in to their own internet, and opting out of big telecom, much to the disdain of giants like Comcast. All told, big telecom and anti-net neutrality agencies spent <a href="https://ilsr.org/totals-are-in-comcast-spends-900k-in-fort-collins-election/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">nearly a million dollars</a> trying to defeat the Fort Collins move.In contrast, according to Christopher Mitchell, director of Community Broadband Networks at the <a href="https://muninetworks.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Institute for Local Self-Reliance</a>, concerned citizens of Fort Collins organized on social media and coordinated “broadband and brews” events at local beer hot spots, spending a total of about $15,000.Telecom spent an “unprecedented amount of money,” Mitchell says, “but the voters were not scared by the cable and telephone companies. The reason that’s important for the rest of the country is that local government needs to be more aggressive in creating local internet choice.”<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/04/575688912/fort-collins-colo-will-create-broadband-utility-committed-to-net-neutrality?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Early this year, the Fort Collins City Council voted 7-0</a> to move forward with a broadband plan, in light of a strong message voters sent when they approved ballot measure 2B in support of a municipal <a href="https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2017/11/07/fort-collins-broadband-election-passes-results/840551001/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">internet utility</a> by nearly 60%. Citizens had previously opted the town out of a 2005 law (promoted by telecom companies), prohibiting municipalities from building their own broadband networks. However, the law gives citizens the right to opt out, and that’s exactly what Fort Collins and <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2017/11/08/19-more-colorado-municipalities-vote-for-city-owned-internet-fort-collins-approves-150-million/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">nearly 100 other municipalities</a> in Colorado have done.  In rural communities nationwide, where there are smaller towns and greater distance between towns, cooperatives are installing high-speed broadband, often through local co-op electric companies, says Mitchell. For example, most of North Dakota has fiber in the home. Mitchell says people in western North Dakota have faster internet than most of the people in San Francisco, where big telecom rules.“When people tell you you can’t have fiber in rural areas, it’s because they have no idea what they are talking about,” Mitchell adds, pointing out nearly half of the U.S.—geographically—gets electricity from co-ops. However, that’s only about 2% of the U.S. population.“What that means is rural America has a better hope for broadband than urban America, because co-ops are building it,” he says.Fort Collins’s $150 million plan should see broadband citywide completed within three to four years.Nationwide, there are 95 municipal broadband networks similar to the Fort Collins plan that might encompass surrounding areas, such as in <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/ezpk77/chattanooga-gigabit-fiber-network" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Chattanooga, Tennessee</a>.“The thing about Fort Collins that is exciting is the organizing,” Mitchell says, stressing they only raised “about $15,000 and took down professional PR people to build a municipal network. To me that suggests there is hope anywhere—where people want to organize around this issue, they have a good chance of success.”According to the city’s <a href="https://www.fcgov.com/broadband/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">official website</a>, “Fort Collins is committed to the principles of Net Neutrality….The City Broadband Plan does not call for any restrictions on access including uploads, downloads, delivery methods or providers (email, Skype, Netflix, etc.) … Net Neutrality, or Open Internet, means there are no restrictions of any kind on access to content on the Web, no limit on downloads and uploads, or no restrictions on delivery methods or providers. The key principle is access to the internet is not blocked, slowed down, or sped up depending on who or where that access occurs. In essence, Net Neutrality means the internet is open to everyone.”As Fort Collins implements a plan to ensure that to its citizens, other cities <a href="https://muninetworks.org/communitymap" style="text-decoration-line: none;">nationwide</a> are implementing and exploring their own options, too.<div></div>===

FCC hangs tough tho head is fmr lobbyist

telecom exec in public says reg harms investment, in pvt says opposite (verizon?)

BO pushes back on ban on munic wireless 2/15

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<div class="yiv6545328043item-hed" style="margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px; line-height: 22px; outline: none; zoom: 1; font-weight: bold;"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://click.lists.propublica.net/?qs=781dec5137a216971a5fbaa811035bdd72a1f022c5ec68ba8b83c7c8068dd4e4" style="text-decoration: none; line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;">Obama Wants You to Have Cheap, Fast Internet, But Many Cities Aren't Allowed to Provide It</a></div>

<div class="yiv6545328043byline" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.1; outline: none; zoom: 1;">by Leticia Miranda | <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://click.lists.propublica.net/?qs=781dec5137a21697006e7dfd73bb3010290bd8740dff3ccf035af539abb402e2" style="text-decoration: none; line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;">@letidmiranda</a></div>

Obama hailed the benefits of an open Internet in his State of the Union address. Here's what it is and how he's trying to make it happen.

<h2 style="margin: 25px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why have some states put these restrictions on municipal broadband networks?</h2>

<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1.4; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The cable lobby and some conservatives believe that the business of Internet service should stay in the private sector. Last week, Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer <a href="http://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ID=bff6080f-8eef-486a-abb1-9cde50526e90" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">called</a> Obama's plan "a new federal takeover of state laws governing broadband and the Internet." Telecom industry groups such as the National Cable & Telecommunications Association have <a href="https://www.ncta.com/news-and-events/media-room/content/statement-ncta-president-ceo-michael-powell-regarding-president%E2%80%99s-speech-broadband" style="background: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">argued</a> that these networks are risky investments that could drive cities into debt. Telecom companies have <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?Ind=B" style="background: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">donated</a> millions of dollars to state and federal politicians on both sides of the aisle. Besides contributions, the cable lobby has directly submitted legislation to restrict municipal broadband networks and taken fledgling networks to court. Last year, <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/01/cable-lobby-will-tweak-bill-banning-municipal-broadband-in-kansas/" style="background: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">according</a> to a report by Ars Technica, the Kansas Legislature squashed a bill to limit municipal broadband networks that was drafted and submitted by the Kansas Cable Telecommunications Association. When Lafayette Utilities System in Louisiana announced its intention to build a municipal broadband network, they faced three years of court battles with two incumbent Internet providers, costing them $4 million, <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/08/28/15404/how-big-telecom-smothers-city-run-broadband" style="background: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">according</a> to a report from the Center for Public Integrity.

<h2 style="margin: 25px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">How is Obama going to get around these restrictions to expand municipal broadband?</h2>

<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1.4; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The Obama administration is <a href="http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=60001013458" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none; background: transparent;">urging</a> the FCC "to ensure that communities have the tools necessary to satisfy their citizens' demand for broadband." Section 706 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act <a href="http://transition.fcc.gov/Reports/tcom1996.pdf" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">charges</a> the commission with encouraging "the deployment on a reasonable and timely basis of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans." In its <a href="http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=60001013458" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">letter</a> to the FCC, the administration argues that "where private investment has not resulted in adequate broadband infrastructure, communities can and should play a leading role in expanding broadband access." In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/13/fact-sheet-broadband-works-promoting-competition-local-choice-next-gener" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">revamp</a> its broadband loan program to offer financing to eligible high-speed broadband carriers in unserved and underserved rural areas. The Department of Commerce will <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/13/fact-sheet-broadband-works-promoting-competition-local-choice-next-gener" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;">launch</a> a new initiative to provide online and in-person technical assistance to communities that will help them address challenges in planning and implementing broadband networks....

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<div class="byline story"><a href="http://alternet.org/" style="">AlterNet</a> [1] / By <a href="http://www.alternet.org/authors/david-sirota-2" style="">David Sirota</a> [2]</div>

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<h1 property="dc:title" datatype="" class="node-title">Comcast’s Worst Nightmare: How Tennessee Could Save America’s Internet</h1>

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The business lobby often demands that government get out of the way of private corporations, so that competition can flourish and high-quality services can be efficiently delivered to as many consumers as possible. Yet, in an epic fight over telecommunications policy, the paradigm is now being flipped on its head, with corporate forces demanding the government squelch competition and halt the expansion of those high-quality services. Whether and how federal officials act may ultimately shape the future of America's information economy.

The front line in this fight is Chattanooga, Tennessee, where officials at the city's public electric utility, EPB, realized that smart-grid energy infrastructure could also provide consumers super-fast Internet speeds at competitive prices. A few years ago, those officials decided to act on that revelation. Like a publicly traded corporation, the utility issued bonds to raise resources to invest in the new broadband project. Similarly, just as many private corporations ended up receiving federal stimulus dollars, so did EPB, which put those monies into its new network.

The result is a system that now provides the nation's fastest broadband speeds at prices often cheaper than the private competition. As the Chattanooga Times Free Press noted a few years back, "EPB offers faster Internet speeds for the money, and shows equal pep in both uploading and downloading content, with Comcast and AT&T trailing on quickness." Meanwhile, EPB officials tell the Washington Post that the utility's telecom services have become "a great profit center" -- an assertion confirmed by a Standard & Poor credit upgrade notice pointing out that the utility "is now covering all costs from telephone, video and Internet revenue, as well as providing significant financial benefit to the electric system."

This is great news for local businesses and taxpayers -- but it is terrible news for private telecom companies, who not only fear being outcompeted and outperformed in Chattanooga, but also fear the Chattanooga model being promoted in other cities. In response, those telecom firms have been abandoning the standard argument about the private sector. Indeed, as the Times Free Press reported last week, rather than insisting the private sector has inherent advantages over the public sector, the firms have gone to court insisting "that EPB, as a public entity, would have an edge when competing against private companies, which would be at a disadvantage when facing an entity owned by taxpayers."

To date, those court cases have been thwarted by EPB. However, it is a different story in state legislatures. Once again abandoning the business lobby's typical call for less government intervention, telecom firms have successfully pushed 20 states to pass laws limiting the reach of community-owned utilities like EPB.

That's where Washington comes in. With Census figures showing more than 1 in 5 Tennessee residents having no Internet connection, EPB is now proposing to offer its ultra-fast services to new communities. But it needs the Federal Communications Commission to preempt the Tennessee statute prohibiting the utility from competing with private telecom companies outside its current market.

For EPB, the good news is that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has repeatedly pledged that in the name of competition and broadband access, he will support preempting state laws like Tennessee's. However, in a capital run by money, EPB may still be politically overpowered. After all, as a community-owned utility in a midsized city, EPB does not have the lobbyists and campaign cash to match those of behemoths like Comcast and AT&T. What the utility does have is a solid track record and a pro-consumer, pro-competition argument.

The question is: Will that be enough to prevent Wheeler from backing down or being blocked by Congress? The future of the Internet may be at stake in the answer.</div>

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<div class="tags">See more stories tagged with:

<div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.alternet.org/tags/telecommunications" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" style="">telecommunications</a> [4],</div>

<div class="field-item odd"><a href="http://www.alternet.org/tags/competition-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" style="">competition</a> [5],</div>

<div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.alternet.org/tags/corporations" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" style="">corporations</a> [6],</div>

<div class="field-item odd"><a href="http://www.alternet.org/tags/tennessee" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" style="">tennessee</a> [7]</div>

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<div class="print-source_url" style="text-align: left;">Source URL: <a href="http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/comcasts-worst-nightmare-how-tennessee-could-save-americas" style="">http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/comcasts-worst-nightmare-how-tennessee-could-save-americas</a></div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">Links:</div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">[1] http://alternet.org</div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">[2] http://www.alternet.org/authors/david-sirota-2</div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">[3] mailto:corrections@alternet.org?Subject=Typo on Comcast’s Worst Nightmare: How Tennessee Could Save America’s Internet</div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">[4] http://www.alternet.org/tags/telecommunications</div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">[5] http://www.alternet.org/tags/competition-0</div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">[6] http://www.alternet.org/tags/corporations</div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">[7] http://www.alternet.org/tags/tennessee</div>

<div style=" text-align: left;">[8] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B</div>

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alternet: ...About 20 years ago, exasperated by high prices, poor service and a callous disregard of cable and phone companies for the future communications needs of their host communities, American cities began building their own networks. Initially these were based on cable and later on fiber. Today, almost 90 communities have citywide fiber networks. Another 74 have citywide cable networks. Scores more have partial fiber networks that serve public institutions — local government, libraries, schools, networks — and could easily be extended. (See the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/" style="line-height: 25px; text-decoration: none;">comprehensive map of muni networks</a> in the United States.)

More than 3 million people currently live in communities with a publicly owned communications network. Unlike the FCC, cities that own their telecommunications networks can, and undoubtedly will respond to the will of their citizens by embracing the principle of net neutrality.

Many of today’s muni networks are in cities that a century ago built their own electricity networks after private companies proved unwilling to provide universal, affordable, reliable power. Today over 2,000 cities still own the electric means of distribution. Their price and reliability is comparable or better than those of investor-owned utilities and they are, unsurprisingly, far superior in responding to the needs of their communities.

Publicly owned telecommunications networks offer lower prices and higher speeds than Comcast and AT&T and Time Warner. It is instructive that the first gigabit network was built not by a private company but by Chattanooga, a muni network. Today 40 cities in 13 states have locally owned gigabit networks.

Cities that have built their own networks have found them a singularly successful economic development investment, especially for retaining and attracting the growing numbers of businesses that require high-speed, high-capacity networks.....

Sometimes incumbents have reacted to the prospect of a new competitor by upgrading their networks or lowering their prices. More often they aggressively lobby legislatures to pass laws prohibiting such competition. To date 19 states impose significant obstacles to communities owning their broadband networks. Nebraska, Nevada, Texas, Missouri have enacted outright bans. Virginia prohibits a city from offering TV unless it can cash-flow the first year. Utah prohibits public broadband networks from selling any retail services.

To persuade legislators to inhibit or prohibit muni networks, telecom lobbyists offer two arguments. First they contend that government cannot effectively run a telecom network. When it becomes impossible to ignore the growing empirical evidence to the contrary, they shift gears and pitch without shame an entirely contradictory argument: Cities have an unfair advantage.

That was the argument Time Warner used in North Carolina after the cities of Wilson and Salisbury successfully demonstrated their telecom competences. It was a bizarre thesis. Time Warner had 15 million subscribers and revenues of $18 billion at the time. Salisbury had 1,000 subscribers and a total municipal budget of $34 million. Nevertheless, North Carolina legislators dutifully voted to effectively prohibit other cities from replicating Salisbury and Wilson’s successful ventures.

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/save-internet-we-need-own-means-distribution

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<h2 style="padding: 15px 0px 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; border: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Can Ruckus, San Jose Revive Municipal Wi-Fi?</h2>

<h4 class="byline" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Posted by <a href="http://www.networkcomputing.com/blogs/author/Lee-Badman-2" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Lee H. Badman</a>

March 19, 2013</h4>

In March 2012, Ruckus announced it would bring <a href="http://www.networkcomputing.com/wireless/ruckus-seeks-to-re-invent-muni-wireless/232602789" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">free wireless networking</a> to downtown San Jose. Just last week, Ruckus and San Jose's city leaders <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?id=9027864" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">publicly christened</a> the new WLAN by cutting a ceremonial Ethernet cable.

Declaring that "wickedly fast" wireless had arrived in San Jose, Ruckus' 802.11n rollout is trying to reinvigorate the municipal Wi-Fi paradigm. But if history is any guide, the odds aren't good.

On paper, municipal Wi-Fi sounds great. Residents, businesses and visitors can get fast Internet access, and the city gets to look progressive and high-tech. But governments often blunder into areas in which they have no expertise; without good (or honest) technology partners, local governments can find themselves holding an expensive bag.

Wireless networks are not cheap, and they don't just get turned on and left unattended. They require monitoring and service. And when potential users have other broadband technologies available, including carrier data plans for mobile devices, a taxpayer-funded wireless service can be hard to justify. Finally, support for municipal Wi-Fi can vanish when administrations change.

Municipal Wi-Fi projects also have a spotty record. Two high-profile failures include Seattle's community wireless service, which <a href="http://www.govtech.com/wireless/Free-Community-Wi-Fi-Coming-End-Seattle.html" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">shut down last year</a>. Philadelphia's attempt to bring low-cost wireless access to city residents was scrapped in 2008.

Municipal projects can also run afoul of service-provider-sponsored legislation. For instance, in 2004, local ISPs, citing competition from Philly's proposed network, were able to get a <a href="http://www.etopiamedia.net/emtnn/pdfs/rendell1.pdf" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">law on the books</a> in Pennsylvania (HB 30) that required municipalities to offer the local incumbent provider the right of first refusal to provide high-speed service (scroll down to page 5). The law grandfathered in municipal broadband services up and running before Jan. 1st 2006.

[ Join us at Interop Las Vegas for access to 125+ IT sessions and 300+ exhibiting companies. <a href="http://www.interop.com/lasvegas/?_mc=MP_BTMEDNWCBOD" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Register today!</a> ]

More recently, in 2012, South Carolina <a href="http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess119_2011-2012/bills/3508.htm" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">passed a law</a> that protects incumbents such as AT&T from perceived competition from cities and towns that may want to get in community wireless game. <a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/content/minnesota-legislation-would-revoke-local-authority-over-broadband" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Minnesota</a> and<a href="http://www.muniwireless.com/2013/03/08/georgia-anti-municipal-broadband-bill-goes-down-in-defeat/" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Georgia</a> also have either passed or proposed similar laws (though the bill in Georgia was defeated), and lobbyists are working hard to get out the message that muni-wireless isn't fair to existing ISPs.

Will San Jose's project have better luck than other muni efforts? It's hard to say, because each municipal Wi-Fi project has its own unique characteristics. According to a <a href="http://www.ruckuswireless.com/press/releases/20130314-wickedly-fast-wi-fi-network-sweeps-into-downtown-san-jose" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">press release</a> from Ruckus, the city will finance the initiative from parking revenue and its general fund, so at least there's an acknowledgement by city leaders of the ongoing costs of the project.

And San Jose isn't the only municipality to take on the challenge. Cities such as Staunton, Virginia and Amherst, Massachusetts have recently launched Wi-Fi projects, and New York City <a href="http://www.networkcomputing.com/wireless/open-spectrum-does-not-mean-free-interne/240147930" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">announced a pilot program</a> to bring free Wi-Fi hot spots to ten locations in the city. Meanwhile, municipal wireless is being studied in cities as large as Los Angeles.

Google provides free wireless Internet to account holders in Mountain View, Calif., and in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. However, the last two examples are goodwill gestures funded by the search giant's deep pockets rather than a local partnership between government and industry.

It's possible that San Jose becomes an example that other cities might want to follow. The project used respected Atlanta-based integrator SmartWave Technologies to put it all together, so both San Jose and Ruckus benefit from having demonstrable technical skills behind the actual deployment. But history has not been kind to municipal Wi-Fi. We'll have to check back in March 2014 to see how it's working out.

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<div style=" text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Two-Sides-to-the-Municipal-WiFi-Story/">http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Two-Sides-to-the-Municipal-WiFi-Story/</a></div>

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<div class="post_header" style=" text-align: left;">March 07, 2013 / BY CAMPAIGN STAFF <a href="http://colorofchange.org/blog/2013/mar/7/alec-model-ban-municipal-broadband-hits-georgia/">ALEC "model" ban on municipal broadband hits Georgia statehouse</a></div>

UPDATE (03/08/13): After more than 1,500 Georgia ColorOfChange members rallied to action, Georgia's House resoundingly rejected HB 282 on a bipartisan 70-94 vote.

Today, the Georgia House of Representatives is voting on a bill to ban local governments from creating broadband Internet networks even when most residents have no option for private broadband service. HB 282 is being pushed by Big Telecom, and got its start as a "model" bill from the <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/03/12010/community-owned-internet-long-targeted-alec-and-big-telecom-under-fire-georgia" target="blank">corporate bill mill the American Legislative Exchange Council</a> (ALEC).

We're urging Georgia lawmakers to reject this giveaway to the telecom industry and protect the right to connect for all communities. Read the email we sent to our members after the jump, and if you live in Georgia please <a href="http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/municipal_broadband/" target="blank">urge your Representative to vote NO</a> on HB 282.

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<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcata,_California" title="Arcata, California" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Arcata, California</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany,_New_York" title="Albany, New York" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Albany, New York</a> Albanyfreenet<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-62" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[62]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amherst,_Massachusetts" title="Amherst, Massachusetts" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Amherst, Massachusetts</a> - free service in downtown area <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-63" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[63]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Beach,_Delaware" title="Bethany Beach, Delaware" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Bethany Beach, Delaware</a> Beach and Boardwalk free WiFi<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-65" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[65]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston,Massachusetts" title="Boston, Massachusetts" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Boston, Massachusetts</a> & <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookline,Massachusetts" title="Brookline, Massachusetts" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Brookline, Massachusetts</a> - paid, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.gis.net/wifi.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Galaxy Internet Services</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge,_Massachusetts" title="Cambridge, Massachusetts" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Cambridge, Massachusetts</a> - free (pilot), through the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cambridgema.gov/itd/CPI.aspx" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Cambridge Public Internet (CPI) Initiative</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston,_South_Carolina" title="Charleston, South Carolina" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Charleston, South Carolina</a> - free public wi-fi in Marion Square <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.charlestonfreewifi.com/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">[10]</a> by the <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">[11]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearwater_Beach,_Florida" title="Clearwater Beach, Florida" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Clearwater Beach, Florida</a> - free service,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-67" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[67]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi,_Texas" title="Corpus Christi, Texas" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Corpus Christi, Texas</a> - paid service, Earthlink<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-68" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[68]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver,_Colorado" title="Denver, Colorado" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Denver, Colorado</a> - Free Wifi in Downtown Denver.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-69" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[69]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin,_Ohio" title="Dublin, Ohio" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Dublin, Ohio</a> - City Wide Wifi.[HighSpeedAir.com]</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_Grove,_California" title="Elk Grove, California" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Elk Grove, California</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escondido,_California" title="Escondido, California" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Escondido, California</a> - free service in downtown area and Public Library.</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gahanna,_Ohio" title="Gahanna, Ohio" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Gahanna, Ohio</a>- city wide coverage.[HighSpeedAir.com]</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerlach,_NV" title="Gerlach, NV" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Gerlach, NV</a> - Gifted to the public by Black Rock City LLC.</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrisburg,_North_Carolina" title="Harrisburg, North Carolina" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Harrisburg, North Carolina</a> - free, Time Warner Cable</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattiesburg,_Mississippi" title="Hattiesburg, Mississippi" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Hattiesburg, Mississippi</a> Free wifi in the downtown area of Front, Main and Pine Streets and the Oaks Cultural District.</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood,_Florida" title="Hollywood, Florida" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Hollywood, Florida</a> - <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://johnsoncontrols.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=113&item=1350" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Johnson Controls</a>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://slingbroadband.com/fort-lauderdale-wimax-sling-broadband-coverage.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Sling Broadband Wimax</a> deploy municipal Wi-Fi network for wireless automated meter reading (AMR), public safety and free Wi-Fi service for residents. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.muniwireless.com/2009/02/16/hollywood-florida-wifi-network/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Muni Wireless</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston,_Texas" title="Houston, Texas" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Houston, Texas</a> - free service in downtown area and selected neighborhoods around the city; free service also available in all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Public_Library" title="Houston Public Library" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Houston Public Library</a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_County_Public_Library" title="Harris County Public Library" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Harris County Public Library</a> branches<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-72" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[72]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-73" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[73]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu,_Hawaii" title="Honolulu, Hawaii" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Honolulu, Hawaii</a> - free, Tri-Net Solutions LLC<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-74" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[74]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha,_Wisconsin" title="Kenosha, Wisconsin" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Kenosha, Wisconsin</a> - Low Cost Paid WiFi located in Downtown Kenosha, service provided by Infinite Technologies LLC <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.infinitetec.net/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">[13]</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-75" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[75]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence,_Kansas" title="Lawrence, Kansas" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Lawrence, Kansas</a> - free, Lawrence Freenet, not-for-profit company that works in conjunction with the City of Lawrence and local internet providers <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.lawrencefreenet.org/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">[14]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linden,_Michigan" title="Linden, Michigan" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Linden, Michigan</a> - free or paid service in downtown area and public parks, through Tri-County Wireless, Inc.</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis,_Minnesota" title="Minneapolis, Minnesota" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Minneapolis, Minnesota</a> - paid, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_wireless_internet_network" title="Minneapolis wireless internet network" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">USI Wireless</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-77" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[77]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-78" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[78]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_View,_California" title="Mountain View, California" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Mountain View, California</a> - free - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_WiFi" title="Google WiFi" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Google WiFi</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peachtree_City,_Georgia" title="Peachtree City, Georgia" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Peachtree City, Georgia</a> - free at two parks and the public library/City Hall plaza -<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-80" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[80]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh,_Pennsylvania" title="Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania</a> - free downtown 2 hours per day</li>

<li style="text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jose,_California" title="San Jose, California" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">San Jose, California</a> - Free in downtown area<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-84" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[84]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southaven,_Mississippi" title="Southaven, Mississippi" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Southaven, Mississippi</a> - paid service, city-operated, branded as <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.magnoliawave.com/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Magnoliawave</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spokane,_Washington" title="Spokane, Washington" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Spokane, Washington</a> - two free hours/day, paid after.</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statesville,_North_Carolina" title="Statesville, North Carolina" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Statesville, North Carolina</a>- free access</li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston-Salem,_North_Carolina" title="Winston-Salem, North Carolina" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Winston-Salem, North Carolina</a> - free, limited to downtown. City-operated: no technical support.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-87" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[87]</a></li>

<li style=" text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazoo_City,_Mississippi" title="Yazoo City, Mississippi" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Yazoo City, Mississippi</a> - Paid network. Branded as Yazoo Wireless, Provided by <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cytecsys.com/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">CYTEC</a></li>

</ul>

Richardson, Texas - Free, Limited to city residents

</div>

<div>

In April 2005, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Issue_Dynamics" title="Issue Dynamics" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Issue Dynamics</a>, Inc (IDI) "launched a formal Blogger Relations Practice and a companion website, <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.bloggerrelations.com/" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">http://www.bloggerrelations.com</a>." The firm's press release stated, "IDI Blogger Relations clients have already included Fortune 50 corporations, national trade associations, advocacy groups and political party committees." The practice includes a "robust blog monitoring service," to provide clients with "actionable intelligence." Other practice offerings include "Blogger Outreach," Blog Building" (a "simple, inexpensive way to build a community for messaging, rapid response & brand protection, fundraising, analysis, and a host of other activities"), "Training" and "Blog Advertising." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.idi.net/proactive/newsroom/release.vtml?id=20872&PROACTIVE_ID=cecfcfc6cecccdcfc9c5cecfcfcfc5cecec8c8c9cdc9c8c8c9c5cf" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">[7]</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.idi.net/internet/blogger.vtml" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">[8]</a>

Noting IDI's new practice, journalist, author and grassroots journalism advocate <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Dan_Gillmor" title="Dan Gillmor" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Dan Gillmor</a> wrote, "As eWeek <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1759948,00.asp" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">reported</a> in February, a subsidiary of the firm issued a report denouncing municipal wireless installations without making clear that big telecom firms, which vehemently oppose municipal wireless systems, are among the firm's chief funders. (See also Glenn Fleishman's '<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://wifinetnews.com/archives/004780.html" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">sock puppets</a>' piece about this.) ... One of the imperatives in the emerging citizen journalism sphere will be to ferret out and tell readers about these techniques, in a systematic and lasting way." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://dangillmor.typepad.com/dan_gillmor_on_grassroots/2005/04/blogger_relatio.html" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">[9]</a>

</div>

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband</a>

<h2 style="text-align: left; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Successful implementation in Bristol, VA<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Municipal_broadband&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Successful implementation in Bristol, VA" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit source</a> | <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband?veaction=edit&vesection=4" title="Edit section: Successful implementation in Bristol, VA" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">editbeta</a>]</h2>

In 2003, in the relatively isolated city of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol,_Virginia" title="Bristol, Virginia" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Bristol, Virginia</a>, Bristol Virginia Utilities (BVU), created a nonprofit offshoot called "Optinet", a municipal broadband Internet service that covers Bristol as well as the Southwest portion of the state of Virginia. Serving around 9,500 customers,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-Bristolvirginia-12" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[12]</a> BVU is recognized as the "first municipal utility in the United States to deploy an all-fiber network offering the triple play of video, voice and data services".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-Bristolvirginia-12" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[12]</a> On October 29, 2009, BVU received <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USD" title="USD" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">USD</a> 3.5 million in grant funding from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revelitalization Commission.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-NewsRetrieved-13" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[13]</a> With these funds BVU will build "an additional 49 miles of its OptiNet fiber-optic backbone from Abingdon up I-81 to Virginia Route 16 from Marion into Grayson County".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-NewsRetrieved-13" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[13]</a>This will also allow for BVU to make a second connection with Mid Atlantic Broadband, increasing communication between different businesses in Northern Virginia. The Virginia Tobacco Community funded this project because it provided their business with more connections in crucial areas of the southwest and southern part of Virginia.

The U.S. Department of Commerce also funded BVU. On July 3, 2010, it was reported that they gave USD 22.7 million in stimulus funds to Southwest Virginia to create a "388-mile optic backbone through an eight-county region".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-CharlesOwens-14" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[14]</a> This project will service over 120 institutions, such as schools, hospitals, government buildings, and many more besides.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-CharlesOwens-14" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[14]</a> This new municipals broadband service will also be within a two-mile distance of over 500 different businesses.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-CharlesOwens-14" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[14]</a> This project also created 295 new jobs.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-CharlesOwens-14" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[14]</a> BVU Optinet continues operate a strong municipal broadband Internet service for Bristol and many other counties in Virginia.

<h2 style="text-align: left; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Finance<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.25em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate; direction: ltr;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Municipal_broadband&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Finance" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit source</a> | <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband?veaction=edit&vesection=5" title="Edit section: Finance" class="mw-editsection-visualeditor" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">editbeta</a>]</h2>

In an effort to support U.S. federal government agencies attempting to deploy broadband services more widely, in a 2009 report the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation detailed cost estimates of providing "fiber optic connectivity to anchor institutions" in the United States. The institutions considered in the report were public schools, public libraries, hospitals and community colleges, with an estimated total cost of USD 5–10 billion.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[15]</a>

On February 17, 2009, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act" title="American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">American Recovery and Reinvestment Act</a> became law in an effort to build the economy, assist in job creation and retention, and improve U.S. infrastructure. It allocated $4.7 billion to establish a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program as part of the National Telecommunications and Information Agency State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. A portion of funding awards were allocated to extend and develop broadband services to reach rural and "underserved areas" as well as to improve broadband access for public safety agencies.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[16]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-17" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[17]</a>

According to the Muni Wireless website,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[18]</a> In February 2010, the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) awarded a $126.3 million grant to the Executive Office of the State of West Virginia to improve the state's broadband structure.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_broadband#cite_note-19" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[19]</a> That grant was part of the federal government's overall broadband stimulus to certain areas of the United States. With 2,400 miles of fiber, it is planned to improve the area's broadband connectivity and increase its overall speed in places like schools, government offices, public libraries, etc.

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also wiki

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_WiFi" title="Google WiFi" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Google WiFi</a> is entirely funded by Google. Despite a failed attempt to provide citywide WiFi through a partnership with internet service provider Earthlink in 2007,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[13]</a> the company claims that they are currently working to provide a wireless network for the city of San Francisco, California, although there is no specified completion date.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-14" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[14]</a> Some other projects that are still in the planning stages have pared back their planned coverage from 100% of a municipal area to only densely commercially zoned areas. One of the most ambitious planned projects is to provide wireless service throughout <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Valley" title="Silicon Valley" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Silicon Valley</a>, but the winner of the bid seems ready to request that the 40 cities involved help cover more of the cost which has raised concerns that the project will ultimately be too slow-to-market to be deemed a success. Advances in technology in 2005-2007 may allow <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_community_network" title="Wireless community network" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">wireless community network</a> projects to offer a viable alternative. Such projects have an advantage that as they do not have to negotiate with government entities they have no contractual obligations for coverage. A promising example is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meraki" title="Meraki" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Meraki</a>'s demonstration in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco" title="San Francisco" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">San Francisco</a>, which already claims 20,000 distinct users as of October 2007.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[15]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[16]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-17" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[17]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[18]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-19" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[19]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[20]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-21" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[21]</a>

In 2009, Microsoft and Yahoo also provided free wireless to select regions in the United States. Yahoo’s free WiFi was made available for one full year to the Times Square area in New York City beginning November 10, 2009.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-22" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[22]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-23" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[23]</a> Microsoft made free WiFi available to select airports and hotels across the United States, in exchange for one search on the Bing search engine by the user.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network#cite_note-24" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[24]</a>

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