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Economy
In reply to the discussion: STOCK MARKET WATCH -- Thursday, 19 April 2012 [View all]Demeter
(85,373 posts)38. ALEC Wants You To Pay 750 Percent More For High-Speed Internet
http://www.alternet.org/story/155041/alec_wants_you_to_pay_750_percent_more_for_high-speed_internet?akid=8614.227380.F_4OoQ&rd=1&t=28
...A few years ago, the city of Wilson, North Carolina, decided that it would create its own broadband system, which it called Greenlight. The service offered speeds twice as fast as private competitors in the area for a similar price. Soon, the success of the service spread, and a number of other cities began offering municipal broadband systems that were cheaper and/or faster than private competitors.
But state legislators who received $600,000 in contributions from the telecom industry in the previous election cycle reacted to the spread of these successful services by undercutting them with a bill that made it very difficult for cities to operate their own broadband systems. One provision in the bill made it illegal for cities to offer broadband services that are priced below their costs. This bill will make it practically impossible for cities to provide a fundamental service. Wheres the bill to govern [cable provider] Time Warner? Lets be clear about whose bill this is. This is Time Warners bill. You need to know who youre doing this for! thundered Rep. Bill Faison (D) at the time. The bill was unfortunately passed into law.
ALEC did not publicly say that it was behind the North Carolina bill, but the bill bears similarities to ALEC legislation. ALEC is an outspoken opponent of municipal broadband and crafts model bills to limit and kill these systems. Telecom companies like AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner are all ALEC funders....
...A few years ago, the city of Wilson, North Carolina, decided that it would create its own broadband system, which it called Greenlight. The service offered speeds twice as fast as private competitors in the area for a similar price. Soon, the success of the service spread, and a number of other cities began offering municipal broadband systems that were cheaper and/or faster than private competitors.
But state legislators who received $600,000 in contributions from the telecom industry in the previous election cycle reacted to the spread of these successful services by undercutting them with a bill that made it very difficult for cities to operate their own broadband systems. One provision in the bill made it illegal for cities to offer broadband services that are priced below their costs. This bill will make it practically impossible for cities to provide a fundamental service. Wheres the bill to govern [cable provider] Time Warner? Lets be clear about whose bill this is. This is Time Warners bill. You need to know who youre doing this for! thundered Rep. Bill Faison (D) at the time. The bill was unfortunately passed into law.
ALEC did not publicly say that it was behind the North Carolina bill, but the bill bears similarities to ALEC legislation. ALEC is an outspoken opponent of municipal broadband and crafts model bills to limit and kill these systems. Telecom companies like AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner are all ALEC funders....
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