On Thursday, ahead of its historic vote to protect net neutrality, another “watershed moment” came when the Federal Communications Commission moved in favor of consumers by giving cities the power to create their own internet networks.
In a major victory for public alternatives to service provider giants, the FCC voted 3-2 to pass rules that kill state limits on municipal broadband rules in North Carolina and Tennessee.
The petitioners charged that the limits prevented alternative, publicly-owned broadband providers from competing with major ISP companies like Comcast and Verizon by forbidding operators from building high-speed networks beyond a certain geographical point or offering lower-priced plans than private carriers—rules which largely affect consumers in rural and under-served areas. Many of those local broadband operators petitioned the FCC earlier this month to intervene on their behalf.
“There are a few irrefutable truths about broadband,” FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, who introduced the proposal, said ahead of the vote on Thursday. “One is you can’t say you’re for broadband, and then turn around and endorse limits.” “The human faces of those who are condemned to second-rate broadband are a message to all of us.”
—FCC chairman Tom Wheeler
Wheeler “should be applauded for promoting this common-sense policy,” said Free Press policy director Matt Wood. “It’s good to see the FCC standing up to phone and cable company efforts to legislate away competition and choice. By targeting these protectionist state laws, the FCC is siding with dozens of communities seeking to provide essential broadband services where people have few to no other options.”
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