For the record, I think municipal broadband should be the Third Pipe of last resort, but in a duopoly world it’s a necessary evil.

The broadband duopoly exists only with the help of government - local state and federal. By locking down right of ways, the telco and cable giants have been able to maintain a low investment enterprise with declining costs while routinely raising prices to consumers. When municipalities try to use their right of ways to provide better service, the duopoly always invests in lobbying rather than trying to compete.

There are plentiful pols who are all too willing to carry the duopoly’s water. Fortunately, one case to thwart  muni alternatives in North Caraolina has been defeated:

Indeed it has. North Carolina Senator David Hoyle’s (D-GA) now-defeated amendment (S-1209) was cosmetically titled “An Act to Ensure That A Local Government That Competes with Private Companies in Providing Communication Services Has The Support Of Its Citizens.” But advocates of city/county backed high speed Internet projects just knew it as the Municipal-Broadband Must Die Die Die bill.

Hoyle’s proposal would have banned any Tar Heel state city or county from contracting to “purchase, or finance or refinance” any kind of property to set up an “external communications system.” The law defined the latter as anything that “provides broadband service or other Internet access service, cable service, telecommunications service, video programming service, or a combination of these services.” (Ars Technica)

I hope NC voters will have enough common sense to send Senator Hoyle on permanent vacation from his law making duties when his term expires.

With the lack of will in Washington and most state houses to open the market for competitive broadband, the time for muni networks is here. These networks should not be the last alternative, but hopefully the one that will beak the duopoly strangle hold.  Around the world broadband is moving from copper to fiber at break neck speed at falling prices. World Class Broadband isn’t delivered in electrons any more, it comes in photons. It’s time to join the race and leap ahead or stand on the sidelines with our duopoly and watch the rest of the world race by.

While Congress prepares to deliver a small sliver of its pork for all package to the telcos, they have  a better idea in Maine: Keep the money and let the municipalities deliver what the duopoly won’t.  Billions have already already been given the the telcos to pay for service that never seems to materialize. When municipalities do try to roll their own networks, they are typically met with lawsuits from the telcos and cable companies, discouraging most.  While it’s not likely to score invites to resort retreats for Congress, not spending our the money and outlawing these lawsuits could deliver better results. How much sense does it make to give even more money to the very same companies that have repeatedly failed to deliver?

AUGUSTA - A bill aimed at expanding broadband Internet to rural parts of Maine may not be necessary, opponents said during a public hearing before the Utilities and Energy Committee on Thursday.

The legislation was sponsored by Tom Saviello, U-Wilton, and would allow municipalities to provide digital subscriber line (DSL) service if it’s not already available.

Saviello’s original intent was to make sure towns would not be able to ban people from using power lines for access to the Internet, if such technology eventually developed, he said.

He said the bill was expanded so towns could offer DSL service to their communities.

Representatives from FairPoint Communications and the Telephone Association of Maine testified against the proposal, arguing it would discourage private efforts to expand broadband services. They also said the state created the ConnectME Authority in 2006 to help expand broadband access to areas ignored by private companies. (Sun Journal)