Community Broadband Quotes

Cox Has the Advantages over Lafayette

While Cox Communications can make rate decisions in a private conference room several states away, Lafayette conducts its business in an open forum, as it should. While Cox can make repeated and periodic requests for documents under the Public Records Law, it is not subject to a corresponding obligation – a “show me your plans, but don’t dare ask to see mine” mentality. Louisiana law limits the ability of a governmental enterprise to advertise, but nothing prevents the incumbent providers from spending millions of dollars in advertising campaigns. An important focal point of the legal challenges involved the right or ability of Lafayette to pledge assets of the utilities system as security for the bonds, something that the private corporations do all of the time without the slightest scrutiny. To be sure, the “playing field is not level,” but it is the government which is disadvantaged, not the private companies.

Source: 
Terry Huval, Director, LUS Fiber

Referendum Rules by Don King

How can a local city or county government respond to the misinformation barrage? They can’t. Public officials can’t spend taxpayer dollars to promote such projects or refute industry propaganda. They can’t even financially assist a citizen-run campaign.

That’s a fight with ground rules only Don King could love.

Source: 
Jay Ovittore

Electricity Not a Necessity?

Electricity is not in any sense a necessity, and under no conditions is it universally used by the people of a community. It is but a luxury enjoyed by a small proportion of the members of any municipality, and yet if the plant be owned and operated by the city, the burden of such ownership and operation must be borne by all the people through taxation. Now, electric light is not a necessity for every member of the the community. It is not the business of any one to see that I use electricity, or gas, or oil in my house, or even that I use any form of artificial light at all.

Source: 
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Oct. 1905

Muni Broadband Critics Are Wrong

The essence of the objection to municipal involved in communications is that public intervention will undermine the private sector due to the cost advantages uniquely available to governmental entities, thus creating a barrier to public entry. As we have shown, however, this objection fails in two ways: First, municipalities tend not to become involved in communications in markets characterized by effective competition; and second, where municipalities do become communications providers, private entry into the market tends to be stimulated rather than suppressed.

Source: 
The Case for Municipal Broadband

Local Ownership Produces Fast Results

Consider the rapid response of a locally-owned and operated network when the local Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in rural Mitchell County, N.C. recently needed an Internet link on a mountaintop tower to test and operate its emergency service. Utilizing the local Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN), the ARES volunteers had a secure network connection the same day of their request. “We would still be waiting for an answer” from the non-local phone company, said ARES volunteer Bob Rodgers.

Source: 
A Public Interest Internet Agenda

We Know the Muni Model Works in Iowa

In Iowa, we know the municipal model works because we have 20 municipalities providing services at rates far below the incumbents'.

Source: 
Clark McLeod, Telecommunications Entrepreneur

Profit Motive v. Government Motive

This is where the profit motive fails society -- there's no real financial incentive to provide coverage for someplace like Gilboa, New York, so therefore it isn't covered. But there is an incentive to prevent anyone else -- including the small town itself or, heaven forbid, the entire county -- from providing services to Gilboa because a David may grow up with the potential of killing Goliath.

Government does have an interest in seeing Gilboa, New York get access to broadband Internet coverage, because that would mean more employment opportunities, better educational facilities, and even more self-employment. In other words, like roads, sewage and utilities, broadband infrastructure is necessary to economic development.

Source: 
Michael Hickins

Local Communities Demonstrate Success around Cleveland

The success in and around Cleveland demonstrates not only the benefits of Smart Infrastructure, but also the reality that local communities are best equipped to implement today's fundamental need for infrastructure that empowers innovation.

Source: 
Garn Anderson - Knight Center

U.S. Broadband v. Former Soviet Bloc Countries

The US's broadband infrastructure would make a former Soviet bloc country blush. Rural areas are often stuck with slow dial-up or expensive satellite Internet service. Even urban centers lack better high-speed service options, as the increasing deregulation of the telecommunications industry has helped prop up monopolies - which then have no incentive to improve broadband speed or lower costs.

Source: 
Ryan Goldberg in "The People v. Time Warner"

Open Access Makes Economic Sense

In hindsight, KPN [a Dutch telephone company] made a mistake back in 1996. We were not too enthusiastic to be forced to allow competitors on our old wireline network. That turned out not to be very wise. If you allow all your competitors on your network, all services will run on your network, and that results in the lowest cost possible per service. Which in turn attracts more customers for those services, so your network grows much faster. An open network is not charity from us, in the long run it simply works best for everybody.

Source: 
Ad Scheepbouwer, KPN CEO
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