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One more way the Pope administration will destroy North Carolina's competitive position

Submitted by James on Fri, 01/04/2013 - 11:31am

I've long argued that broadband is an essential public utility, on par with roads, water, and sewer. That's why I support the ability of forward-thinking communities to invest in broadband infrastructure if they so choose. Today's free-market fanatics, on the other hand, argue that nothing should be built unless there's a way for some rich guy to make a boatload of money. That's the road North Carolina is going down, a road paved by the special interest money of Big Telecom.

The result? "The private sector has so far failed to deliver the latest fiber optics to much of the United States. Though America once led the world in connectivity, we have fallen to 16th globally. Even worse, federal data rank North Carolina broadband 50th nationally – the bottom of the bottom of the barrel." It's tempting to suggest that things will quickly go from bad to worse under the Pope administration, but since our state is already in last place, that'll be a significant feat. I'm confident, however, that our new governor will pull it off.

To get the full scoop on this sad situation, check out the report released today by Common Cause and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance: The Empire Lobbies Back: How National Cable and DSL Companies Banned The Competition in North Carolina.

It's depressing as hell.

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Comments

Anyone Know Why Mansfield Did Not Get Fayetteville Grandfathered

Submitted by wafranklin on Fri, 01/04/2013 - 12:39pm.

I heard a rumor that Fayetteville was to have been grandfathered in the the new law for broadband, but that Senator Mansfield was unable to make that happen. Just wondering, can someone explain?

wafranklin

 

Attacks on all government functions - rampant privatization

Submitted by wafranklin on Sat, 01/05/2013 - 12:15am.

The document James
(http://www.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/nc-killing-competition.pd...), discusses is but one aspect of the privatization schemes afoot, particularly in the new administration and legislature where everything is for sale. The conduct of Verizon, TWC, ATT and others is abysmal, but the real issue is the efforts and success of corporations to write public laws for their own direct benefit, denying government entities the right to determine what they need for their own communities. You have to realize that the corporations are protecting the investment that they made in fiber, while technologies are in fact bypassing that with much cheaper wireless. Despite that the carriers continue to collect unearned rent from everyone. Every time I deal with TWC I get stiffed, ignored, screwed - and they are impervious to criticism -- like Duke Power. It is interesting that the person who put in the 2011 legislation is and has been a member of ALEC.

Now listen to the stories coming out of Asheville where Rep Moffitt is trying to legislatively steal the Ashevilled water system, without paying for it. This privatization threat is metastasizing with the advent of these damned Republicans.

wafranklin