Comments on: Happy Cinco-De-Facto Banning of Municipal Broadband in North Carolina: Sen. Hoyle’s Absurd Proposal http://stopthecap.com/2010/05/06/happy-cinco-de-facto-banning-of-municipal-broadband-in-north-carolina-sen-hoyles-absurd-proposal/ Promoting Better Broadband, Fighting Data Caps, Usage-Based Billing, & Other Internet Overcharging Schemes Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:35:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Stop the Cap! » The Dishonorable Senator from Time Warner Cable: David Hoyle’s Disgraceful Exit from Public Service http://stopthecap.com/2010/05/06/happy-cinco-de-facto-banning-of-municipal-broadband-in-north-carolina-sen-hoyles-absurd-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-11989 Stop the Cap! » The Dishonorable Senator from Time Warner Cable: David Hoyle’s Disgraceful Exit from Public Service Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:03:09 +0000 http://stopthecap.com/?p=9478#comment-11989 [...] a “pro-business Democrat,” ignored his own constituents’ interests when he introduced legislation earlier this year that would effectively curtail municipal broadband projects across the state from [...] [...] a “pro-business Democrat,” ignored his own constituents’ interests when he introduced legislation earlier this year that would effectively curtail municipal broadband projects across the state from [...]

]]> By: cmoneti http://stopthecap.com/2010/05/06/happy-cinco-de-facto-banning-of-municipal-broadband-in-north-carolina-sen-hoyles-absurd-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-10135 cmoneti Sat, 08 May 2010 01:27:50 +0000 http://stopthecap.com/?p=9478#comment-10135 It appears that much of the hassles incumbent telecom operators impose on communities wishing to build a public broadband network revolve around the possible use of tax dollars and/or municipal ownership in general. One way around this obstacle could be to form a consumer cooperative to build, own, and operate the network. This way it is a private venture, which happens to be a cooperatively owned utility. Financing could be obtained through the sale of revenue bonds, the normal form of financing for either privately or publicly owned utilities. No tax argument. No "unfair competition" from government argument (ludicrous, anyway). I suspect that with said approach probably any community that can organize and rally its residents around the benefits of a community owned telecommunications network can pursue a community owned network while avoiding the usual legal roadblocks that may be imposed by their state or the incumbent operator. It appears that much of the hassles incumbent telecom operators impose on communities wishing to build a public broadband network revolve around the possible use of tax dollars and/or municipal ownership in general. One way around this obstacle could be to form a consumer cooperative to build, own, and operate the network. This way it is a private venture, which happens to be a cooperatively owned utility. Financing could be obtained through the sale of revenue bonds, the normal form of financing for either privately or publicly owned utilities. No tax argument. No “unfair competition” from government argument (ludicrous, anyway).

I suspect that with said approach probably any community that can organize and rally its residents around the benefits of a community owned telecommunications network can pursue a community owned network while avoiding the usual legal roadblocks that may be imposed by their state or the incumbent operator.

]]> By: KP http://stopthecap.com/2010/05/06/happy-cinco-de-facto-banning-of-municipal-broadband-in-north-carolina-sen-hoyles-absurd-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-10134 KP Sat, 08 May 2010 00:55:07 +0000 http://stopthecap.com/?p=9478#comment-10134 Isn't it funny....the private sector in broadband service and its political allies claim to be for a competitively free market. Yet when real competition in the form of municipal broadband rears its head to provide a genuine alternative to de facto local monopolies, they suddenly don't like it. Isn’t it funny….the private sector in broadband service and its political allies claim to be for a competitively free market. Yet when real competition in the form of municipal broadband rears its head to provide a genuine alternative to de facto local monopolies, they suddenly don’t like it.

]]> By: NC Effort To Ban Community Fiber Fails, Lawmaker Tries Again – New bill would just strangle community fiber efforts in red tape | FiberToTheWhatever http://stopthecap.com/2010/05/06/happy-cinco-de-facto-banning-of-municipal-broadband-in-north-carolina-sen-hoyles-absurd-proposal/comment-page-1/#comment-10115 NC Effort To Ban Community Fiber Fails, Lawmaker Tries Again – New bill would just strangle community fiber efforts in red tape | FiberToTheWhatever Thu, 06 May 2010 17:38:22 +0000 http://stopthecap.com/?p=9478#comment-10115 [...] new bill is designed to tie any state community fiber build up in endless bundles of red tape, creating a potential scenario where a community would have to hold referendums to accomplish [...] [...] new bill is designed to tie any state community fiber build up in endless bundles of red tape, creating a potential scenario where a community would have to hold referendums to accomplish [...]

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