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Christopher Mitchell at Community Broadband Networks has been doing some excellent reporting on a story we covered earlier this year. Where AT&T is concerned, there is never enough time for just one group to uncover all of their anti-consumer endeavors, so we appreciate Mitchell’s very detailed analysis of the latest ripoff in the making.
The Wisconsin state legislature, vying for most corrupt body this side of Huey Long’s Louisiana, is trying to kill WiscNet, the state’s public institutional broadband network. In its place, they propose to pay AT&T more money to run a far inferior service. Would you spend $13 million more in taxpayer dollars for a network that delivers less service than the existing network? You do when the company behind the proposal hands out enormous campaign contributions.
The rhetoric from AT&T’s supporters borders on hysterical, with the usual memes about the government not being able to run anything correctly — despite the fact WiscNet delivers better service for less money than AT&T wants, and the claim that government shouldn’t be involved in broadband because it is the domain of the free market and private enterprise (free to charge top dollar).
Now, AT&T and their dollar-a-holler friends want Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to approve the budget-busting change, even though many of AT&T’s best friends in the legislature are the same ones screaming about the need to cut state spending. It’s Big Telecom-sponsored corruption on the highest level, and Wisconsin taxpayers will pay the price. If you live in Wisconsin, take a few minutes to read Mitchell’s stories and then get on the phone to Madison and let them know if they vote for this, they are next in line to be disconnected.
Coverage:
- AT&T Tells Wisconsin: All Your Tax Dollars Belong to Us
- Wisconsin Superintendent: No Really, Broadband is Essential for Education
- Resolution and Statement In Support of WiscNet
- Does AT&T Really Own the Wisconsin Legislature? Battle Over WiscNet Continues
- Access Wisconsin Supported Broadband Stimulus Before They Opposed It
- Internet2 President Says Wisconsin Legislation is an Unnecessary Disaster
YAY!!!! Looks like it will be struck from the budget! http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_0c8c0e80-96bf-11e0-a7dc-001cc4c03286.html “Republican leaders announced they were backing away from a controversial plan to give back some $37 million in federal grant money awarded to the University of Wisconsin system. Supporters say that money will help extend broadband Internet to rural and under-served areas. The proposal would have meant UW-Madison could no longer support WiscNet, a statewide Internet provider. Eight Republican representatives wrote Fitzgerald and Finance Committee Co-Chairman Robin Vos, R-Rochester, voicing opposition to the plan. “Our districts are largely rural and broadband access is a significant issue for our constituents,”… Read more »
This is good to hear. I noted some of the impacted schools and libraries were going to wait until they verified the exact language of the changes before celebrating. With AT&T, the devil is always in the details.
There will be a follow-up on this forthcoming shortly.