As I wrote earlier, this entire debate has barely budged in two years.  Wilson wants to run its municipal broadband service, and big cable and telco interests want to kill it if they can.  Two years after similar legislation died in the North Carolina legislature, the lobbyists and some co-opted state legislators are back for another round, trying to stop municipal broadband in its tracks with false statements about where these projects obtain funding.  The Wilson project, for example, was financed from a bond issue, with proceeds from subscription revenue going to repay bondholders.  No taxpayer funds are involved.  But cable lobbyists keep claiming otherwise, and also suggest they are being victimized by local governments.

The truth is, of course, the other way around.  Many smaller communities lack robust competition, and their citizens suffer for it.  System upgrades to bring additional speed at lower prices come to those areas where fierce competition exists.  Those stuck where competition is lacking or lackluster find upgrades slow in coming, if at all.  When a local government cannot convince companies to upgrade, they took it on themselves to get a better system up and running.  That can become a major selling point to attract new businesses, and keep residents on the cutting edge, usually at prices substantially lower than charged by incumbent providers.

Big corporate interests apparently cannot compete with better service and lower prices, so the next best thing is to find a politician willing to do your bidding to kill them off for you.  And as we’ve seen from Save NC Broadband’s reports, many of these legislators are so inept about comprehending the legislation they propose and support, they show their true colors when they simply defer to Time Warner’s own staff for speak for them!

Another great report from WRAL that tells the story.  The “cable guy” is back claiming tax dollars are involved here.  What in the world Rep. Ty Harrell is thinking is beyond me.  Also, can we stop with the metaphor of the TV showing a snowy picture?  We’re about ready to check into a deluxe suite in Hotel Cliché with that.

The Messenger Post newspapers, which include several suburban weeklies and the Canandaigua Daily Messenger, printed an editorial Thursday celebrating the victory by consumers over Time Warner and its usage cap scheme.  It suggested the company is out of touch with its customers:

The Internet isn’t optional anymore. It’s not the exclusive domain of illegal downloaders and World of Warcraft gamers. Whether you’re looking for information on school closings or — ahem — researching your cable provider options, it’s ubiquitous, and that won’t change anytime soon.

True, the tiered pricing could have meant short-term savings for some light users, although savings would be minimal for customers already using a cheaper “light” service at a slower connection speed. Tech experts point out that computers are using bandwidth even when users aren’t online — and the computer is turned off.

The editorial, “The Battle May Be Over, But the War Is Not,” recognizes this website’s contribution to the victory against Time Warner, but also shares our sense that this is by no means over.

Ultimately, that opposition worked. Grass-roots activism among a crowd devoted to “Net neutrality” — the idea that Internet access shouldn’t be restricted — drummed up a fervor, largely through a constant flow of posts on sites like www.stopthecap.com. Schumer took the issue to Time Warner CEO Glenn Britt and the company halted the plan.

For now.

Advocates quickly realized this, noting on blogs like Stop the Cap! that while last week’s announcement was a “tentative victory,” “we have not come close to winning the war.” Indeed.

The groundswell of furious consumers has demonstrated its power. Now it must follow through on that enthusiasm.

We absolutely agree.  This website has already embarked on a comprehensive education campaign to give consumers ammunition to understand the broadband industry, learn surprising facts about some of the true costs to provide service, and steel themselves to resist the Time Warner Re-Education campaign we are likely to see over the spring and summer.  An informed consumer is an empowered one, well prepared to confront and debunk talking points that are designed to obfuscate the fact the cable broadband industry remains enormously profitable.  There is no legitimate reason why Time Warner cannot embark on necessary technology upgrades to keep up with the demands of the next generation of Internet users, without resorting to massive rate increases or rationing plans to drive usage (and their costs) down.  In competitive markets, they already have a track record of matching the competition.

We intend to explore every avenue open to us, starting with our desire that Time Warner will recognize the problem here was not about how they explained their plan — it was the plan itself.  If they refuse to listen, customers will cancel their service.  If they get to the point where their franchise in this area no longer meets the needs of the citizens here, then perhaps it’s time to consider not renewing that franchise.  If they redline communities like Rochester, among others, with punitive caps and lower quality service, than perhaps our future lies in advocating for a municipal broadband platform as found in Wilson, North Carolina.  One way or the other, our region’s destiny should not lie in the hands of one or two companies that have the power to dictate terms that turn our area backwards, while others move ahead.  We can’t afford to let this happen.