Corporations smack down public Internet
Saturday, April 16th, 2005You may know already use WIFI, a technology that permits a wireless Internet connection. Turns out that a lot of forward-thinking cities are creating their own city-wide municipal WIFI networks, which make high-speed Internet access available to all citizens. This is exactly what we need more of.
Big Telecom is not amused. In an article entitled Is Cheap Broadband Un-American?, Tim Karr describes the backlash against municipal WIFI, being led by SBC, Verizon, and Comcast to stop public broadband.
Telecommunications giants have mobilized a well-funded army of coin-operated think tanks, pliant legislators and lazy journalists to protect their Internet fiefdoms from these municipal internet initiatives, painting them as an affront to American innovation and free enterprise.Their weapon of choice is industry-crafted legislation that restricts local governments from offering public service Internet access at reasonable rates. Laws are already on the books in a dozen states. This year alone, 10 states are considering similar bills to block public broadband or to strengthen existing restrictions.
Whenever you hear big corporations talking about how it’s important to keep government out of the marketplace, look for corporate lobbyists in the legislature trying to accomplish just the opposite.
