Enlarge After coming close to imposing a near-total ban on municipal broadband networks, Ohio’s Republican-controlled legislature has reportedly dropped the proposed law in final negotiations over the state budget. The final budget agreement “axed a proposal to limit local governments from offering broadband services,” The Columbus Dispatch wrote. With a June 30 deadline looming, Ohio’s […]
Enlarge / President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure deal at the White House on June 24, 2021. (credit: Getty Images | Kevin Dietsch ) President Joe Biden announced a $65 billion broadband-deployment deal Thursday with Senate Republicans and Democrats, but he provided no details on whether the plan will prioritize municipal […]
Enlarge / The Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. (credit: Getty Images | Joseph Sohm) Ohio’s Republican-controlled legislature is on the verge of imposing a state law to dramatically restrict the rights of cities and towns to build and operate municipal broadband networks. The Ohio Senate on June 9 approved a budget bill that contains an anti-municipal […]
Enlarge / State Capitol building in Olympia, Washington. (credit: Getty Images | traveler1116) The Washington state legislature has voted to end limits on municipal broadband, and the bill lifting those restrictions now awaits the signature of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee. The state Senate passed the bill Sunday in a 27-22 vote, and the state House passed […]
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Paul Taylor) House Republicans have unveiled their plan for “boosting” broadband connectivity and competition, and one of the key planks is prohibiting states and cities from building their own networks. The proposal to ban new public networks was included in the “Boosting Broadband Connectivity Agenda” announced Tuesday by Reps. Cathy […]