[TriLUG] OT: URGENT: H.129 to be heard in Thursday's Finance Committee!

[Steve Pinkham]

On 03/14/2011 01:43 PM, matt at noway2.thruhere.net wrote:
> My problem with this bill has nothing to do with Google's fiber plans or
> anything like that.  I read it as a blatant attempt to ensure that viable
> competition to the existing ISPs does not have a solid chance to get off
> the ground.

Remember that laws have inertia. Arguments for and against muni
broadband are mixed today, but over time Internet as infrastructure
makes more and more sense.

Before the 1900s many if not most roads were private toll roads. (
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_roads_in_the_United_States#History.2C_funding_through_toll)


Would legislation to keep the government out of competition for road
building in the early 1900s have made our economy more or less
competitive today?  Legislating a corporation stranglehold on the last
mile would put us in a similar situation for competitiveness in the 21st
century as the corps owning all physical transport would have in the 20th.