Proposed Virginia Bill - Ban Municipal Broadband Ownership

LINK

HB2108:

quote:

---

Virginia Broadband Deployment Act. Provides that a locality or a locality's affiliate may own and operate a broadband or Internet communications system, including ownership or lease of fiber optic or other communications lines and facilities, to provide broadband expansion services if a variety of conditions are met, including a report or study by an independent consulting firm knowledgeable and experienced in analyzing broadband deployment, such as the Center for Innovative Technology, which report or study specifically identifies any unserved areas. An unserved area is an area in which broadband speeds are not generally available from any provider. The bill defines "broadband speeds" as average Internet speeds of both 10 Mbps or more download and 1 Mbps or more upload. A locality or a locality's affiliate that seeks or desires to provide "overbuild broadband services," shall not do so unless it complies with various operating requirements. The bill defines "overbuild broadband services" as broadband or Internet services offered by a locality or its affiliate in exchange for compensation that do not qualify as internal government services or broadband expansion services. The bill also repeals several disclosure exclusions related to local telecommunications services that currently exist under the Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.).

---

The biggest issue is that this is typically the only way for rural cities to get true broadband, as companies are reluctant to build networks only to compete with other ISPs, limiting the infrastructure they are willing to put into place. Municipal-built networks, like current generation fiber, can provide gigabit speeds in rural areas because the municipality has the ability and public support to build these.

In other words, corporations don't want rural citizens to own a part of their own internet service.