indiana anti-muni broadband bill SB245 needs to be defeated!

Everyone deserves to have an affordable broadband connection these days, right? Internet access is becoming nearly as much a vital necessity as other utilities such as running water and electricity, especially as it relates to people and their ability to conduct commerce and banking activities over the internet. That being said, I am taking issue with SB245 in Indiana as it will de-regulate the telecom industry allowing the large providers (Verizon, SBC/at&t, Comcast, et. al.) to cherry pick and serve only the most profitable regions with broadband service.

As you may or may not know, save for the Indy metro area, Fort Wayne, South Bend/Elkhart and Lake County, the rest of the state is largely comprised of rural areas with many small towns scattered about. Only in those four metro areas can competing broadband services be commonly found while the rest of the state is left out to dry. In a large portion of the state, inadequate dial-up access is the ONLY option.

In these small towns, often times the local telcos and cable companies do not offer broadband simply because the infrastructure investment is not worth the return and doesn't look good to executives serving only to increase a company's stock price. Often times, it IS economically feasible for a small co-op or municipally offered, in fact there is a good white paper with case studies and sources HERE that provides much insight about the economics of this.

While I have no problem with competition to offer broadband services, I have a problem when telcos and cable companies lobby hard to get this type of anti-municipal legislation railroaded through state congresses. Heck, the de-regulation part of the bill doesn't even bother me, so long as there is still some oversight by the IURC.

If the industry gets their way, Indiana's small communities and rural areas will continue getting the shaft when it comes to broadband access as we fall further and further behind other nations in broadband deployment. If you agree with this, and are a Hoosier, please do call or write your local Senator and explain to them why they should vote down this bill, or at least push to have it re-written without the anti-muni broadband provisions in it. And for a little bit of a history lesson, a similar bill was introduced into the House last year and subsequently defeated.

Concerned citizens should make their voice heard to the Congress, because by golly the voices of the industry are certainly heard by them through lobbyists paid by the industry.

Just as an aside, so you know the score, Comcast's internet service (without cable tv) is $57.95 a month and Verizon's DSL service isn't even available without having landline service through them which is an extra cost. With a landline, the DSL cost is $39.95 a month currently.

Here is the link to the bill: http://www.state.in.us/legislative/bills/2006/IN/IN0245.1.html

Link to the Bill: http://www.state.in.us/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2006&session=1&request=getBill&doctype=SB&docno=0245