A compromise bill on municipal broadband communications that was originally sponsored by NC Sen. David Hoyle (D-Gaston) passed the NC Senate yesterday.
The initial bill filed by Hoyle would have made it more cumbersome for municipalities to implement public broadband networks — an initiative embraced by some as a means of democratizing access to the web and spurring economic development, and opposed by others as government interference with private enterprise — was amended on June 3. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
According to Tom Carruthers, an associate attorney with the city of Greensboro, “The bill now sends the entire issue to a study commission for further review. It also adopts a moratorium on municipal broadband installations until the 2011 session concludes or a new bill is adopted next session.” The Greensboro City Council has taken a formal position against the original bill.
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