In CLIC’s August 30 blog, we described the battle for local Internet choice in North Carolina, and the New York Times heartrending account of the families and businesses that may lose access to gigabit services from the city of Wilson’s renowned Greenlight network as the result of the Sixth Circuit decision. That decision reversed the FCC’s decision to preempt North Carolina’s anti-competi…
read moreCategory: Connections Blog
Congresswoman Eshoo Introduces Legislation to Protect and Restore Local Internet Choice
In an effort to “preserve and protect the ability of local governments to provide broadband capability and services,” Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, today introduced the Community Broadband Act of 2016 in the U.S. House of Representatives. The text of the bill can be found here. The bill prohibits the states from …
read moreGigi Sohn to Keynote CLIC’s Awards Luncheon on October 18th in Minneapolis
CLIC is thrilled to announce that Gigi Sohn, Counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, will be keynoting our local Internet choice awards luncheon during CLIC Day on October 18th in Minneapolis, MN. In recognition of the high stakes that the coming year represents for local Internet choice, CLIC is holding a full day event focused on an Action Plan for Local Internet Choice in 2017 and Beyond…
read moreCLIC Requests Your Help & Action for Local Internet Choice
Dear Friends of Local Internet Choice, We are writing to you with a request for help and for action. As you know, last month the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that the FCC did not have the authority to grant relief to communities that are stymied in their efforts to exercise local Internet choice by anti-competition laws promoted by dominant incumbent phone and cab…
read moreCLIC to Discuss Action Plan for Local Internet Choice in Minneapolis October 18th
In recognition of the high stakes that the coming year represents for local Internet choice, CLIC is holding a full day event on October 18th in Minneapolis, MN, focused on an Action Plan for Local Internet Choice in 2017 and Beyond. This event will be a preconference to the Broadband Communities Fiber for the New Economy conference at the Radisson Blu hotel. As we earlier reported, the United …
read moreSixth Circuit Decision Means Gigabit Hardship for Rural NC
The New York Times yesterday spotlighted the battle for local Internet choice in North Carolina, with a heartrending account of the families and businesses that may lose access to gigabit services from the city of Wilson’s renowned Greenlight network. Wilson may be forced to stop providing services to some customers under the decision of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that the FCC did not ha…
read more42 Next Century City Mayors & Leaders Speak up for Local Internet Choice
In a show of deep support, more than forty Mayors and community leaders today sent a letter to the mayors of Chattanooga, TN and Wilson, NC expressing their support and solidarity with those communities’ efforts to expand their successful community broadband networks to unserved areas. The signatories to the letter are all members of Next Century Cities. The letter expresses concern regarding…
read moreCLIC REITERATES ITS SUPPORT FOR LOCAL CHOICE AND THE PRINCIPLE OF ‘ONE TOUCH’
by Joanne Hovis In a recent blog prompted by AT&T’s suit against the City of Louisville, Kentucky, challenging the City’s ordinance imposing “One Touch Make Ready” requirements, CLIC noted our support for local decision making with respect to the “one touch” make ready processes as a way to mitigate the following common problem: "One of the most costly, risky, and time-consum…
read moreFor Rural Pinetops, Being a Gigabit City is More than A CuriosiTees
CuriosiTees is a screen printing and custom t-shirt store in a tiny rural town called Pinetops, NC (population ~1300). But it’s more than that. It’s a testament to the economic impact of finally getting access to fiber to the home speeds and internet choice in North Carolina’s rural homelands. It’s evidence that community-run fiber networks can bring modern infrastructure and economic …
read moreCLIC Statement on the Sixth Circuit Decision to Reverse the FCC’s Order that Removed State Broadband Barriers
On February 26, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) preempted North Carolina and Tennessee laws that prevented the cities of Wilson, NC, and Chattanooga, TN, from expanding their broadband networks to serve their unserved and underserved neighboring communities. Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit overturned the FCC’s Order, finding that the FCC lacke…
read more