Three TechFreedom executives slammed local governments for slowing...
Three TechFreedom executives slammed local governments for slowing broadband deployment, in a Tuesday Wired op-ed, focusing on “pre-deployment barriers” companies have to navigate. They looked at right-of-way costs and other elements municipalities control. “Local governments and their public utilities charge…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
ISPs far more than these things actually cost,” wrote President Berin Szoka jointly along with Legal Fellow Matthew Starr and Strategic Director Jon Henke (http://bit.ly/12Hvx7G). “For example, rights of way and pole attachments fees can double the cost of network construction.” They praised how municipalities welcomed Google Fiber in the Kansas City area and told people to stop blaming cable companies for lack of upgrades in general. “It’s a vicious circle,” they said. “And it’s essentially a system of forced kickbacks. Other kickbacks arguably include municipal requirements for ISPs such as building out service where it isn’t demanded, donating equipment, and delivering free broadband to government buildings.”