NATOA Files Comments with FCC on the Contribution of Local Government to Broadband
Today,
November 6, 2009, NATOA filed comments with the FCC in response to National
Broadband Plan Public Notice # 7, seeking comments on the “Contribution of
Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Government to Broadband.” NATOA filed
these comments with the support of the National League of Cities, the United
States Conference of Mayors, and the National Association of Counties.
This
filing is part of a series of requests by the FCC related to the National
Broadband Plan, which is due to Congress by February 2010. A filing was
also made in response to a public notice last week and more will be made in the
coming weeks.
The
Comments point out the many essential services local governments provide that
rely on broadband. The comments also discuss, in detail, the actions and
policies that local governments have developed to expand broadband services,
such as I-nets and other local government broadband networks. The
comments urge the FCC to include strong measures to protect these networks from
existing barriers (such as state laws or anticompetitive incumbent
behavior). Additionally, the comments propose a detailed plan on how to
enhance and expand Middle and Second Mile Networks. Finally, the comments
discuss areas where the FCC should not infringe upon local authority such as
rights-of-way, franchising, taxation, and wireless facilities siting.
The full
text of the filed comments is available here.