Mon, April 18, 2011 | Posted by Christopher Mitchell
- Representative Ross Explains Why H129 is not a Level Playing Field
- Representative Inkso Explains How H129 Hurts Private Businesses
- Representative Luebke Explains How Small Communities will be Hurt by H129 Outlawing Their Right to Build Essential Infra.
- Representative Rapp Explains how Time Warner Cable Stiff-Arms Small Towns in Madison County
- Representative Parfitt Discusses Time Warner Cable's Refusal to Serve Her Town Fully
- Representative Weiss Notes that Broadband is Akin to Electrification and Communities Build it Because They Need to
- Representative Weiss Offers Doomed Amendment to Treat Muni and TWC Equally on Below Cost Pricing
- Representative Faison Asks Why TWC Charges Less in Wilson than Elsewhere; Avila Claims She Doesn't Work for TWC
- Representative Faison Offers Doomed Amendment to Use FCC Nat. BB Plan Definition of Broadband (4/1Mbps)
- Full 64 Minute Debate of H129 on House Floor
We have isolated some of the more stirring comments from legislators opposing the Time Warner Cable bill to limit local authority to build, own, or operate their own broadband networks. These come from the floor of the House of Representatives when the House voted to approve the bill and send it to the Senate.
It is worth noting that a variety of Republicans, particuarly from rural areas, had supported community rights over Time Warner Cable in some of the committee discussions around this bill. But in the end, not a single Republican stood with local authority in this matter -- they all chose to overrule local decision-making with a one-size-fits-all approach from Raleigh that greatly favors massive companies like Time Warner Cable and CenturyLink.
Below, we have created bite-size chunks of speeches that capture some of the key arguments presented by those seeking to defend local authority.