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Battle For Broadband In Bradley Top 2016 Newsmaker
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Bradley County is the neighbor that time forgot in Tennessee. It sits adjacent to Hamilton County and just a short trek from Chattanooga’s EPB Fiber Optics, but state law forbids the utility from serving residents and businesses there. The Cleveland Daily Banner has followed the broadband struggles in Bradley County and ranked the “Battle for broadband” in the top 10 Newsmakers for 2016.
And So They Wait...And Wait...And Wait
“There are constituents in my district that have waited 20 years [for broadband access],” state Rep. Dan Howell said in February. “What if you had to wait 20 years to get electricity even when they had it next door? That’s what broadband is today.”
The editors and staff writers of the Daily Banner chose the Top 10 and in a recent article described how the fight started years ago and continues today. They review the FCC’s 2015 ruling that preempted state laws preventing EPB expansion into Bradley County and elsewhere and how the 6th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed the decision, which crushed locals’ high hopes.
Bradley County residents have not given up, however. They’ve met with outgoing FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and have pressed state lawmakers to remove the barrier that keeps them in the last century. A state bill, introduced by Rep. Kevin Brooks, could not get past the House Business and Utilities subcommittee, but the people in Bradley County press on because they have no other option.
And Wait Some More
Their experiences have left them a little jaded; when AT&T announced in August that it would begin serving parts of Bradley County with Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), state legislators working on the issue scoffed. They’ll believe it when they see it; us too.
Even if national providers DO decide to invest in Bradley County, it’s not likely that everyone will be able to take advantage of better connections:
Christopher Bivens lives within three-tenths of a mile of Paul Huff Parkway and said he can see the Fresh n’ Low building from his front porch.
He noted all the businesses in that plaza have Charter Business Internet service.
"Charter wants $1,100 to run cable 500 feet to my house," Bivens said. "To say I am frustrated is an understatement."
Photo of the Bradley County Courthouse by Brian Stansberry (Own work) CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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