Preemption at the state and federal level threatens local telecommunications authority, as we’ve seen in about 20 states. When state laws usurp local governments’ ability to decide how they improve poor connectivity, they disregard an understanding of local affairs that is unique to each community. Some states are threatening to take preemption another damaging step farther with super-preemption.

Super-Preemption: "Super" In A Bad Way

The Campaign to Defend Local Solutions describes the problem like this:

State legislatures across the country have gone beyond preventing local governments from passing common-sense local solutions. They’ve begun silencing local voices using draconian super-preemption laws.  These laws allow special interest groups to sue local governments and in some cases personally sue local officials for doing their job. These laws are designed to intimidate, bully, and chill government at the local level. This infographic highlights where these laws exist, where they have been recently proposed, and what their impacts could be to cities, counties, local officials, and taxpayers alike.

Mayor Andrew Gillum from Tallahassee, Florida, recently spoke with Christopher and our Communications Manager Nick Stumo-Langer about super-preemption for episode 17 of the Building Local Power podcast. He noted that local governments need flexibility to meet the demands of local constituents:

“There’s a nimbleness to local governments that I think people have an appreciation for. The legislature [is trying to] exclude us from being able to make any investments in that space for the greater good.”

In order to spread the word about super-preemption, the Campaign to Defend Local Solutions created an infographic to help educate lawmakers, constituents, and communities about the issue. The resource describes how super-preemption influences policy makers, giving lobbyists and their corporate or special interest clients' power. The infographic also shows where super-preemption laws are in place or are proposed. Lastly, the infographic suggests how citizens can get... Read more

On March 24th, Christopher was on episode 232 of the web show "This Week in Enterprise Tech." Christopher discussed the future of community broadband networks in the Trump era as well as shared information about the models of successful networks across the country.

Christopher begins his discussion of these issues at 29:45 with host Friar Robert Ballecer and guest co-hosts Lou Maresca and Brian Chee. Throughout the show, the group covers the beginning of the FCC Chairmanship of Ajit Pai, how the Senate is legislating against Internet privacy regulations, and how community networks are pushing ahead to achieve better connectivity for local businesses and residents.

The folks at TWiT.tv share excerpts from our video on Ammon, Idaho, and the guys get into a deeper discussion about the possibilities of local empowerment from community networks.

You can stream the episode at TWiT.tv, or watch here:

Christopher recently took some time to visit with John Hockenberry on The Takeaway from PRI and WNYC. The conversation covered municipal networks, big cable and telephone monopolies, and how local community initiatives for better connectivity are raising the bar in rural areas.

WNYC wrote about the show: 

Net neutrality advocates got some bad news when Ajit Pai was tapped by President Donald Trump to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission — it appears that Pai wants to largely reverse the Obama administration's approach to the Internet.

Large telecommunications monopolies have been digging their heels in, but some citizens are fighting back. The Takeaway considers the broadband debates that currently are taking place with Christopher Mitchell, the director of Community Broadband Networks at the Institute for Local Self Reliance.

Listen to the interview; it’s about 4 minutes.

Cape Cod is known for tourism, not for connectivity. The nonprofit OpenCape aims to change that. In In a recent Provincetown, Massachusetts morning radio show, Provincetown Town Manager David Panagore spoke with Dr. Michael Goodman of UMass Dartmouth and Steve Johnston of OpenCape to dig into the idea of better connectivity in the region and how OpenCape can make that happen.

Connectivity for the Local Economy

The first guest on "Town Talk" is Dr. Michael Goodman from UMass Dartmouth. He describes how broadband has become an essential utility for the local economy. Goodman's specific examples underscore the importance of Internet service for small businesses providing customer service. 

Lack of connectivity slows down everything, from sending files to running credit cards. High-speed Internet service from community networks has been a major boon to a number of towns. We’ve compiled many examples on our Economic Development page.

Open Cape’s Crowd Fiber Campaign

The Executive Director of OpenCape, Steve Johnston, joins the show to discuss the role of OpenCape in efforts to improve connectivity for homes and businesses. OpenCape is the nonprofit that built a regional network to many schools, libraries, and public institutions throughout Cape Cod. 

The nonprofit began a campaign this past summer to show how many residents need high-speed Internet access. To learn more about the OpenCape Crowd Fiber campaign, check out the Community Broadband Bits Podcast episode #215.

You can also listen the show at WOMR.org.