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The "Center for Public Integrity" has collected some examples of the robocalls, direct-mail brochures and newspapers ads that are being used by telcos and lobby groups to encourage people to vote against municipal broadband initiatives in their area.
They emphasise the "government takeover of telecommunications" and "risking taxpayers money" aspects of these proposed municipal networks. I didn't see any mention of the far greater risk, which is that these networks might work out exactly as intended and therefore take revenue away from the companies who are sponsoring these "no" campaigns. But then again, the examples posted are not the complete brochures, so I can't say for certain this wasn't mentioned.
Does anyone have real life experience with municipal broadband that they can share? Should we be thanking these companies for spending their hard-earned money warning us of the dangers?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 02 2014, @08:21AM
No way! What's next, roads need repaving too? Why can't everything always last forever like they did in the good old times of the Roman Empire, praise Caesar!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Tuesday September 02 2014, @01:25PM
All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, public order, the fresh water system, fire prevention, and public health, what has the municipal government ever done for us?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.