New Maine Law Would Restrict Community Broadband Networks A new bill being pushed by Maine Representative Nate Wadsworth would restrict Maine towns and cities looking to improve regional broadband competition. According to the Portland Press Herald, the bill would make it "virtually impossible" for towns and cities to build and operate their own broadband networks -- even in locations incumbent broadband providers refuse to serve.

The bill would join around twenty other state protectionist laws -- most of which are directly written by ISP lobbyists -- intended to keep the uncompetitive broadband status quo in check. A large number of these bills, this new Maine effort included, are crafted by an organization named ALEC -- which helps large ISPs ghost write legislation. The bills are then pushed through state legislatures by lawmakers that consistently lament "burdensome regulations" -- apparently unless said regulations are written and crafted by giant broadband providers. In most instances, the names of the bills are a total 180 from what they actually accomplish. Wadsworth's new Maine law, for example, is named "An Act To Encourage Broadband Development through Private Investment" -- when the act itself does, well, the opposite of encouraging broadband development. Wadsworth is, not coincidentally, listed as a state chair for ALEC. Locals obviously aren't keen on giant broadband providers like Frontier telling them what they can and cannot do. Especially in a state already ranked 49th in terms of broadband speed and availability. "I can guarantee you if this bill moves forward, they will hear from an awful lot of very angry people," one Islesboro residents tells the paper. "Maine people are self-reliant, but island people are very self-reliant. When the boat stops at the end of the day, we take care of each other, and if somebody comes in from the outside and says we can’t take care of ourselves, that message won’t go over well." Interested users can find a full text of the bill Interested users can find a full text of the bill here







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Most recommended from 34 comments



ctaranto

join:2011-12-14

MA 14 recommendations ctaranto Member As beautiful as Maine is... Their government is a sh1tsh0w. KraziJoe

join:2006-09-08

Limington, ME 9 recommendations KraziJoe Member Grrrrr Grrrrrr...Grrrrr

Grrrr. GRRRRR!!!!

Anon37e3c

@2602:100.x 6 recommendations Anon37e3c Anon Don't get this In areas where there is no other provider and will never bee those areas will fall behind which means that state falls behind. Why would la state want to fall behind? make ZERO sense. What state doesn't want to be the best state? Where is the sense of pride in Republicans? No desire to strive to be the best? Who is happy being mediocre?

WHT

join:2010-03-26

Rosston, TX 4 recommendations WHT Member New Meaning.. "Remember the Maine" takes on a new meaning. DeLiver

Premium Member

join:2004-09-01

Cincinnatus, NY Actiontec F2250

(Software) pfSense

4 recommendations DeLiver Premium Member Frontier? "Locals obviously aren't keen on giant broadband providers like Frontier telling them what they can and cannot do. Especially in a state already ranked 49th in terms of broadband speed and availability. "



I thought Maine was primarily Fairpoint territory. Kearnstd

Space Elf

Premium Member

join:2002-01-22

Mullica Hill, NJ 3 recommendations Kearnstd Premium Member These laws would not be bad if.... The ban could only be applied in areas with no less than three 1000/1000mbit providers serving all addresses.



Naturally these laws should not exist at all but if one had to compromise add deployment requirements and have zero loopholes. Any community without three symmetrical gigabit providers capable of providing to all addresses would be exempt from the ban.

Dominokat

"Hi"

Premium Member

join:2002-08-06

Boothbay, ME 3 recommendations Dominokat Premium Member The bill died



»www.pressherald.com/2017 ··· nternet/ The Maine legislatures gave a big thumbs down.

buzz_4_20

join:2003-09-20

Biddeford, ME 2 recommendations buzz_4_20 Member Competition.... Now that's funny.

I can get, Spectrum, that's it, don't even have cell service in my town.