Jamie McGee

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

The lawmakers behind a bill that would allow municipal Internet providers to expand said they are not going to back off and wait for study results on Internet access that will only confirm what rural Tennesseans have been saying for a decade.

“We don’t have it and we need it,” said Rep. Kevin Brooks, R-Cleveland, citing what thousands of Tennesseans have shared.

At stake is a bill led by Brooks and Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, that would allow for municipal Internet providers, such as Chattanooga’s and Tullahoma’s gigabit speed services, to expand beyond their utility boundaries. It would revise a law that restricts their operations, a law supported by AT&T and other Internet providers.

Tennessee to evaluate broadband access

House Speaker Beth Harwell said Tuesday that she expects the state legislature to hold off on the bill until a new state study on broadband accessibility is complete, according to media reports. The study is commissioned by the state’s Economic and Community Development department.

"My preference would be that the private sector take this over," she said, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. "We'll see if they can come to the plate and offer enough services to our rural areas. If they can, that would be my preference. If they can't, then I do think it becomes necessary for the public to enter."

Rural Tennesseans limited in Internet choices

During a news conference at the state Capitol on Wednesday, Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, said the need for improved Internet access is significant, but the state should not pass a bill that could hurt private companies in the long run.

“We don't want to force them out of business," Casada said. "If we allow towns to compete against the free market, number one, they will lose money and that's a drain on the taxes that taxpayers pay and, number two, it will force the loss of jobs in the free market."

Casada said there was “no doubt” the lack of Internet was negatively affecting commerce in rural areas. He said he was not coming forward with another solution for the homes that could be affected by the bill, but encouraged the use of grants for the free market to help them expand.

AT&T opposes municipal broadband bill

While the legislation has been filed several years without success, Brooks said new momentum exists this year with key committee chairs and members in support of the bill. A petition supporting the bill has gathered more than 3,000 signatures, he said.

“The momentum is gaining,” he said. “Legislators are hearing from constituents and they just want to get it passed.”

Rep. Dan Howell, a Republican who lives in Bradley County, said he is a stone’s throw from those accessing 10-gigabit-per second speeds in Hamilton County. He described a constituent who was told about 20 years ago by Charter Communication that the company would connect him the next year, and said that 1,000 homes in Bradley County could gain access in 120 days if the bill passed.

“What if you had to wait 20 years for electricity and they had it next door and you couldn’t get it?” Howell said. “That’s what broadband is today.”

At the news conference, a fifth-grader in Bradley County and her mother, Debbie Williams, shared their daily frustrations as they go without reliable Internet. Williams said she would like to work from home, but is unable to. To keep her accounting license up to date, her husband prints out forms from his office for her to fill out at home and then he uploads it at work.

“Why does it have to be so difficult?” she asked.

Lawmakers also pointed to businesses considering moving to neighboring counties because of Internet limitations.

Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, said the free market argument that lawmakers have used in the past does not hold, given AT&T’s acceptance of U.S. subsidies. The company was issued $428 million last year from the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund, with $26 million dedicated to rural expansion in Tennessee.

"I hear the private versus public, I hear the government intervention into private enterprise," Brooks said. "That's not what this argument is about. This argument is, is it not time and is it not fair for every Tennessee family to have access to broadband?"

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.