[CWN-Summit] Big ISPs seek to ban WCN

[Sascha Meinrath]

> Verizon and other ISPs are trying to push laws that would ban municipal 
> and community networks:
>
> http://news.com.com/2061-1034-5458844.html?tag=rsspr.5458935

Unfortunately, this is fairly par for the course.  I believe TX just bans 
community-owned networks entirely (but perhaps Richard or another native 
could clarify); and certainly what tri-cities faced (with SBC and Comcast 
spending tremendous amounts of money to defeat a local referendum on 
municipal ownership) is part of the industry's strategy.  In the end, 
these companies are terrified of market competition -- they know that 
community-owned networks would be much cheaper for end-users, and that 
their ability to extract profit from communities would be hampered.

--Sascha

-- 
Sascha Meinrath
President                 *   Project Coordinator   *   Policy Analyst
Acorn Worker Collective  ***  CU Wireless Network  ***  Free Press
www.acorncollective.com   *   www.cuwireless.net    *   www.freepress.net