Chicago, Denver voted to take broadband 'seriously'

Voters in several US cities, including Denver and Chicago, approved referendums supporting municipal broadband. 83.5% of Denverites voted to opt out of a Colorado state law that prohibits municipalities from investing in or building their own broadband network, opening the possibility of a city-owned network. Meanwhile, 90% of Chicagoans voted in favor of the city pursuing broadband internet connectivity for all residents, though that measure was also non-binding. The approvals of the referendums, while non-binding, show that a growing number of cities are taking municipally owned internet infrastructure “seriously” in a way they haven’t in the past, said Chris Mitchell, Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at the Institute for Local Self Reliance.