Community Broadband Ban Bill Ties the Hands of MO Communities

It’s 2017 and a lot of Missouri residents are still tortured by the lack of access to basic broadband service, and if a community broadband ban bill becomes state law it will remain that way for years to come. SB 186 is essentially a copy of 2016’s community broadband ban that eventually died in the legislature. Just like in 2016, many of the sponsors and promoters of the latest attempt to impose a municipal broadband ban have close ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and receive copious amounts of money from Missouri’s largest telecommunication companies. Some even win awards from the state’s biggest telecom lobbyists.