Municipal broadband limits tucked into totally unrelated traffic bill in MO

The Missouri House of Representatives has passed a bill prohibiting traffic ticket quotas -- but this particular bill includes an entirely unrelated provision that would make it a lot harder for cities and towns to offer Internet service to their residents. The traffic ticket bill was approved by the Missouri Senate without any municipal broadband provision. But when it got to the House, state legislator Lyndall Fraker (R-MO-137) proposed an amendment preventing cities and towns from competing against private Internet service providers unless they meet certain conditions or have a municipality-wide vote. The House approved the bill, including state Rep Fraker's amendment, on May 2.

Missouri is one of about 20 states that already have restrictions on municipal telecommunication services, but state Rep Fraker's proposal would make it more difficult for cities and towns to offer broadband. The amendment was described May 3 by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Community Broadband Networks project, which urged Missouri residents to contact the bill sponsors "and explain how you feel about amendments that do not relate to the substance of their bill." Whether the final legislation includes the muni broadband provision depends on a conference committee composed of five lawmakers from each chamber. The Senate refused to greenlight the House's version May 3, leading to the formation of the conference committee. State Rep Fraker is not on the conference committee, perhaps a good sign for municipal broadband advocates.