Republican fight against municipal broadband heats up in Michigan

A state lawmaker in Michigan wants to prevent cities and towns from using any government funding to provide Internet service. Michigan state Rep Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton) submitted a bill that says cities and towns "shall not use any federal, state, or local funds or loans to pay for the cost of providing qualified Internet service." State Rep Hoitenga's bill does say that a city or town "may enter into an agreement with one or more private parties to provide qualified Internet service," as long as no government funds are used. Even with that exception, the bill could discourage cities and towns from pursuing public-private partnerships, according to an analysis by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Community Broadband Networks project.