The state of city-run Internet

There are almost 400 city-operated broadband networks nationwide. But their expansion is limited because 20 states currently restrict the ability of municipalities to offer or expand Internet service. The fight against city-owned Internet networks may just be beginning.

The Center for Public Integrity's July report illustrated how municipal broadband service, especially in rural communities, can help boost businesses and create jobs. It contrasted the experience of Tullahoma (TN) with Fayetteville (NC), which was thwarted from allowing its residents to tap into the city’s gigabit broadband network by state law. Tullahoma’s job market has thrived, while Fayetteville’s has stagnated in recent years. "And that’s the point, said Jim Baller, the Washington lawyer who represents Chattanooga (TN) and Wilson (NC) in challenging the state laws. “You are not going to attract a business to your community if what you’re offering is the kind of low level broadband connectivity that is available widely,” Baller said. “That is not the kind of infrastructure that is going to give your community or our country a competitive advantage.”