Two things President Obama left out of his Internet proposal that he’s hoping you won’t notice

It's what President Barack Obama didn't say in his municipal broadband speech in Iowa that could wind up having a huge impact on the fate of city-run Internet access. One of President Obama's biggest steps on the issue was to write a letter to the Federal Communications Commission asking it to intervene against state laws that prevent cities from building their own public networks. Supporters of municipal broadband say the agency has all the authority it needs to preempt those laws, under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act.

Critics of the FCC (including some within the agency itself) argue that it actually doesn't have the power to get between states and their cities. Some analysts believe that's why President Obama didn't bring up the prospect of legislation on municipal broadband; if the FCC's authority to act is being questioned, asking Congress for its blessing would simply undermine that authority further. Additionally, President Obama didn't make any specific pronouncements about local regulations, which worries some policy analysts who believe private investment (think the likes of Google Fiber) offer a better alternative than government-run Internet. But it's unclear what, if anything, Obama's promises on municipal broadband will do to make it easier for businesses to negotiate with officials at the local level. Although the White House will be expanding federal grants and loan opportunities for those who want to build more infrastructure that competes with big, traditional Internet providers, they won't help much if the would-be competitors don't find those incentives enough to overcome the annoyance of dealing with city officials.