I am thoroughly confused. Here is some material I ran across which I think addresses this issue. It seems from this that the issue is whether or not to allow cities to provide fast, affordable broad band service to their residents. Would this eliminate the possibility of choosing a commercial provider, or offer the possibility of cheaper fast public service?
“ALEC, a right-wing think tank that crafts state legislation, is pressuring state legislatures around the country to ban cities from offering broadband Internet access. Nearly 20 states already have laws on the books stopping cities from providing fast, publicly-owned Internet access – and other states could soon follow suit.
President Obama just urged the FCC to make it illegal for states to block cities from providing affordable and fast Internet access–and the FCC is expected to make a decision very soon.
Many perennial funders and members of ALEC, including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner, stand to gain financially from these state laws because they eliminate the possibility of competition from city-run broadband services.
The FCC is expected to make a decision on President Obama’s proposal to protect municipal broadband on February 26. Before then, let’s make sure Chairman Wheeler and the other commissioners know that Americans want more access to fast and affordable Internet service, not less.”