Community Broadband Act of 2007

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 This article documents proposed legislation that is currently being considered.
Information may change rapidly as the course of legislation progresses.

The Community Broadband Act of 2007 (S. 1853) is a bill awaiting action before the U.S. Senate, 110th Congress. It intends to deregulate some provisionings of broadband Internet access, where municipalities may offer it to the public, either solely, or in public-private partnerships.

The bill would specifically:[1]

  • Set forth that no state or local regulation or requirement can prevent a public provider from offering broadband services;
  • Require a municipality offering high-speed Internet services to comply with federal telecommunications law or regulation that applies to all such providers;
  • Encourage public-private partnerships; and provide the public with notice and an opportunity to be heard before a municipality provides broadband to the public.

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[edit] Timeline

July 23, 2007 – Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced [2] legislation[3] to promote broadband Internet competition; to preserve the ability of local governments to provide broadband capability and services; and for other purposes, to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Senator Lautenberg was joined by cosponsors Gordon H. Smith (R-OR), John F. Kerry (D-MA), John McCain (R-AZ), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) in bringing this legislation in front of the Senate.

On October 30, 2007: The committee approved legislation[1] cosponsored by Senator Stevens to increase access to broadband services for cities and towns across America. This legislation would encourage municipalities to offer broadband services, making broadband access more affordable.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ a b U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. (2007-10-30). "Commerce Committee Approves Bill to Make Broadband Access More Affordable" (HTML) (in English). Press release. Retrieved on 2007-11-29. “Broadband services are essential to providing important educational and economic opportunities, especially for rural areas,” said Senator Stevens. “This bill would make it easier for municipalities, cities, and towns across our nation to offer broadband access to their residents through public-private partnerships.”
  2. ^ Library of Congress. (2007-07-23). S.1853, CR S9779: Community Broadband Act of 2007 Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
  3. ^ Library of Congress. (2007-07-23). S.1853-IS: Community Broadband Act of 2007 (text of the legislation, as introduced in Senate). Retrieved on 2007-12-04.