On December 2, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released a paper criticizing public broadband networks. By the paper’s own admission, the sample size used for its analysis was “too small for the data to represent all U.S. [government-owned broadband networks] reliably…”
Gigi Sohn, Executive Director of AAPB released the following statement:
The most laughable conclusion in this paper is that “[t]here is no gaping market failure in need of repair” by community broadband networks. Tell that to the tens of millions of U.S. households that cannot access, afford, or use a broadband connection. Community broadband networks have arisen because big cable and telecom companies refuse to serve some communities with affordable and robust broadband.
The “research” in this paper is full of assumptions completely unsupported by real evidence. It’s full of weasel words and meaningless phrases, e.g., that community broadband networks “generally lack scale economies, expertise and experience” to build networks, that there might be a “temptation” to “selective deployment and cherry-picking,” and that community networks are “likely to waste the resources they employ.”
ITIF conveniently forgets that big cable and telecom companies have benefitted to the tune of tens of billions of dollars from federal and state coffers and from the benefits of the use of local rights of way. Those same companies collected billions of federal dollars from the Affordable Broadband Program and are lining up for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds as well. To suggest that incumbent ISPs somehow operate in a purely private “market-driven” world is to ignore reality.
ITIF asks that the incoming Administration put its thumb on the scale in favor of Comcast and against communities’ ability to connect all of its residents with the network of their choice. Given President-elect Trump’s professed desire to tame big media and promote competition, AAPB urges his administration to decline ITIF’s pleas and allow communities to decide their own broadband futures.
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Aaron Alberico
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