Ohio GOP ends attempt to ban municipal broadband after protest from residents

Re:Ohio GOP ends attempt to ban municipal broadband after pr... by edrxty on Tuesday June 29, 2021 @04:31PM (#27681326)

They're not unreasonable at face value (obviously, that's how the game works) but they're entirely in bad faith as none stand up to any real scrutiny. US political discourse is about boiling a complex system down to feel good talking points that sound snazzy and evoke strong emotions.

"government handout" leading language, no substance

various "expands government" also leading, still no substance/data

"hostile to business" obviously, that's the point. Private enterprise has failed here and created a number the most customer hostile organizations in existence.

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Re:Ohio GOP ends attempt to ban municipal broadband after pr... by JumpCrisscross on Tuesday June 29, 2021 @04:37PM (#27681409)

> they're entirely in bad faith as none stand up to any real scrutiny

The expansion of the role of government bit is not nothing. Yes, there is a cozy relationship between the federal government, many state governments and ISPs. But municipal broadband makes it much easier for e.g. the Louisville police department to influence how much of what type of information is collected on whom, and under what circumstances it may be shared.

I support municipal broadband. Any competition is good competition. But it's disingenuous to write off the concerns so quickly.

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Re:Ohio GOP ends attempt to ban municipal broadband after pr... by edrxty on Tuesday June 29, 2021 @04:43PM (#27681461)

Sure, but we've been fighting this exact battle against the entrenched ISPs for decades now (think MPAA, RIAA etc DMCA notices). If the ISP is actually "owned" by the people it serves, through the process of government these issues can be addressed directly instead of through a 3rd party corporation that has no incentive to fix anything.

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