Cartoonist Turns Attention to Telco Domination of Wisconsin Leg

Friday June 10, 2011

A cartoonist turns his attention to AT&T and its allies in the Wisconsin Legislature, which is currently slated to kill a telecommunications network essential for schools, libraries, and local government. Why? So AT&T and its allies can provide the service instead, shifting local tax dollars from school teachers and libraries to AT&T. As long as AT&T can dominate state legislatures with its campaign contributions and lobbyists, we will see scenes like this:

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California Lawmakers Pass 6/1 Mbps Smackdown For Rural Constituents

By on Sep 29, 2017

California Legislators have turned on their constituents living in rural areas who want to participate in the 21st century online economy. What began as a move in the right direction - allocating substantial resources to funding high-speed Internet infrastructure - has become another opportunity to protect big incumbents.

Minnesota Broadband Grant Program Gets Funded, Issues Remain

By on Jun 2, 2016

The Minnesota Legislature has just approved $35 million for the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant program for fiscal year 2017, the largest annual appropriation in the initiative’s two-year-old history.

Colorado Bill Aims To Hinder Opt-Out, Restrict Local Authority Even More

By on Mar 11, 2016

When local elected officials in Colorado put the issue before constituents last fall, voters in almost 50 communities chose overwhelmingly to reclaim local telecommunications authority. Colorado's state law that strips away local authority, SB 152, permits opt-out through referendum.

South Carolina Cable Association Also Wants to Limit Competition

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 14, 2012

Many complain about gridlock in Washington, DC, but I sometimes subscribe to the cynical counter-reaction that gridlock is great. It is when the Democrats and Republicans agree that Americans should beware. Though this may or may not be true about politics, it is certainly true when applied to two of the most hated industries in America: cable television companies and DSL companies like AT&T.

Rural Wisconsin Residents Struggle to Connect to the Internet

Christopher Mitchell

on Feb 6, 2012

A group of rural residents living east of Madison, Wisconsin, gathered near Portage of Columbia County to discuss their lack of affordable high speed access to the Internet. These are people for whom slow, overpriced DSL would be an improvement.