Update on SB117
I’ve been getting a lot of conflicting feedback from folks both pro and con about Ohio Senate Bill 117. I still maintain that this is hastily crafted legislation that benefits Time Warner and AT&T and nobody else, but friends like Right Angle Blog differ with that opinion. While I don’t wholly embrace Bill Callahan’s anti-corporate approach, I believe that he is in the right on this issue.
The Ohio House is now investigating this legislation (which will likely pass) and should be put on notice that the citizens of Ohio are watching.
Wendell, thanks for the agreement. But what exactly is “anti-corporate” about the Cleveland Diary post you linked to from my name here? You know that corporations of various sizes and perspectives can be found on all sides of these bandwidth and utility issues. The corporate community representatives on the Digital Vision board all voted for our resolution opposing SB 117 as introduced. The angriest complaints about community cherry-picking in telecom broadband deployment always come from rural and small-town business managers. All these folks would be surprised to hear that their skepticism about legislation designed to advance AT&T’s current business model is “anti-corporate”.
Bill -
Thanks for your comment. What I probably should have said was “anti big business” (AT&T, TimeWarner)?
I tend to be more in favor of unfettered commerce whether on the part of the behemoths or the little guys, but I’m with you on this one. It’s bad legislation.