I apologize profusely for the short diary, I have to go to the airport then to the DMV (for the second time with the right paperwork... heh) immediately.
But I just got this email from the bring Google to Raleigh facebook group about an action the big telecoms are trying to push here in NC to throttle any municipal-level broadband projects... We need people who can show up to the meeting tomorrow here in Raleigh...
Until I can return home, I'm going to paste in the email I got this morning.
I'm going to leave the pasted email up, it says things so clearly... except for the correction about this being a State Senate committee, this is a General Assembly committee. Never mind </emily litella> Also added after the quote are links to directions on how to get to the meeting.
Hope I have banked enough karma to ask your indulgence... and help!
Please follow...
Also adding this link to a most excellent sister action diary:
UPDATED: Take Action! NC General Assembly to Vote on Outlawing Municipal Broadband She lists who to call to let your opinion known about this naked play to thwart the will of we citizens. Again, call those on the list, and consider showing up at the meeting... stand and be counted.
Subject: URGENT: help keep Raleigh's fiber hopes alive!
As you know, Raleigh's had its chance to convince Google to bring Google's Fiber to our city. Over 1,100 communities did, too. Do the math and you'll see that there will be many disappointed communities. Though we offer a compelling case, Raleigh may never see blazing-fast Internet.
Not surprisingly, the big telecoms want to keep it that way. They know that once users get a taste of high-speed fiber Internet service, users will look at today's cable modems with the same disdain they look at the dial-up Internet of yesterday.
It's true. Just ask our neighbors in Wilson.
To keep everyone in the dark about the benefits of fiber Internet, the big telecoms are planning to introduce legislation in the N.C. State Senate's Revenue Laws Study Committee tomorrow, imposing a "moratorium" on municipal broadband projects. The telecoms' argue that these projects hurt the state tax revenue: a dubious claim at best.
Here's where YOU come in! We need folks to be at this meeting to show that broadband Internet is important to our state. That broadband is too important to our economy to cede to the whims of monopolies. Like the public roads that nurture brick-and-mortar businesses, municipal broadband Internet can be the lifeblood of local economies.
If you'd like to take part, the meeting will take place in the N.C. Legislative Office Building, room 544 on Wednesday, April 21st at 9:30 AM. Come early to get a seat and bring a friend if you'd like. You don't have to speak: just you're being there will make the case.
Also, you may consider joining the Communities United for Broadband Facebook Group, which is covering this issue closely: http://www.facebook.com/...
Another good Facebook group is Broadband for Everyone: http://www.facebook.com/...
High speed fiber Internet: we've already seen we can't count on the incumbent, monopoly telcos to bring it to us and we can't count on Google to bring it to us, and we CERTAINLY can't let the big telcos take away our ability to do it for ourselves.
Please attend Wednesday's meeting if you can and help keep Raleigh's broadband hopes alive.
Directions here to the Legislative Office Building (which apparently is next to the Legislative Building).