Congressman Sessions (R-TX) wants to limit muni wi-fi networks

[XanaDUer]

June 03, 2005

Federal Anti-Municipal Wi-Fi Bill Introduced

By Mobile Pipeline Staff Mobile Pipeline

A Texas Congressman has introduced a bill that impose a nationwide prohibition on municipally-sponsored networks.
Dubbed by the Author, Representative Pet Sessions (R-Texas), the Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005, the bill prohibits state and local governments from providing any telecommunications or information service that is "substantially similar" to services provided by private companies.

The bill, HR 2726, is similar to a host of state bills pushed by telecommunications companies aimed at fending off municipally-run wireless networks. Some of those bills, most recently one in Texas, have been stalled in state legislatures.



http://www.mobilepipeline.com/164300100

[villager]

1. The "Preserving Telecom Profit Act of 2005?"

I can't even write what I think of these bagmen scum in a public forum like this...

On edit:

The congressfilth is "is a former employee of Southwestern Bell and Bell Labs. The bill will first be considered by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce."

[bpilgrim]

2. the BROADBAND lobbies at work

can't have NO ONE learn'n NUTT'N for FREE, thats COMMUNIST just like then commie LIBRARIES!

peace

(jk of course)

[XanaDUer]

7. Yup, liberries hold all sorts 'o subversive info

...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. PITA

How appropriate.

[XanaDUer]

12. Kick.

.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

4. these people are fucking insane

"Pet" Sessions? is that a real name or is that his idea of a good time?

[XanaDUer]

5. Well...

http://www.armchairsubversive.com/

[SlavesandBulldozers]

9. great link

thanks! now i feel sick.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. This is blatantly racist and classist, in my estimation.

Muni wifi would be a great thing for this country. The cost wireless hardware is going down every day. Add to that donated computers with wifi capability needing only the addition of a wifi card, and we could have internet access in areas populated by people for whom internet access charges, even for fialup, are too costly to afford.

Muni wifi would make the internet accessible to everyone. And that's a good thing.

Fuck these anti access people.

[Liberal In Texas]

8. Sessions is a dick. If the cons have their way long enough, we're going..

...to be paying for a lot of things we now have for "free"...as part of the service our taxes pay for.

Things like highways, museums, parks, librarys, and probably eventually the internet. They've pretty much sewn up the airwaves, can the net be far behind?

Privatization: * has said he wants an ownership society; but he didn't tell us that the wealthy are going to be the owners.

[XanaDUer]

11. Santorum and his weather service

Oh yeah, the "ownership" society.

[jburton]

10. This is because SBC didn't win in the Texas Lege

A similar anti-muni bill failed in the TX Legislature this past session. I guess SBC decided now they'll try to get their pal Pete Sessions to help them out in DC.

FYI: Sessions is a former manager for what is now SBC, and is currently a recipient of SBC campaign $$$.

[cthrumatrix]

13. and where is the media on this blatant BS????????????

[alarimer]

14. There was a segment on NOW a while back

Dealing with a small town (can't remember the state) who could NOT get internet access any other way than doing it themselves. Businesses were suffering by not having email or a way to process orders quickly. But, get this, the big telco and cable companies would NOT wire the town. Said they couldn't profit from it. Just like rural electrification, actually. Companies wouldn't wire rural areas because they thgouht farmers wouldn't be able to pay the bill.

[derby378]

15. If Martin Frost wasn't such a wuss during the election...

...we wouldn't be having this problem right now.

Frost seriously underestimated Sessions and the Dallas GOP machine, and his campaign discouraged local activists from turning the heat up a notch.