We are proud to announce the Coalition for Local Internet Choice.
We are a diverse coalition of public and private entities who seek to protect the rights of local communities to determine their economic futures by having the right and opportunity to choose for themselves the best broadband internet infrastructure for their businesses, institutions and residents.
Why Local Internet Choice?
Modern Internet infrastructure is foundational to the economic futures of our communities—as well as the democratic discourse that thrives on the Internet. And meeting the challenge of enabling that infrastructure will require the engagement of all parties, both private and public. As Senator John McCain said on the Senate floor during the introduction of the Community Broadband Act in 2005, “As a country, we cannot afford to cut off any successful strategy if we want to remain internationally competitive.”
- Local communities have centuries of experience fostering public-private partnerships to stimulate deployment of modern local infrastructure and economic development
- Local communities should have the right to decide the future educational opportunities for their children and healthcare options for their aging populations
- Local communities, through their elected local officials, have deep experience in evaluating and making significant capital investments in infrastructure projects of all kinds
- Local communities have a 20-year record of using fiber broadband infrastructure to stimulate local innovation and economic development, including being the first entities to invest in fiber infrastructure to serve schools and libraries with gigabit speeds
- Local governments have vast experience in operating communications networks that support public safety first responders
- Local communities prioritize reducing the local digital divide and ensuring that no one in the community should go without internet access
- Local communities should decide their own economic (broadband) future
We’ll write more on each of these in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please sign up for updates on our website (www.LocalNetChoice.org) and thanks for your support of local Internet choice.
Joanne Hovis
Jim Baller
Chris Mitchell
Catharine Rice