On September 16, 2021, Jim Baller, CLIC President, testified before the Missouri House of Representatives. He was invited to address two questions: (1) What are other states doing about barriers to municipal, cooperative, and public-private broadband initiatives? and (2) What is the federal government doing to accelerate the deployment, adoption, and use of advanced communications networks and capabilities? In answering the first question, Jim focused on various states that have recently repealed or refused to adopt new barriers to entry by local governments, cooperative and public private partnerships. He also noted the enormous financial opportunities now available through federal funding programs seeking to accelerate the deployment, adoption, and use of advanced communications services and capabilities. He added that, “It would be highly unfortunate if current or future state barriers precluded local Missouri communities from taking advantage of these much-needed funds.”
Jim Baller’s full testimony can be found here.