WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today reintroduced the Community Broadband Act, legislation that would preserve and protect the rights of cities and localities to invest in local broadband infrastructure. Municipal broadband can often provide an affordable, reliable option for many rural and low-income communities that continue to face persistent barriers to high-speed internet access. In Maine, the Town of Rockport and the Cities of South Portland and Sanford have successfully launched ultra-fast public-private broadband projects, with several other municipal projects under way.

            “In Maine, places like Rockport, South Portland, and Sanford are demonstrating that municipalities play an important role in creating broadband infrastructure that will help provide high-speed internet at affordable prices to businesses, schools, and homes,” Senator King said. “It’s this model of public-private cooperation that will open doors of opportunity and can help connect rural communities across the state and the country, which is why it’s critical that we take steps to protect local choice and support the abilities of the towns and cities to participate in locally-led broadband efforts.”

“Internet access is an economic necessity in today's economy, but too many communities lack reliable access,” Senator Booker said. “I saw this problem first-hand as mayor of Newark. In places where reliable, high-speed internet access is lacking, some municipalities have bridged the gap by investing in and offering broadband internet to their residents. But barriers to municipal broadband networks remain. Our bill will help remove these barriers by giving cities the flexibility they need to meet the needs of their residents.”

More specifically, the Community Broadband Act will amend the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to ban any state statute or regulation that prohibits municipalities from providing high-speed internet. By promoting and protecting choice and autonomy at the local level, the legislation would ensure that municipalities across the country – like Rockport, South Portland, and Sanford – would be able to consider municipal broadband networks as affordable, reliable options to help enhance economic development, improve access to education, health care, and other public services.

In effect, the bill would help reinforce that all options should be on the table to improve broadband infrastructure – through private investment, local and state bonds, and federal funding – at a time when three quarters of Americans have only one option for Internet speeds of 25Mbps and higher.

In August 2015, Senator King participated in the official launch of Maine’s first municipally-owned, open-access, ultra-fast fiber optic Internet network in Rockport. The “High Tech Harbor” project delivers Internet up to 100 times faster than a regular broadband connection to area homes and businesses. Since then, South Portland has announced that it intends to partner with local and private stakeholders to build a gigabit network and Sanford announced plans to build the biggest municipal broadband project in the state, a 32-mile loop that will extend the Three Ring Binder network and provide speeds 100 times faster than currently available.

The legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

The complete text of the Community Broadband Act can be viewed HERE.

###