I Will Set Aside my Skepticism ……… For Now

In what amounts to a major change in policy, Obama appears to have to endorsed municipal owned and run broadband networks:

U.S. President Barack Obama said laws that impede local governments from bringing competitively priced, high-speed Internet to their residents hold back businesses and raise prices for consumers.

Obama used the the well-wired city of Cedar Falls, Iowa, which he said provides broadband access that’s almost 100 times faster than the national average, as an example for the rest of the country and to urge repeal of laws the prevent communities from creating their own networks.

“High-speed broadband isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity,” Obama on Wednesday told an audience at Cedar Falls Utilities, which has extended fiber lines capable of high Internet speeds to all local residences and businesses. “This is about helping local businesses grow, prosper and compete in a global economy.”

The president is urging the Federal Communications Commission to address barriers that keep communities from building their own broadband networks. His remarks were intended to touch on one of the messages he’ll deliver in his State of the Union address to the nation next week.

While the FCC might rule on this, the chance of any meaningful legislation from a Republican Congress is about the same as Ayman al-Zawahiri becoming a contributing editor at Charlie Hebdo.

Truth be told, I really don't expect any significant moves on this issue, given the obvious heat that he and the FCC will take on net neutrality.