South Carolina has become the latest state in the union to pass a state-level bill that effectively makes it difficult, if not impossible, for municipalities to create their own publicly owned Internet service provider that could compete with private corporations. The bill passed the South Carolina General Assembly and Senate on Wednesday and awaits the signature of the state’s governor.
"It’s not an absolute ban, but it makes it pretty tough," Matt Wood, policy director at Free Press, a digital advocacy group, told Ars on Thursday.
Oddly, the bill also defines broadband as being "not less than one hundred ninety kilobits per second," which is pretty laughable by any measure. Municipal broadband watchers like Phillip Dampier also say that the bill’s passage shows the effective lobbying of AT&T, the state’s largest telco, who has contributed thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.
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