The Roanoke City Council unanimously condemned a bill Tuesday in the Virginia House of Delegates that members say would gut the regional broadband internet authority in which the city and other local governments have invested $9.6 million.
The bill, filed last week by Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell, if enacted “will create de facto private monopolies that lack the incentive to expand high speed quality and affordable internet services to all areas of our region” and “place the city of Roanoke and its regional partners at a significant competitive disadvantage to other localities around the United States,” the council declared in its resolution.
“I’ll call it what it is,” said Councilman Ray Ferris in offering the resolution, “an effort by the legacy carriers to protect their turf. It’s crony capitalism at its finest.”
