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| Let's get the facts straightI'm one of the primary sponsors of HB 1252, and I received an email that had links
to a few blogs following the Government versus Private Enterprise issue for high speed
communications. I thought I would share my view on the story being circulated.
I met with the lobbyists representing Municipal Cable companies and with Town
officials, and I listened to their concerns. We have adopted several amendments,
which address the legitimate concerns the government-owned
cable/broadband companies identified (CLICK here to see the amended legislation).
With the changes that address the legitimate concerns, it seems the folks opposed
to HB 1252 have run out of valid arguments and have resorted to cheap shots. The
story being circulated is misleading and self serving--It was posted by someone
who works for a government owned broadband provider and who has a vested
interest in expanding government competition with private enterprise.
The blogger says:
Here’s the part that really surprised me. Several times, members of the committee asked
bill sponsors Rep Ty Harrell (Wake) and Rep Thom Tillis (Mecklenburg) for clarification. The
lawmakers turned to a Time Warner staff member and an attorney who represents
the industry to speak on their behalf. You read that right. The sponsors,
elected by their communities, had to ask a Time Warner rep to clarify what their
own bill said.
Folks this is grade A certified BS.
What the blogger did not mention is that the attorney was at the podium in the formal
committee meeting, which is subject to parliamentary procedure. The attorney had
been recognized by the committee Chairman to respond to a question directed to
him by another committee member about how the industry viewed the Injunctive
Relief provision. The discussion regarded an amendment to remove the injunctive
relieve and the members had asked a representative of the industry to express
their position on the amendment. The blogger also failed to mention that we all
voted for the very amendment the attorney spoke against. The blogger knows how
the process work and he knows this is a common process. These are facts that can
be verified with a request of the meeting minutes/recording. If you can't
get it, contact me at thom.tillis@ncleg.net, and I'll make a request.
The person who posted the blog is the Public Affairs Manager for the City of Wilson
(Brian Bowman--check out his blog CLICK HERE). He apparently did so with the full
approval of the Town Manager and Mayor, since many of his posts were made
during regular business hours. Mr. Bowman is very familiar with the committee process,
so I can only surmise from his comments he intended to sway people to his way of
thinking through whatever means necessary.
I strongly believe we need clarity as to the extent government can compete in data
communications. There may be advantages to some citizens now, but I worry
about the long-term implications. Mr. Bowman's acts raises a completely
new area of concern for me regarding government-owned media/communications.
I do not want taxpayer dollars being used to spread misinformation that supports
the goals of government right or wrong.
Respectfully, Thom T.
Representative Thom Tillis
North Carolina House of Representatives | |
1 edit | Re:Let's get the facts straight The NC Anti-Muni BBND story hitting the blogs is not “misleading” or “self-serving” as Rep.Tillis calls it; the story is being broadcast so the public knows whose really behind this bill and sees the facts straight, since apparently there is alot in the legislature that is pretty crooked.
Anyone who attended last Wednesday’s House Science & Technology meeting would definitely say we need more accountability for our tax-dollars, but not accountability from local governments – accountability from our state legislators, whose tax-payer paid salaries should mean they are responsible to citizens and not to $17.2 billion out-of-state corporations named Time Warner Cable.
For instance, anyone who attended last Wednesday’s meeting was likely rendered speechless at the nonchalance of Rep. Tillis in openly accepting instruction from Time Warner Cable on how to proceed on the injunctive relief provision. A representative from the rural mountains of NC where there is no broadband, Rep. Haire, was trying to eliminate that provision. Rep. Tillis was trying to block Rep. Haire's efforts, knowing Time Warner Cable had written it into the bill to give the Company a presumption of having been wronged by local communities before that charge was proven in court. Time Warner Cable’s Brad Phillips literally stood up, walked over to Rep. Tillis and handed him a note. Within two seconds, Rep. Tillis raised his hand and told the Chair he no longer had a problem with Rep. Harris’ removal of the language and then it was voted on with unanimous voice vote. So who is Rep. Tillis accountable to?
Rep. Tillis also seems to have his facts “crooked” about why Time Warner Cable was up at the podium answering questions. Many of the committee members had questions which they asked of the Committee Chair (and lead sponsor of the bill), Rep. Ty Harrell. When they asked Rep. Harrell what certain provisions meant, Rep. Harrell appeared to have no idea and called on Brad Phillips, Time Warner Cable’s employee to answer for him. And when Mr. Phillips could not explain what the injunctive relief provision meant to the satisfaction of questioning committee members, he called on Marc Trathen, Time Warner Cable’s outside attorney. Trathen addressed the questions as only the author of the language could do. At one point, word has it that Trathen actually said something comparable to “we put this in the bill to give us standing….”
When the Chair could not explain his own bill and Time Warner Cable could, anyone at the meeting knew who wrote that bill…and who continues to write it. Rep. Tillis tells us that changes have been made to the bill which addressed local communities “valid concerns” and now they are taking “cheap shots.” Wrong. The bill prevented local communities from using any of the Obama broadband stimulus funds to build these broadband networks. (Time Warner Cable is not directly eligible for that money and wrote a cunning provision that eliminated local government eligibility because it surely gave local communities an edge in getting competitive networks built). Despite “Tillis’” change, (which no cities say they approved) the bill still prevents local communities from accessing this money because they remain subject to H1252, whose rate increase requirements, reporting and financial disclosure burdens make it impossible for them to offer “affordable” and “sustainable” broadband systems, two eligibility criteria for the stimulus funds. H1252 makes local governments treat the free grant money as if it was borrowed at private sector interest rates, and local governments must increase their broadband rates to reflect it as a cost. Higher rates make them dysfunctional in a competitive market – and who in the public would possibly want that – except for Time Warner Cable. | |
| reply to Rep Thom Tillis
Re: Let's get the facts straight Any rational person knows, no matter how much Mr. Tillis may protest, who wrote H1252 and what happened at last Wednesday's mark-up in the House Science and Technology Committee of the North Carolina House. H1252 would block all municipal competition in the broadband market in North Carolina and was written by and for powerful mega-corporate interests. In simple terms, Time Warner needs the cash surplus generated by its North Carolina systems to fend off the fierce competition being mounted by Verizon in the form of FIOS in New York and other parts of Time Warner's service area. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why Time Warner would like to block competition from advanced municipal broadband systems in a market that is currently served primarily by primitive cash cows.
And cry me a river over Mr. Bowman's blog!!! Why shouldn't Mr. Bowman defend and support the broadband system that the good people of Wilson decided to build through the democratic process? Oh, I forgot - the only constituents who matter are those who have been gouging the citizens of North Carolina for years - the citizens of Wilson be damned when there is a corporate interest to be served . . . . | |
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