Instead of competing, Time Warner Cable is pushing for legislation that would cripple community broadband efforts in North Carolina. According to city officials, the new law, crafted by lobbyists, would bog the city's FTTH service down in restrictions and prohibit them from using broadband stimulus funds. Restrictions that wouldn't apply to regional incumbents Time Warner Cable and Embarq.

With a vote on Time Warner Cable's law set for tomorrow morning, a number of large corporations, including Google, Alcatel-Lucent and Intel have stepped forward to oppose the bill. The companies argue that the bill harms both the public and private sectors, by limiting regional connectivity, small business growth, and the development of bandwidth-dependent services. From the letter:This is the second time Time Warner Cable lobbyists have pushed for a municipal broadband ban in this state, where several cities now offer symmetrical fiber to the home service that's superior to Time Warner Cable service. The recent backlash against their efforts to impose metered billing on customers brought added attention to this new effort, but it's not clear if it's enough to prevent the bill from being passed. Such bills have been passed in more than a dozen states over the last decade under the pretense of "protecting consumers."

Indyweek profiles one of the sponsors of the bill, Democratic North Carolina Rep Ty Harrell. Harrell seems strangely surprised by the negative public reaction to the bill. He admits he had no knowledge of the 2007 debate, and seems similarly unaware of the negative aspects of his own legislation. In other words, Harrell appears to have been little more than a rubber stamp on a bill crafted solely to protect Time Warner Cable revenues.

The bill will be voted on tomorrow morning at 10 AM EST in room 1228 of the legislative building on Jones Street in Raleigh. Local concerned Carolina residents are encouraged to attend.