For Immediate Release
Contact: Deb Socia, Executive Director
617-251-8358
deb@nextcenturycities.org
Next Century Cities Supports Louisville, KY in Fight for Local Broadband Choice
Washington, DC (March 1, 2016) –Today, Next Century Cities, a nonprofit membership organization of 128 mayors and city leaders working to ensure access to high-quality broadband Internet for more Americans, expressed support for the member community of Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville recently passed a “One Touch Make-Ready” ordinance to reduce barriers to local Internet choice. However the local government is now being sued by AT&T, an incumbent provider in the area.
In support of Louisville’s work to pave the way for next-generation Internet access, Next Century Cities Executive Director Deb Socia offered the following statement:
“The 128 communities that are members of Next Century Cities support the principle that communities must be allowed to make decisions locally, pursuing broadband solutions that best align with their local needs. This is why Next Century Cities strongly supports Louisville’s right for local self-determination, recognizing the need to create innovative policies to spur investment and competition.
“This case is larger than any single provider or company; it represents a crucial opportunity to encourage local leaders to make local choices about how best to ensure fast, affordable, and reliable Internet access for their residents.
“We applaud the leaders of Louisville, Kentucky, a Next Century Cities member, for passing this innovative ordinance to improve broadband deployment and for the city’s continued efforts to make universal broadband access a reality for their citizens.”
A lawsuit filed last week by AT&T seeks to strike down a new municipal ordinance that would streamline the process of adding new fiber to existing poles, helping Louisville build next-generation broadband networks and improve Internet access. This common-sense measure has earned the support of communities and fiber providers alike as an innovative policy solution promoting both access and competition in the broadband marketplace. More on “One Touch Make-Ready” can be found in this recent Next Century Cities blog post.
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Next Century Cities is a city-to-city initiative founded to support communities and their elected leaders, including mayors and other officials, as they seek to ensure that all have access to fast, affordable, and reliable Internet. As innovative municipalities across the country recognize the importance of leveraging gigabit level Internet to attract new businesses and create jobs, improve health care and education, and connect residents to new opportunities, Next Century Cities will celebrate these successes, demonstrate their value, and help other cities to realize the full power of truly high-speed, affordable, and accessible broadband. For more information, visit www.nextcenturycities.org.