On Aug. 10, a federal appellate court ruled against a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plan that would have allowed municipalities to build their own broadband networks, despite state laws explicitly prohibiting such buildouts. Such laws limiting government entry into the commercial broadband market exist in varying forms across 19 states. The ruling is seen by many broadband advocates as a blow to the vision of a future broadband market brimming with competition, and that provides cheap and equal access…