House Bill 23 Gets Rural Georgia Up to Speed

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

The residents of rural Georgia have been on the minds of the legislators who serve them.  The passage of House Bill 23 should soon allow more Georgians to access to high-speed internet connections. As GovTech.com explains, the bill aims to enable the state’s 41 electric membership corporations (ECM’s) to provide internet service in addition to power.

While the state has its densely populated areas, like Atlanta, there are vast areas that are underpopulated and underserved. Power lines criss-cross the landscape, but cell towers may not exist outside urban centers. A Representative supporting House Bill 23 believes bringing the internet to all citizens is essential. Advocate Winifred Dukes (D) said, “Families and children are being left behind because they don’t have access to internet in our community. You have to have the ability to just ‘Google.’”

The bill received enthusiastic support in the House, though some members expressed concerns about potential costs for the internet service. Passing the measure without specifying minimum connection speed requirement was also pointed out as a possible problem. A similar bill proposed in 2018 failed when legislators could not agree on fair competition parameters, according to GovTech.com.

Speaking in favor of the ECM’s as internet providers, House Rules Chairman Jay Powell (R) said, “With more providers we have out there, we can increase the likelihood that they will provide service in rural Georgia. We need as many providers as possible in rural areas.  

On the flip side, Georgia Cable Association lobbyist Stephen Loftin cautioned, “The ability to harm a competitor is enormous when your competitor owns the essential facilities to get to the customer. We really need to put some provisions in place to prevent that harm from occurring.”

Approved by the House, the bill is now on its way to the state Senate.

February 20, 2019

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.