State bill could kill city Wi-Fi

Backers of a Philadelphia Wi-Fi project are worried that a bill going through the state legislature would spike a plan to blanket the city with free or inexpensive wireless access. (Thanks to Broadband Reports for the link.)

This seems to be another look at how big operators are trying to shut out competition that could help consumers, particularly those who can't afford DSL or cable access. Verizon Communications in particular is supporting provisions of the state bill that would bar governments from providing fast Internet services that might compete with private services.

This isn't just about Wi-Fi, although that's the provision that affects Philadelphia. More broadly, big networks are trying to kill municipal broadband networks of any kind, which are many small communities' hopes of getting genuine fast Net connections. If this bill passes, it will also catch Kutztown, PA, a successful municipal fiber project we've written about before.