Obama Calls For Open Broadband Competition

President Obama

President Barack Obama is challenging major cable and telephone companies to expand broadband access by encouraging the Federal Communications Commission to pre-empt state laws that stifle competition for high-speed Internet service.

The Daily Mail reports Obama wants to expand access to broadband communications services, siding with local communities that want either to expand competition or provide municipal services themselves.

To promote it, he used a Cedar Fall, Iowa, speech today to announce that his administration will provide technical and financial assistance to towns and cities that want to improve Internet service for their residents.

'Today high speed broadband is not a luxury. It's a necessity. This isn't just about making it easier to stream Netflix or scroll through your Facebook news feed,' he said. 'This is about helping local businesses grow and prosper and compete in a global economy.

Obama detailed broadband plans this afternoon in Cedar Falls, a community that has taken steps to provide high-speed Internet to its roughly 40,000 residents.

Roughly 20 years ago Cedar Falls created a community broadband network. In 2010 it began a two-year process to upgrade to a full fiber network.

The administration's stance will put it at odds with major cable and telephone companies such as AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner Cable Inc., that currently provide Internet service, often with little or no competition.

Obama has already angered the industry by calling for new FCC rules that treat Internet service providers as public utilities.



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