• An article in the Mississippi Press found that despite billions of federal dollars and grant money allocated in broadband stimulus funding nationwide, Internet access is still hardest to come by in Mississippi and Alabama.  Click here to read the article.
• The Montgomery Advertiser writes about next steps for the Connecting Alabama initiative.  Read the article here.

State Members*

• Computers for All
• First Stop-Second Chance
• A.G. Gaston Conference
• Foundation Capital
• Birmingham Business Development Initiative
• Birmingham Business Resource Center
• Dickerson Management

How SB373 can benefit Alabama

• The market for which the current Alabama telecommunications laws were created has changed. Consumers have a variety of telecommunications options at their fingertips – VoIP, wireless, broadband and other technologies all compete for consumers’ business. State laws should change to reflect this new marketplace and encourage telecommunications companies to develop new technologies and further invest in current services and technologies.

• SB373 would help continue the vibrant, competitive market consumers now enjoy by offering even more choices and competition for consumers as companies are given an incentive to invest and innovate in both existing and new technologies.

• SB373 will help make Alabama an attractive place for investment and jobs. If all communications providers are given the opportunity to compete for consumers on an even playing field, they will be drawn to invest in the state. Consumers will be benefited by this new investment and innovation, not only by the dollars it would bring to the state, but also the greater choices and competition in services and service providers it would bring.

• This bill will allow companies to evenly compete for consumers and keep consumers in control of the market by accepting or rejecting companies based on competitive offerings and products.

• SB373 will promote and further develop the Lifeline and Link-Up programs in the state to encourage more usage and adaptation by consumers. Among other items, the bill will allow the Public Service Commission to initiate an auto-enrollment program for those who are eligible for Lifeline. This provides the chance to make sure all consumers who need this vital service are proactively presented with the opportunity to have it.

*Membership in Citizens for a Digital Future is entirely voluntary and does not require payment of dues or contributions.

Georgia

State News

• HB 168 passes in the Georgia House as announced in an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  The bill introduces a ten-year phase out plan for state-mandated subsidies intended to keep services affordable in rural areas.  To read more, please click here.
• An article in the Rome News Tribune discusses a stimulus opportunity that will help establish a fiber optic system to provide faster and more reliable Internet.  To read more, please click here.   
• Broadband funding allocated to Georgia in the Stimulus Act will help to expand broadband Internet access across the state.  To read about the latest broadband projects in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, please click here. 
• The Columbia News-Times announces the $13.5 million Broadband Technology Opportunity Program grant won in Columbia County, Georgia.  To read the announcement, please click here.
• The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports the passage of The Telecom Jobs and Investment Act in the Georgia State Senate.  To read the full article on updated telecom regulations, please click here.
• CDF Opinion Editorial in Macon Telegraph discusses the benefits of telecom regulation in Georgia.  To read the full piece, please click here.
• CDF Letter to the Editor in the Atlanta Journal Constitution discusses how broadband can be a “crucial job catalyst” for Georgia.  To read the full letter, please click here.
• A column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitutiondiscusses how Georgia’s telecom policy compares to neighboring states.  Read the article here.

State Members*

• Cordele-Crisp Industrial Development Council
• Development Authority of Bainbridge-Decantur County
• Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce
• Georgia Council of the Blind
• Valdosta/Lowndes County Industrial Authority

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Georgia remains at the forefront of Broadband adoption as a result of public policies that encourage buildout and investment.

• A 2007 State New Economy Index by the Kaufman Foundation found Georgia ranked highest in broadband telecommunications ability (Bob Keefe, “Georgia Ascends In Tech Index,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/28/07)

• In 2006, Governor Perdue announced a Broadband initiative funded through OneGeorgia Authority to ensure that Georgia communities have access to Broadband. A $5 million grant program to support broadband access in rural areas was established through that initiative. (”Education, Children, Job Creation And Public Safety Headline Perdue’s State Of The State Address,” Atlanta Inquirer, 1/28/06)

• OneGeorgia Authority supports rural Broadband deployment by using State Tobacco Settlement Funds to assist the state’s most economically challenged areas, with the goal of creating strong economies. (OneGeorgia Authority, www.onegeorgia.org, Accessed 1/22/09)

• Additionally, OneGeorgia’s BRIDGE (Broadband Rural Initiative to Develop Georgia’s Economy) fund supports county Broadband projects by providing a “competitive financing program to support deployment of High Speed Broadband in rural areas”. (OneGeorgia Authority, www.onegeorgia.org, Accessed 1/22/09)

• Governor Perdue and Legislature successfully initiated the Wireless Communities Georgia program in order to provide funding to local governments to build wireless networks in their communities. In 2007 at the Governor’s request, the General Assembly appropriated $1 million in the 2008 budget for the Wireless Communities Georgia grants in addition to the $4 million in the Legislature that provided for at least three communities to create Wi-Fi zones. (Alan Riquelmy, “Air Card Or Wi-Fi?” Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, 7/9/06) (Gov. Sonny Perdue, “Governor Perdue Announces Wireless Communities Georgia Grant Awards,” Press Release, 1/23/08).

*Membership in Citizens for a Digital Future is entirely voluntary and does not require payment of dues or contributions.

South Carolina

State News

• An article posted on Local Tech Wire found that statistics indicate that “many individuals in North Carolina, South Carolina and in Georgia don’t want or use internet at any speed.”  To read the article, please click here.

State Members

• Citizens for Sound Conservation
• Fisher Strategies
• South Carolina Action for Jobs
• South Carolina Agribusiness Council
• The South Carolina Association of Taxpayers

Customer Choice and Technology Investment Act of 2009

• Current telecommunications law was made for another time when competition in the telecommunications market was not as strong as it is today. Today consumers have the benefit of VoIP, wireless, broadband and other technologies in addition to traditional wireline phones.

• The current telecommunication laws should be updated to keep the telecommunications industry moving forward for consumers. Updated rules will spur further investment and innovation to the benefit of consumers. Companies will be encouraged to invest in and further develop broadband and digital technologies when they are no longer hindered by rules that were made for a different time and a different telecommunications market.

• The current system has the unfortunate effect of hindering new services and technologies for consumers, as the laws give no incentives for companies to invest in new technologies, but rather punish them by bogging them down with regulation that was intended for a different time and different telecommunications market.

• The Customer Choice and Technology Investment Act (H. 3299/S. 295) will level the playing field among all companies. This provides consumers with more choices and more benefits as companies fight for consumer business by investing in current services and new and advanced technologies to meet consumers’ demand. By creating a level playing field for all telecommunications companies, this bill offers South Carolina as an attractive place for investment and expansion of telecommunications business, which in turn will help the economy grow and our communities flourish.

• South Carolina stands to benefit from this bill as it would encourage further deployment and adaptation of broadband and digital technologies, which in turn benefits local economies and small businesses. By reforming old rules that currently hinder growth and expansion, South Carolina will give companies an incentive to invest even more in new technologies and service, which means even more technology options for consumers.

• This bill is voluntary for telecommunications companies. Its rules apply only to companies who “opt in”, which allows companies to continue to operate by the old rules if they so choose. For those companies which do not “opt in”, nothing changes. This gives companies the choice to operate according to the rules that they believe will help them better serve consumers.

• The new system proposed by this bill would allow companies who “opt into” this plan to be regulated by the market, allowing customers to have the control over what company wins and what company loses customers.

• When regulated by the market, telecommunications companies will have an incentive to offer the best services and technologies they can.

• The General Assembly has been the leading the way in creating a fully competitive telecommunications market in South Carolina for years. This bill is the next logical step in that process.

• The bill keeps the current price caps on stand-alone residential telephone lines while at the same time helping to reduce the state Universal Service Fund (USF) fees, which all South Carolina telephone customers actually pay for. As a result, consumers could see reduced monthly telephone bills when USF fees are lowered.

• Lifeline discounts for low-income consumers will continue to be available under this bill, even for those consumers that are served by a company that “opts in” to the new plan.

North Carolina

State News

• Forbes.com releases their annual list of the most broadband-connected cities.  Raleigh, North Carolina was number one on this year’s list.  To see the full list, please click here. 
• The Daily Advancedocuments the latest counties in North Carolina to gain access to high-speed internet.  To read the article in full, please click here.
• An article posted in the Charlotte Observer cited recent census data to determine that North Carolina ranks 40th in the percentage of individuals who report living in homes with internet access.  To read the article, please click here.
• The Dispatch tells of broadband grants given to Davidson County. Read this article here.

How the Consumer Choice and Investment Act can benefit North Carolina

Since 1995, the North Carolina General Assembly has worked to encourage a dynamic and competitive marketplace for telecommunications providers. The Consumer Choice and Investment Act, HB1180, provides another necessary step towards modernizing outdated laws that will allow the market to keep pace with the ever expanding variety of telecommunications options for consumers.

• Today’s outdated regulations are hindering consumer access to new services and technologies. Companies with the potential to invest in new technologies have no incentive to do so because they are currently encumbered by regulation that was created for a different time in a different telecommunications market.

• HB1180 removes outdated regulation and allows consumers to benefit from a variety of technologies, such as VoIP, wireless, broadband and others in addition to traditional wireline phones, from a variety of providers.

• HB1180 benefits consumers because they will have more choices and experience better service as companies fight for business by investing in current services and new advanced technologies to meet the demands of consumers.

• HB1180 will reform old rules that will give companies an incentive to invest even more in new technologies and services. Investment in further deployment and adoption of broadband a digital technologies benefits the citizens of North Carolina.

• HB1180 creates a market environment that is attractive to new investment and will keep North Carolina competitive with other states. Investment dollars will foster innovation and enable greater broadband access in the state.

• This bill is voluntary for telecommunications companies. Its rules apply only to companies who “opt in”, which allows companies to continue to operate by the old rules if they so choose. This gives companies the choice to operate according to the rules that they believe will help them better serve consumers.