Senate Committee Strikes Municipal WiFi Ban

HB789 was heard this morning in the Senate Business and Commerce committee. The commitee substitute was based on Chairman Fraser's earlier SB332, which imposes tests for suburban and rural markets before deregulating.

Chairman Fraser's committee substitute did NOT have any language about city-supported network services

Nobody testified in favor of adding the provision back.

Thanks again to Chairman Fraser for listening to his constituents in Belton, and other communities, in continuing the current policy of local control over the decision to provide high-speed internet infrastructure.

There is some chance the provision will be added back as an amendment on the Senate Floor. The next step is to communicate with the rest of the Senate, to help prevent a recurrence of the municipal ban amendment.

Special thanks to Adina Levin and all the folks at http://www.savemuniwireless.org. Her testimony which mentions the NETWI project began at 2:25:33 in the audio stream from the Texas Senate link above for May 16, 2005.

Now the battle moves to the floor of the Texas Senate !