The Case Against Public Broadband

Municipal networking is the latest confidence game to hit the street. A real razzle-dazzle, fast-talking, high-tech, keep-your-eye-on-the-peanut kind of pyramid scheme that keeps the intended marks – consumers and taxpayers – so mesmerized by the prospect of getting something for nothing that they don’t see their wallets being lifted until it is too late.

This isn’t the first time that cash-strapped municipalities have cast greedy eyes on private markets. There was a time that street lighting, health care, public transportation and even electrical power were provided by competing private companies. But when cities are no longer able to squeeze consumers for more tax dollars, they seize control of the most lucrative businesses they can find within the city limits.

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