State laws mandating these public-owned broadband networks get voter approval through referendum campaigns used to mean near-certain death for any project. Kiss those days goodbye! Meet the winners who have turned the tide.
November 4, EIGHT towns and counties all passed ballot initiatives to return the authority to pursue broadband to their constituents. With 70% or more of the vote. Predominately Democrat or Republican didn’t matter. How did they do that!? Representatives of Boulder, Rio Blanco, San Miguel, Yuma County and other communities give us the scoop on how they pulled off these big wins.
We’re going to find out:
Are the political winds blowing heavily community broadband’s way?
At the local level, is broadband now a bipartisan issue?
What tactics were effective getting these referenda passed?
What happened to the giant telcos and cable companies?
What comes next for these communities?
Will there be a flood of communities rolling out their own ballot initiatives?
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