Intel releases statement backing Lautenberg-McCain Community Broadband Act of 2005: Intel has been quietly and not so quietly supporting the idea of municipal broadband clearly in part because of their interest in WiMax, which the carriers in the U.S. may entirely ignore in favor of investments in scarce-spectrum 3G cellular data networks.
The statement from Peter Pitsch, Communications Policy Director, reads:
"Intel believes the Lautenberg-McCain bill strikes an appropriate balance between preempting state prohibitions on the municipalities that provide broadband service and requiring municipalities to operate in a competitively neutral manner under open, transparent processes. This framework should encourage public-private partnerships that benefit the marketplace as well as consumers. Intel looks forward to working with the bill’s sponsors and with other interested members of Congress to reach consensus on this important broadband issue." [link via BroadbandReports.com]