When a Chrysler service bureau in Scottsburg, Ind.
said that it would move unless affordable broadband
Internet access became available, the town's utility there
anted up. In doing so, the city was able to prevent 60
auto-related jobs from leaving town.
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Ken Silverstein
EnergyBiz Insider
Editor-in-Chief |
The case is one of many that the American Public Power
Association points to when it says that Congress should do
nothing to impede city-owned utilities from getting into
or expanding their current high-speed broadband services.
The ultimate goal is to provide universal Internet service
and not just to those areas that are economically
attractive and densely populated. Private companies, in
fact, are not required to deploy Internet services to
entire communities.
If munis fill the void, they bring with them some
risks. The chief concern is whether they would place
private firms at competitive disadvantages and whether
they would "cross subsidize" any telecom venture with
monies earmarked for providing electricity to consumers.
That worry has prompted about 12 states to bar municipal
utilities from offering any type of telecommunication
services. There have also been attempts to do the same at
the federal level, albeit they have failed.
It's one thing for municipal utilities to provide
Internet services to areas without affordable options.
It's another if they compete with the major providers.
Congress is addressing the issue now and may include
language in a subsequent bill that would give private
companies the "right of first refusal" to service a
community. In Scottsburg's case, Verizon said it would be
unable to create a ubiquitous Internet coverage because
the rural area was sparse and made it cost prohibitive.
Public power systems "are fostering a competitive
marketplace where consumers are benefiting from the
availability of advanced communications services that are
the lifeblood of economic development and which can
support rich educational and employment opportunities,"
says the Washington-based public power association, in
recent congressional testimony.
Private telecom providers say that public entities
could thwart privately-owned competitors who would
otherwise employ workers and pay taxes. Clearly, a lot of
money could be at stake. The public power association says
that of the roughly 2,000 city-owned power companies,
about 621 of them offer some type of high-speed access.
And the field will only expand. The Federal
Communication Commission reports that during the year
2004, high-speed lines serving residential, small
business, larger business, and other subscribers increased
by 34 percent, to nearly 38 million lines. The service
providers that report to the FCC had at least one
high-speed service subscriber in 95 percent of the
nation's zip codes, although this says nothing about how
much profit may exist in each venue.
Cross Subsidies
According to the Progress & Freedom Foundation, a
market-oriented think thank that studies the digital
revolution, more and more municipal utilities are
providing broadband service because they have already paid
off their embedded costs and have the cash on hand to
invest. And while it may seem logical to include Internet
access as part of a public utility's job, the foundation
maintains that it is not.
"This argument fails to convince, however, and
particularly in areas where broadband service is already
available," says Adam Peters, regulatory counsel.
Broadband "networks are private goods, and should be
supplied by private entities, with the possible exception
of high-cost, rural areas. Private firms have better
incentives and are far more accountable to their
'constituency' by holding down costs and making wise
investments in technology."
Municipal entrants into communications markets may have
several artificial advantages over those in the private
sector. Benefits may include tax avoidance and the ability
to raise capital through guaranteed tax-exempt bonds, says
Peters. And telecom ventures are risky, which means there
is a high probability of "cross subsidization" by more
profitable divisions of the town's utility. He points to
Bristol, Va., Kutztown, Pa. and Ashland, Ore.: All provide
internet service where private companies already
participate and all were unable to control their costs and
required some form of subsidization.
But as the Scottsburg, Ind. example shows, private
companies are motivated to enter areas where profit
margins are highest whereas municipalities are driven
mostly to preserve and expand economic opportunities. And
even in crowded urban areas, Internet coverage can be
spotty; depending on which side of the digital divide
citizens may live.
An opinion piece in the The Dayton Beach
News-Journal points to just how critical municipal
internet services are to Florida: The Jacksonville muni
teamed with a well-known children's clinic to provide
special broadband services to allow inner-city and low
income sick children to have weekly -- online --
appointments with their doctors. Gainesville Regional
Utilities, meantime, built a fiber optic network around
the city to accommodate the local hospital and state
university there.
The Jackson Energy Authority in Jackson, Tenn.,
meantime, is now constructing a complex to provide those
telecom services to its customers. It expects to have 40
percent penetration of the residential cable market in
three years as well as 26 percent and 24 percent of the
high-speed and telephone markets, respectively, during
that time. The project, which commenced in January 2004
and is expected to take 18 months to complete, is
predicted to be cash flow positive in four years time.
"The reality has been that local governments only spend
money to build systems when they believe a need exists,
and that these local systems encourage private companies
to deploy and invest in competitive systems," says the
public power association.
State utility regulators must establish rules to help
ensure a competitive market. It's a high-wire act in a
world where the race to offer high-speed access will only
intensify. But, if part of the goal is to bridge the
digital divide between the fortunate and less fortunate,
then munis must not be excluded from participating.
For far more extensive news on the energy/power
visit: http://www.energycentral.com
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