By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL — As the town of Chapel Hill prepares for the installation of an extensive fiber-optic network, officials here are worried that the real potential of the new high-speed network may never be realized.
The network, funded mostly through federal stimulus funds, will be used to speed up and improve the town’s traffic-signal system. Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said it’s an important step for the town.
“It’s been at the top of our transportation wish-list for a decade,†he said. But the new system also could mean much more.
For Kleinschmidt, the 30 miles of new fiber also presents a number of opportunities. One use would be an upgrade to the town’s intranet.
“It could really help our ability to communicate,†he said, with high-speed links between police substations and between the Town Operations Center, Town Hall and other key facilities. “We want it to be the backbone of a new system.â€
But with the passage by the state House last week of a bill titled “Level Playing Field/Local Government Competition,†the worry is that Chapel Hill may soon be limited in what it can do with its new digital capacity.
The bill, heavily supported by the telecommunications industry, sets up a number of hurdles aimed at making it difficult for a municipality to build a town broadband system. Supporters say it will prevent unfair competition with commercial providers, but its detractors say it will make it almost impossible for a town to offer the service.
Several states are considering similar bills, a trend that worries federal officials charged with ensuring the expansion of broadband services. On Monday, FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn called the legislation “a significant barrier†to expanding broadband access.
“This piece of legislation certainly sounds goal-worthy, an innocuous proposition, but do not let the title fool you. This measure, if enacted, will not only fail to level the playing field; it will discourage municipal governments from addressing deployment in communities where the private sector has failed to meet broadband service needs,†Clyburn said in a statement.
Kleinschmidt, who has been monitoring the progress of the bill along with a group of mayors and other local elected officials, said the bill is aimed mainly at halting moves by the towns of Salisbury and Wilson who want to set up their own broadband systems. Those towns, he said, decided to step in and set up their own systems because of a dearth of high-speed broadband in their areas.
Since Chapel Hill is a more affluent community, the availability of broadband is not as much of an issue, Kleinschmidt said. But the way the bill is worded may mean that the fiber the town is installing could be used only for the new traffic system.
“We want to be able to maximize the fiber we’re putting in,†he said. “We’re worried about whether we’re going to be able to use it. This could be a huge wasted opportunity.
Kleinschmidt said he is also pushing against the bill because it represents another example of the state holding back local communities from stepping in if their citizens are being underserved.
“It’s another attempt to handcuff us from providing a full array of services,†he said.