The Washington State legislature passed two different bills repealing the states ban on municipal broadband. One is expansive (H.B. 1336), and the other is more limited in scope (S.B. 5383), authorizing municipal broadband only in areas that are underserved. <\/p>\n
There was a rush to pass a bill to break the incumbent provider’s monopoly, and when presented with two conflicting bills, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed both bills simultaneously<\/a>, which means that neither bill has precedence.<\/p>\n By simultaneously, I mean that the Governor claims that he signed a bill with each hand at the same time.<\/p>\n First, much criticisms to the State House and Senate for passing two conflicting bills.<\/p>\n Second, I can see no explanation for the Governor’s actions unless he wants to keep this all snarled in litigation for the next few years as a way to suck up to Comcast and it’s Evil Minions\u2122<\/sup>, who will try to extract every penny from their monopoly rents int he interim:<\/p>\n Washington state went all in on expanding public broadband this year. So much so, that the Legislature passed two different bills aimed at extending high-speed internet to people in rural areas. <\/p>\n It\u2019s possible, however, that two bills aren\u2019t better than one. And they may partly cancel each other out. <\/p>\n Now that Gov. Jay Inslee has signed both measures into law, confusion is mounting about whether the two laws can co-exist. <\/p>\n And that debate may end up in court. <\/p>\n Both House Bill 1336<\/a> and Senate Bill 5383<\/a> give public utility districts and ports new authority to offer broadband internet. The idea behind both bills is to have those public entities offer broadband in remote areas where private companies don\u2019t operate because it\u2019s not cost effective.<\/p>\n But the authority granted under HB 1336 is broader, said state Sen, Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island. Rather than requiring PUDs and ports to focus on offering broadband to people who lack any internet service, the House bill allows the public entities to serve all customers, including people who can already access the internet through a private company, such as CenturyLink or Comcast. <\/p>\n \u2026\u2026\u2026 <\/p>\n Inslee\u2019s office hasn\u2019t done much to clarify matters. In an unusual move on Thursday, the governor signed both bills at the same time, one with his right hand and the other with his left. While most bill signings occur in public and are broadcast on video, Inslee signed these two bills off camera. His office didn\u2019t explain why. <\/p>\n