The N&O covered the municipal broadband fight today. While it does quote opponents of the moratorium like Rep. Bill Faison, it doesn’t challenge the statements of Sen. “Fiber will be obsolete” Hoyle, who obviously has little or no idea what he’s talking about. Hoyle has been comparing the debt of municipal broadband projects (cost: $28 million) to the debt used to build the Shearon Harris nuclear reactor (cost: $4 billion), a laughable comparison on its face. The numbers simply don’t compare.

The article also failed to mention that the state’s Local Government Commission has vetted all of these projects and declared that them to be on sound financial footing. And that until now Wilson hadn’t raised its pole attachment fee in over 30 years.

In spite of these flaws, the comments to the story’s web edition are running overwhelmingly in favor of municipal broadband projects. Clearly there is reason for caution before blocking them with a moratorium.