Politics

Politics

There are 1,058 posts filed in Politics (this is page 84 of 106).

Back from Fred Fletcher awards

Tonight was the Fred Fletcher awards ceremony, during which I presented two awards: one to Mordecai Historic Park volunteer Beth Cobb and one to Cub Scout Pack 314 for their cleanup efforts on the Durant Nature Park greenway. I greatly enjoyed meeting all the great volunteers and finding out about all they do for the city. And Fletcher Theater is a beautiful facility. The event was a lot of fun.

There was one drawback from tonight, and one I seem to get more and more. Travis was excited to see me (briefly) home from work and asked hopefully if I could practice basketball with him. I had to tell him no because I had to get ready for the presentation. He didn’t seem outwardly disappointed, but I felt bad about turning him down.

Community service is all fine and good but too often it comes between me and my family. I don’t want to be remembered as the dad who never did anything with his family.

House Bill 1180 will deregulate N.C. phone service

A bill is sneaking its way through the state legislature that will effectively deregulate telephone service in the state. House Bill 1180 will free telecom companies to charge whatever they deem necessary, without regard to citizens having any other choices.

Not surprisingly, the AARP is against the proposal, and urges its membership to let legislators know. If you don’t want telecoms having free reign to do what they want in this state (and we’ve seen how that works out, haven’t we?), please do the same!

Suiting up

If I thought I was busy the past few days (and I was), it’s about to get busier for me! Thursday evening I have my usual Mordecai House board meeting at 6, but will be leaving it before 6:30 on my way to the Fletcher Theater. I’ve volunteered to present awards at the Fred Fletcher volunteer awards ceremony Thursday evening, so I’ll be dressing up and introducing two award winners at the presentation. I get to stand in front of people and speak again: what could be more fun? Then next week begins my crunch week: East CAC meeting on Monday evening, Raleigh CAC meeting Wednesday, and Parks and Rec meeting Thursday evening.

Life: it doesn’t stop until it stops.

N&O covers broadband backwater fight

The N&O ran the following story today on the fight to derail H1252/S1004, the [Un-]Level Playing Field Act.

Cable TV fights towns’ fast Web links
The industry backs a bill to impede municipalities offering high-speed service.
By John Murawski – Staff Writer

What started as an experiment in a small tobacco community in Eastern North Carolina has shown how a local government can provide its residents with some of the fastest Internet speeds available anywhere.

Read full article.

Leadership Institute

I was asked to speak yesterday to the city of Raleigh’s Citizen’s Participation Leadership Institute class. Never one to turn down a chance to speak to an audience, I joined two city staffmembers and a fellow volunteer boardmember to describe my role as CAC chair and a member of the Parks board.

Though I arrived a bit late, spoke for too long, and had to leave early, I greatly enjoyed the chance to talk with some of Raleigh’s finest citizens.

S.1004 study bill text

Here’s [PDF] the text from the today’s committee substitute for S.1004 (the “Level Playing Field Act.”). Note the commercial incumbent-friendly language.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2009
S D
SENATE BILL 1004*
PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE S1004-PCS55370-RL-33
Short Title: Level Playing Field/Cities/Service Providers. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 26, 2009
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE REVENUE LAWS STUDY COMMITTEE TO STUDY
3 LOCAL GOVERNMENT OWNED AND OPERATED COMMUNICATION SERVICES.
4 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
5 SECTION 1. The Revenue Laws Study Committee shall study local government
6 owned and operated communication services. The Committee may propose legislation, if
7 appropriate, to regulate the operation of local government owned and operated communication
8 services. In making this study, the Committee shall consider:
9 (1) The private and public costs and the benefits of providing communication
services through a private communication services provider compared to a
10 Continue reading →

Online stories of the broadband backwater fight

Fast Company: Time Warner’s Antics in Wilson, N.C. Give Another Reason to Snip the Cable
Alternet: Suck It, Telecoms! Public Broadband Gets Reprieve in North Carolina
Zeropaid: Major Opposition Mounts By Eve of Municiple Broadband Vote
Independent Weekly: Anti-muni broadband bill will go to study committee
Loobin the Tubes: The Playing Field (excellent analysis of the issues and the bill)
Metafilter: The Playing Field
Best Broadband: North Carolina Broadband Bill Shelved – For now — State will study bill’s impact in more detail…
Salisbury Post: Bill to restrict cities’ broadband services sent to study committee
Greensboro News and Record: Municipal wireless bill and studies
Mobilejones: Time Warner Targets North Carolina in War on Consumer Broadband

Broadband safe in NC? For now, maybe.

At this morning’s three-hours-earlier-than-usual Senate Commerce Committee meeting, S.1004, the so-called Level Playing Field Act (companion to House bill H.1252), was sent to the Revenue Laws Study Committee. While it appears this particular bill has been defanged, I don’t for a minute expect Time Warner Cable to roll over and play dead – in spite of Time Warner Cable allegedly now claiming it wanted a study bill all along.
Continue reading →

Senate Commerce Committee member contact info

Here [PDF] are the contact numbers for the Senate Commerce Committee members. They will hear the Senate version of the “Level Playing Field Act” bright and early at 8 AM tomorrow in room 1027 of the Legislative Building.

Chairman
Sen. R. C. Soles, Jr. 733-5963

Vice Chairman
Sen. Floyd B. McKissick, Jr. 733-4599

Vice Chairman
Sen. David W. Hoyle (sponsor) 733-5734

Vice Chairman
Sen. Tony Rand 733-9892

Members
Sen. Tom Apodaca 733-5745
Sen. Tony Foriest 301-1446
Sen. Larry Shaw 733-9349
Sen. Philip E. Berger 733-5708
Sen. Doug Berger 715-8363
Sen. Harris Blake 733-4809
Sen. Julia Boseman 715-2525
Sen. Peter S. Brunstetter 733-7850
Sen. Debbie A. Clary (sponsor) 715-3038
Sen. Katie G. Dorsett 715-3042
Sen. James Forrester 715-3050
Sen. Linda Garrou 733-5620
Sen. W. Edward (Eddie) Goodall 733-7659
Sen. Steve Goss 733-5742
Sen. Malcolm Graham 733-5650
Sen. Neal Hunt 733-5850
Sen. Jim Jacumin 715-7823
Sen. Clark Jenkins 715-3040
Sen. Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. 715-3001
Sen. William R. Purcell 733-5953
Sen. Bob Rucho 733-5655
Sen. Josh Stein 715-6400
Sen. Richard Stevens 733-5653
Sen. Don Vaughan 733-5856