White House Backs Cities That Want to Build Their Own Super-Speed Internet

Five years before Google Fiber came to Kansas City, the residents of Chattanooga, Tennessee were already enjoying the ultra-fast speeds of gigabit internet speeds. But those connections didn’t come from a private company like Google. They came from the municipally owned utility.

Chattanooga isn’t alone. Cities like Wilson, North Carolina and Lafayette, Louisiana have likewise given up on waiting for private companies and started their own ultra-highspeed internet services. But some community efforts have been stymied by state laws prohibiting governments from competing with private internet providers.

By Klint Finley

Full Story: http://www.wired.com/2015/01/white-house-community-broadband/