Iowa towns split on muni broadband

Voters in Iowa split in their support of municipal broadband in votes cast yesterday in 32 mostly small towns. Seventeen communities voted to create municipal communications utilities, while 15 voted against them, according to the Des Moine Register.

The measures passed in large towns such as Dubuque, Mason City and Hampton. It failed in Des Moines area towns such as Altoona, Carlisle, Norwalk and Windsor Heights. Seven of the communities in which the measure failed are served by Iowa Telecom, according to the Register.

Tuesday’s votes only authorize the creation of municipal broadband utilities; they do not create municipal broadband projects. Clark McLeod, the former telecom executive who last year formed Fiber Utilities of Iowa to help cities manage public fiber networks, has described the vote as merely a way for each town to keep its options open. To move forward, cities interested in municipal broadband projects would next need to decide whether or not to commission a feasibility study and later vote on a bond issue.

In Mason City, where nearly 70% of voters opted to create a municipal broadband entity, nearly 63% also voted in support of a companion measure authorizing the creation of a board of directors for the communications utility, according to the Globe Gazette.

With voters divided, proponents on both sides of this issue claimed victory following the referenda results. In an e-mail this morning, municipal broadband advocate Jim Baller pointed out that a majority of the towns in question voted to create public telecom utilities despite a well-funded ad campaign opposing the measure. Mediacom Communications, the New York-based cable TV provider that serves hundreds of Iowa towns, was reported to have spent at least $1.35 million on an advertising campaign opposing municipal broadband. One Iowa newspaper editorial determined that amount to be equal to $4.75 for every person in the communities that voted yesterday.

In a statement issued yesterday, Mediacom pointed out that voter turnout was low in areas where the measure passed. “Today's vote shows that Iowans have serious concerns about using taxpayer dollars to finance risky telecommunications ventures to provide services already offered by the private sector,” the company said.