Battle Emerges Over Future of Broadband in RI
Friday, March 18, 2022
Cox Communications on Tuesday announced a three-year, $120 million investment in the state of Rhode Island — with a $20 million focus on Aquidneck Island.
On Wednesday, a group of state representatives called it a “PR stunt," saying that the area would be "better served by municipally operated — and taxpayer-owned — broadband."
Now, the New England Cable & Telecommunications Association is firing back, saying New England is already "littered with municipal-owned networks that have failed and wasted precious public resources.”
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Telecom Battle Builds
On Wednesday, State Representatives Deborah Ruggiero, Lauren H. Carson and Terri Cortvriend “questioned whether the investment announced by Cox Communications will actually deliver the company’s promise of 10 gigabyte service across the state after years of underinvestment.”
“Residents of the islands have long had issues with slow, frequently disconnecting internet service, which is available only through Cox,” said the reps in a release. “While the three representatives welcomed the investment in broadband, they say the amount involved sounds like an effort to catch up on years of neglect rather than to propel broadband service into the future in the island communities.”
“It’s commendable that the incumbent cable company is finally investing to upgrade their infrastructure. When you break down the $20 million among four communities over three years, it is $1.6 million. How is that not routine maintenance that should have been happening over the past eight to 10 years? If they are really deploying ‘last mile’ fiber to 35,000 households as they mentioned, the cost would be close to $50 million. The numbers don’t work, and where exactly are those households?” said Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown, Middletown), who leads the House Innovation, Internet and Technology Committee, and who has been advocating for several years for broadband access expansion across the state, but particularly on the underserved islands.
In 2010, Rhode Island used public funding to construct a 48-strand fiberoptic broadband “highway” that could connect to homes and businesses all over the state. Building the “last-mile” connections to customers, was left to Cox, which now controls the infrastructure.
A recent study by Connect Greater Newport found that 40% of the populated square miles of Rhode Island meet the federal definition of “underserved” in terms of broadband speed.
Rhode Island is in line to receive at least $100 million in federal funding through the Infrastructure & Jobs Act for expanding broadband access, and could use millions more from the American Rescue Plan.
Ruggiero said the situation on the islands, and the newly available federal funds, are reasons the state should enact a proposal she has championed for years to “create a state council and dedicated staff in the state Commerce Corporation to more effectively advocate for the state’s broadband needs, rather than relying on the incumbent provider.”
“Now more than ever, the Rhode Island Broadband Advisory Council is needed for the state to coalesce around technology trends and create roadmaps for municipalities to access federal dollars and for how a private cable company can partner with a public entity for innovative fiber broadband over the next four to five years. The public demands transparency as the state receives hundreds of millions of federal dollars to deploy fiber broadband. We need to invest fairly and smartly to build an innovate future and I look forward to working with all our partners,” said Ruggiero.
Telecom Trade Group Fires Back
New England Cable & Telecommunications Association President Timothy Wilkerson fired back at Ruggiero’s comments on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, for the taxpayers of Jamestown, Representative Ruggiero is committed to an agenda that puts the taxpayers on the hook to develop and maintain municipal owned networks. What she hasn’t explained to the taxpayers of Jamestown is that once the federal broadband money runs out they will be responsible for upgrading and maintaining the system,” said Wilkerson. “Do Jamestown residents want to be calling town hall when their internet goes out? Who will restore these municipal systems after a hurricane? How many employees will be required to pay for these duplicative systems?”
“New England is littered with municipal owned networks that have failed and wasted precious public resources. To that end, we will continue to work with the McKee Administration and House and Senate leaders to ensure this bad public policy is never developed in Rhode Island,” he added. “It is baffling any elected official would be so critical of a nine-figure investment in a state’s infrastructure and it sends a terrible message to the business community inside and outside of Rhode Island’s borders.”
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