Longmont's Future

Another piece of 'electoral communication' (the card stock is too tough for 'toilet paper') arrived at my door today, complete with a new set of lies from Comcast and their buddies at the Colorado Cable pressure group. (Remember - Look Before We Leap is so far ENTIRELY funded by the telecom industry.)

They already lied about Mayor Baum's 'support' for their cause.

The lies this time? That 2A gives the city "the green light to pour as much of your tax dollars as it needs into a highly speculative venture."

Blatant lies. Deliberate and unequivocal lies.

Question 2A begins "Without raising taxes..." which makes it pretty clear that there will be no tax dollars raised to support the initiative. Since the City only ran a $25,000 surplus last year, the claims that we would be pouring tax dollars into this measure are just false. If we can't raise taxes, and we don't have a surplus, then the only unlimited budget around here seems to belong to Comcast's PR Agency.

Do you believe Comcast's lies and its $1/4 million budget?

And Comcast - if you're reading this, next time send your junk mail on something a little softer.

In an editorial today the Times-Call, Longmont's local newspaper, came out in favor of allowing Longmont to re-establish its right to use its pre-built fiber-optic ring.

Their leader - tempered with thoughtful conditions (We expect a solid plan, due diligence, excellent communication with residents and public comment on any telecom proposal the city comes up with...) makes it clear that the time for the City to use its resource is now.

"Opponents of 2A, two years ago and today, point to municipal broadband and telecom efforts in other cities that have failed or not lived up to promises. However, we're no longer convinced that any of those examples are relevant to Longmont."

The T-C has clearly seen that across the country, fiber-optic rings are being deployed - at huge cost to some communities - because the benefits can be enormous. In OUR community, there is no cost - the ring already exists - and so there is less risk, less delay, and more opportunity.

"Another major argument of the opposition is that the city doesn't have a plan for how it will use its fiber-optic network if it regains the ability to provide services... that worried us two years ago, too. But the city has done a good job of enumerating the ways it could use its fiber-optic network, and its assurances are, well, reassuring. And we would be less inclined to endorse 2A if the city didn't have a solid track record of providing other utilities -- notably water and electricity -- and being fiscally responsible over many decades."

This vote of confidence in our local utilities is shared by the members of our community. Almost everybody I have talked to has the utmost respect and admiration for the work that Longmont Power & Communications performs. So - messages pouring in from candidates supporting 2A... the local newspaper... the local people...

Seems like Comcast is on its own, this time.

I recently sent a brief email to the candidates for the local election, and following on from Mayor Bryan Baum's response I am now posting the supportive views of Brian Bagley and Ron Gallegos.

Brian says:

"I fully support 2A for many reasons.  First, a city’s function is, first and foremost, to provide infrastructure to its citizens: roads, sidewalks, water, sewage, trash, utilities, etc.  The fiber optic network running throughout Longmont is simply another example of our city providing infrastructure to its citizens in the form of internet access.  Unfortunately, as a result of state legislation, the city of Longmont is currently prohibited from partnering with a private organization to use this infrastructure in any meaningful way.

The fiber optic network is ready and could be used today, but for the state’s having passed restrictive and quite limiting legislation.  Longmont’s fiber optic network is currently used by the city and Longmont United Hospital when it could – and should – be used for so much more.  The fiber optics network could generate revenue for the city while providing consumers with more options for their internet access.  One obvious demographic to be helped by 2A will be Longmont’s economically disadvantaged, as they will have cheaper access to the internet – internet that their children can use for school and parents can use for increasing their employment and their own educational opportunities.

Some say that 2A is unfair to private enterprise, as 2A will unfairly subsidize the competition.  On the contrary, nothing in 2A prohibits any company, including companies such as Comcast and CenturyLink, from partnering with the city.  Companies such as Comcast and CenturyLink don’t want 2A passed because it will make their world more difficult, as is the case whenever one’s competition is increased.  By passing 2A, our citizens will have one more option for internet service, and competition will grow more robust (i.e., healthy) as the citizens of Longmont are provided with more choices.  Will 2A hurt the larger internet service providers?  Yes, undoubtedly.  However, they only are hurt as any other company is hurt as the economic landscape changes and companies are forced to adapt – they have to step up their game and find a way to compete."

Ron says:

"I support the Ballot Question 2A the Fiber Optic backbone for the City of Longmont.

In 1996 the council which I was part of, approved construction of the initial phase of fiber optic.  The following council established community service, improving governmental and utility communications.

Since 1997 an additional 18 miles of optic ring was completed and 25 miles of fiber extensions.

In 2005, seven years after the community installed the fiber infrastructure; Colorado Senate bill 152 was passed.  It was backed by a few large telecommunications companies and resulted in the enactment of Title 29-Article 27 of the Colorado Revised Statues, eliminating the City's right to provide telecommunications services to its citizens unless a specific ballot question is passed by the voters reinstating that right.  It specifically restricts municipalities from providing “advanced services", and "telecommunications services" in Colorado.  These services are broadly defined, thus this bill effectively eliminates Longmont's ability to provide most telecommunication services to our residents, and businesses, including doing so in partnership with the private sector, without a citywide election.

Cities throughout the country are becoming more aware of the importance of providing access to high speed broadband to ensure their economic survival and quality of life.   High speed electronic exchange of information is as essential for globally competitive businesses and education today as having access to good roads, water, and energy delivery infrastructure.  Business today considers this access a high priority when deciding where to locate their facilities, making broadband access an imperative component of a municipality's ability to compete for employers."

Far from the ludicrous claims of Look Before We Leap (they published the names of Mayor Bryan Baum and his wife Stephanie as supporters on their website), both are actually strong proponents of a Yes vote on 2A. I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie recently and she was outraged at the claim that they opposed it.

Mayor Baum was kind enough to allow me to reprint his statement on his position:

 "I’m certain that no matter how much money is spent this time by the opposition, the truth will be heard and the voters in Longmont will make the right choice.

 I absolutely support of the passage of 2A. The Fiber Optic loop is an asset bought and paid for 14 years ago, and owned by the City ofLongmont but can only be used by a small fraction of our community. The option to lease the currently dormant bandwidth to private industry and non-profits is a win-win for the city and our citizens.

We’ll be able to offer exceptionally fast internet access to our citizens and businesses while generating revenue for Longmont. Fiber Optic access could help lure more primary jobs to Longmont and employees. Longmont didn’t land the ACE Park but we would love to have those Aerospace engineers call Longmont home by offering them Fiber Optic access to their homes.

It could also secure Longmont as a city for the second round of Google Fiber. Because we own our own right-of-ways, we were an extremely attractive candidate for Google Fiber to the Home. We held conference calls with Google executives during the selection process and escorted officials from Google around town during their visit last winter. The stumbling block appeared to be Senate Bill 152.

Passing 2A will give us back the freedom to maximize this important asset."

Tonight's candidate debates at Silver Creek High School were instructive in more than a few ways.

First of all, the good folks from Look Before You Leap - which does not advertise its backers - were happy to tell me where they were from. "Denver," said one, and "Boulder", said the other. By the way - they packed up and left early. I guess they had a longer drive.

They were also happy to tell us where the money was coming from: Comcast.

"Is Comcast behind your group?" Vince Jordan asked.

"Yes, they are one of our backers," came the reply.

Comcast and Look Before We Leap have already spent $274,471.65 trying to defeat Proposition 2A in Longmont.

The accounts, published by the city, also show that the biggest - indeed, ONLY - contributor over $50 is the Colorado Cable Telecommunications Association. The members of which are... Comcast Cable Communications, Optimum, US Cable and Rocky Mountain Communications. They have already contributed $75,000. So much for the 'Group of concerned citizens' that they use in their ominous phone calls.

Not a single red cent of that money has been spent in Longmont, according to their own figures. Our economy has not benefited at all.

The full accounting schedule is right here.

So next time you get one of their calls... or one of those nice young men comes to your door and tells you that the city will "make a mess" of 2A... ask them where they are from. Betcha it won't be Longmont. And ask them who their backers are. Because they sure squirm uncomfortably when they have to tell you that Comcast is behind all that money, and the kids they've hired to go door-to-door.

Strange bedfellows indeed. From Democrats to Tea-Partiers, Longmont Ballot Initiative 2A has united political foes against a common enemy: the cable companies who want to keep their virtual monopoly on providing internet service to the citizens of Longmont.

In this post, from the Longmont Tea Party the author describes the current statute as "this onerous law", while the Boulder County Democrats describe here that they are also for the initiative.

The Tea Party and the Democrats agreeing? What next, flying pigs? :0)

The cable companies who spent $245,000  in 2009 to defeat a proposition similar to 2A (incidentally, more than ten times what every other election in the city cost combined) are virtually conceding defeat already.

In their latest shenanigans, they threaten the City with a 'cease and desist' order for distributing a pamphlet educating the public on 2A - both the pros and the 'cons'.

Although five of each is printed, the Look Before We Leap group (not as catchy as Longmont's Future, is it?) are up in arms because, unfortunately, and I quote: "The city used taxpayer dollars to campaign with a glossy mailer, complete with high-quality pictures..."

High-quality pictures!!!! Oh no!

Oh, and this is the same George Merritt whose website lied about Bryan Baum's support yesterday. (By the way, to find out who he REALLY supports, click the petition above!)

Seriously - their objections are puerile and desperate. Their story is told in the pamphlet - the same old stuff, telecommunications is complicated, who will pay for this, all that stuff. It's just that our arguments are so much more compelling:

MORE HIGH PAYING JOBS

BETTER CHOICE FOR CONSUMERS

MORE COMPETITIVE PRICING

BETTER ACCESS FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT TODAY

A COMPETITIVE EDGE FOR LOCAL BUSINESS

That's what we stand for. That's what they stand against. So vote YES on 2A and support Longmont's Future!

Vince Jordan, one of the key driving forces behind making sure that Longmont re-establishes its right to advanced telecommunications services, has a letter published in today's Time-Call. Vince is working hard to ensure that jobs, cable choice and ultra-hi-speed internet are part of Longmont's Future... please join him in signing the petition above and letting the world know that you support 2A!

Letter:

“There you go again” (to quote President Ronald Regan).

Well, it has already started. The folks who spent almost a quarter of a million dollars in the elections two years ago to convince the citizens of Longmont that being able to take further advantage of the fiber network they already own and are using is too dangerous for them, are at it again. No doubt by now, many of you have received one if not multiple “robo-calls” trying to convince you that the City is going to raise your taxes as a result of a yes vote on 2A. The first three words of Ballot Issue 2A say, “Without raising taxes”, but, since the opponents of this ballot, (those being the two mega-corporations who stand to benefit from you voting against 2A), can’t come up with any good reasons against the measure, they are resorting to the tired old cry of “they are going to raise your taxes!”

Citizens of Longmont, from 1997 to 2005, we had the right to use the asset that the city owns, namely the fiber network, to the benefit of ALL of the businesses and citizens of Longmont. The same corporations that are trying to “buy” your vote again, as they successfully did in 2009 with their “No Blank Check” campaign, in 2005 were able to lobby for and buy a law that took away our right to fully utilize this city owned asset. What ballot issue 2A is asking is for the citizens of Longmont to take back a right they once had.

This fiber network, which is fully operational today and used by the city for city purposes, and in fact already benefits the citizens of Longmont to some degree by keeping city service communications cost low, can do so much more. Our fiber network can be used to enhance the three Es, Employment, Education and Entertainment, here in Longmont. Low cost communications is as much a necessity today as is low cost power and water. Longmont already benefits from the lowest power rates in the country and the best service. Why wouldn’t we want the same advantage in the communications network that serves our businesses, our schools and our homes? Do you really believe the opponents of this measure, the lawyers from Denver being paid for by Comcast and CenturyLink, (stated so in a recent Chamber of Commerce session by the very lawyer), and the folks from Colorado Springs being funded by the same organizations, REALLY have YOUR best interest at heart? Do you think these folks would even be here if they weren’t being paid by these corporations?

When the election was over in 2009 and we lost by a very slim margin and the city was then able to explain more clearly what we lost, many of you wrote to the editor of the paper stating that if you had known what the ballot issue was actually about, instead of the “No Blank Check” that you had ben convinced it was about, you would have voted for it. Well, here is your second chance Longmont. Don’t let the two mega-corporations “buy” your vote with robo-calls and the mis-information mailings that will no doubt start this week. Be informed and take back the right you had to an asset that you already own, to the benefit of our businesses, our schools and ourselves.

Vote YES! on 2A! Visit http://www.longmontsfuture.com/. Be part of Longmont’s Future!

Despite being an ardent supporter of 2A and improving Longmont's jobs market, Mayor Bryan Baum - along with wife Stephanie - found himself listed on a website opposing the initiative!

In a move that will surprise precisely nobody, out-of-towner George Merritt, representing the special interests that want to keep Longmont in the dark ages, acknowledged that "This is obviously a mistake... we'll get that fixed."

Makes it a little hard to trust them, doesn't it?

Ballot Measure 2A will give Longmont back the telecommunications rights that were taken away by the State in 2005.

Put simply, it will allow the City to partner with alternative cable and internet companies to:

• Increase competition and drive down prices
• Give greater choice to the Longmont consumer
• Drive job growth in technology-related fields
• Help those with poor access to the web get online
• Give local business a competitive edge