Group Charges North Carolina House Bill Would Cripple Muni WiFI,

June 5, 2007

A North Carolina bill that detractors say would thwart publicly owned WiFi networks will be brought to a vote in a North Carolina House Public Utility Committee hearing tomorrowi.

HB 1587 would, according to its critics such as MuniWireless, require these enterprises "to be cash-flow positive in four years – a requirement that the private sector cannot come close to meeting in large-scale projects.."

MuniWireless notes that if the bill passes, it goes to the Finance Committee. If it passes out of Finance, it must go to the full (North Carolina State) House. If it passes in the House, it goes to the (North Carolina) Senate, to committee(s) to be designated, and then it goes to the full Senate. If the Senate passes a bill that differs from the House version, the Senate bill goes back to the House for ratification of any changes to the House version.