New Map Resource Details Barriers to Municipal Broadband

Preemption of municipal broadband is complicated – even states that have a concise statute to bar telecommunications services are complicated by questions about whether the definition of such services includes broadband. Rather than attempting to simply prohibit municipal broadband, many states have developed a series of requirements that municipalities must meet in order to offer broadband services and that act as a de facto ban.

A new map resource distinguishes between these types of preemption, reflecting three categories of severity and referencing the laws and policies in each state.