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From National Journal’s Technology Daily | November 29

Broadband

Verizon Defends Pennsylvania Bill On Wireless Web Access

by Drew Clark

Executives with Verizon Communications said Monday that they are working to assure Pennsylvania government officials that a telecommunications bill passed by the commonwealth’s legislature would not stop Philadelphia from offering wireless Internet access.

“We have been working with the city to assure them that we are not trying to put any obstacles in the way of them building their Wi-Fi proposal,” said Tom Tauke, executive vice president of Verizon. The city plans to launch free or low-cost wireless Internet access but has offered few details about future availability.

Earlier in November, the Pennsylvania General Assembly cleared a telecom package designed to stimulate broadband by the private sector but that would bar municipalities from offering those services “within the service territory of a local exchange telecommunications company operating under a network modernization plan.” Verizon, the dominant telephone company in Pennsylvania, lobbied hard for the bill.

[more…]

http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/techdaily/pmedition/tp041129.htm#3 or http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/techdaily/pmedition/2004/tp041129.htm#3

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