FCC to Vote Chattanooga, Wilson Petitions at Feb. 26 Meeting

A source confirms that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler plans to put an order resolving two petitions to preempt state laws limiting municipal broadband on the Feb. 26 meeting agenda. He is likely to have three votes for granting the petitions and preempting the laws.

That news comes the same day the administration is sending a letter to Wheeler "urging it to join this effort [to promote high-speed broadband] by addressing barriers inhibiting local communities from responding to the broadband needs of their citizens."

Those barriers, the White House has made clear, includes the 19 states—some say more—with laws limiting municipal broadband buildouts.

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John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.