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SB 165 redraws municipal broadband rules; cities warn new requirements could raise costs and require voter approval for revenue bonds
Summary
Senate Bill 165 would impose new reporting, access and governance requirements on municipal broadband utilities and would require voter approval for certain revenue bonds; municipal leaders warned in LPC discussion that the draft could raise costs and create operational uncertainty.
Senate Bill 165 would change municipal broadband rules, according to League presenters and city delegates. Staff provided a brief legislative history: a prior decade of litigation and a patchwork of municipal wholesale models has led to the current situation in which roughly a dozen cities operate fiber wholesale networks or participate in shared systems (e.g., UTOPIA partners).
What the bill does: Staff and municipal leaders said SB 165 would (1) require municipal systems to provide non‑discriminatory access to incumbents and other service providers, (2) impose an annual, public utility‑style accounting and reporting requirement (including continuing‑disclosure‑style material currently…
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