Cedar Falls hosted a visit from President Barack Obama yesterday (Wednesday).
He praised the community’s efforts to improve broadband access, making Cedar Falls Iowa’s first so-called gigabit-city.
Around 200 people crowded into a garage at Cedar Falls Utilities to hear the president’s 20-minute long speech. Obama said 45-million Americans lack access to high speed internet service and there are millions more who live in locations where there’s only one choice for their broadband service.
Cedar Falls Utilities provides broadband and cable to the Cedar Valley, as it does water, electricity and natural gas. Obama is calling on the federal government to remove regulatory barriers to launching similar networks in other states. Increased competition, Obama said, will help improve broadband access and prices.
Meanwhile, Mediacom, one of Iowa’s largest internet providers, released a statement saying it was “deeply concerned” about Obama’s remarks. The statement claims Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) “leverages its government-conferred monopoly over electric, water, and gas service to unfairly compete with private enterprises for cable television and high-speed internet customers.” The statement continues: “The President’s remarks combined with the selection of CFU as the venue for his speech clearly show that the White House wants to waste taxpayer dollars to supplant our Nation’s private sector broadband providers with government-owned utility companies.”
