Greenlight (Internet service)
Greenlight is a bundled telecommunications service owned by the city of Wilson, North Carolina. Its services are distributed over a fiber-optic network that was constructed by the city. The service has attracted attention because of the controversy surrounding its competition with Time Warner Cable and CenturyLink.[1]
Regulation
The North Carolina legislature passed a law in 2011 prohibiting municipal telecommunication services, but Wilson was able to carve out an exemption, because Greenlight was already providing such services.[2][3]
As part of the Commerce Clause of the federal government, federal regulatory power supersedes state authority. State laws which restricted consumer choice of internet access providers were preempted by a Federal Communications Commission order taken on Thursday February 26, 2015. The FCC order relies on section 706 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the first federal legislation to regulate the internet. However, the US Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit overruled the order, citing a lack of specific authority in the enabling legislation.[4] The United States Congress would have to intervene to give FCC authority by amending the 1996 Telecommunication Act.
Creation
In order to fund the Greenlight project, the city of Wilson used funds from bonds, instead of taxpayer money.[5]
References
- "Time Warner Cable Won't Compete, Seeks Legislation - Slashdot". Tech.slashdot.org. 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
- Time Warner Cable Monopoly Protection Act Heads to North Carolina Governor 2011-05-05, Retrieved 2020-06-06
- NC Article 16A Chapter 160A-340.2. Exemptions Retrieved 2020-06-06
- In a Blow to Municipalities FCC Loses Bid to Overturn State Laws Ars Technica 2016-08-10, Retrieved 2020-06-06
- "Greenlight: Cable, Internet and Phone Service for Wilson, NC". Greenlightnc.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
