We win: SB190 is dead this year

Sen John ValentineSB190 is no more. Sen. John Valentine made a motion to send SB190 to the rules committee to be studied in the interim which passed the Senate. This effectively ends consideration of SB190 this year, though it’s possible it may come up again next year. Short version: we win.

So what do we do now? Once the session is over, make sure you go to those interim meetings and write the committee members. I have no doubt that so many of you contacting legislators made a huge difference both in getting the bill amended and ultimately getting it shelved. Between this and HB60 appearing to rot on the vine, broadband advocates in Utah have scored major victories this year.

When I hear more about the movements on the committee and its proposals, I’ll be sure to pass them along.

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6 Responses to We win: SB190 is dead this year

  1. Chris C. says:

    Huzzah! Hopefully this will help seal the deal with Macquarie.

  2. Paul Larsen says:

    Thanks for your hard work and for carrying the ball on this, Jesse. I wonder what they’ll throw at us next year?

    • Jesse says:

      I’ll bet lunch that they’ll do nothing. The deal will be signed, construction will be underway, and nobody is going to want to upset that apple cart. I don’t think we just won for the year. I think this is the beginning of the end of the war, and we’re on top.

      • Chris C. says:

        I certainly hope so, and to echo Paul: well done, Jesse.

        Hopefully, there won’t be a shift in tactics from the incumbents, such as adding language on to amendments tied to existing bills, a lawsuit from CenturyLink/Comcast/UTA, et al, over franchise utilities fees, due to allegedly not being codified because SB190 didn’t pass, or what have you.

        It would be a beautiful thing to see all Utahns (and beyond) have a shot at reliable, open, affordable, state-of-the-art broadband, with 17 ISP’s vying for their business, which forces national incumbents to compete with fair prices and better customer service.

        • Jesse says:

          That kind of legislative trick can’t happen in Utah. By law, every bill must concern only a single subject. The rider process you see at the federal level with unrelated amendments is illegal here.

          As far as a lawsuit, Macquarie is as large as Comcast and 8x larger than CenturyLink by market capitalization. UTOPIA also won their suit from CenturyLink (then Qwest) back in 2005 concerning right-of-way. A legal challenge would not end well for them, and a judge would probably be quite testy about that kind of nuisance lawsuit. They have little patience for such transparent maneuvers.

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