A municipal fiber-optic network would “address poverty, the digital divide, environmental sustainability, the need for civic engagement, education, and many other concerns,” said Reclaim the Media’s executive director, Jonathan Lawson, in a Seattle PostGlobe report yesterday. Michael McGinn similarly views a municipal fiber-optic network as an opportunity to boost the economy and create jobs, to close the digital divide, and to give consumers a better deal. Reclaim the Media, a Seattle nonprofit organization, is urging the City of Seattle to build a municipal fiber-optic network within six years, the PostGlobe reported, and McGinn has promised to build such a network when elected mayor.

Federal stimulus funds could partly finance a municipal fiber-optic network, Reclaim the Media noted, because the federal American Recovery and Renewal Act Initial allocated $7.2 billion for local governments to build modern Internet broadband infrastructure. continue reading »