FCC court loss could unplug Edgecombe County town from broadband (+ video)
A federal court ruling that upholds a North Carolina law restricting the ability of local governments to provide high-speed Internet service could disconnect hundreds of people in Pinetops. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the Federal Communications Commission overstepped its authority last year when it pre-empted laws in North Carolina and Tennessee that limited local broadband efforts. North Carolina lawmakers adopted the so-called Level Playing Field Act in 2011 that prevented cities and towns from offering broadband service outside their municipal boundaries and prohibited them from subsidizing such services with local funds. The law also...
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