IP Democracy: Fight Still Continues in Lafayette over Muni-Broadband

The parish of Lafayette, LA was in the spotlight earlier this year for holding a public referendum on funding for a municipal broadband project. The vote came in overwhelmingly in favor of the intiative, and the cable and phone companies, which battled the city in true local politics style, seemingly lost.

But that’s not the end of the story. According to this local article, BellSouth is still duking it out in the courts. Although the legal maneuvering is kind of murky, BellSouth and two Lafayette residents “have appealed the decisions of local judges to dismiss their lawsuits seeking to block funding of Lafayette Utilities System’s telecommunications business.”

The telco has until December 4th to file its brief with the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal advancing its argument that the $125 public loan needed to build the system violates state law. (Tip of the hat to David Isenberg.)

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on November 29, 2005 8:44 AM to IP Democracy