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APPA responds to common industry myths

More than 2,000 communities across the country have created public power systems—not-for-profit electric utilities that are owned by the communities and the people they serve. Public power systems share a common purpose—to provide adequate, reliable service at a reasonable price. They are locally owned and operated, giving citizens a direct voice in utility decisions through public meetings, the ballot box, and open policy board meetings. Across the country, not-for-profit utilities have an established track record of delivering affordable services. Nearly 500 of them have already celebrated 100 years in business, with 70 percent of all public power systems serving communities of less than 10,000 people.

Anticompetitive Incumbent Practices

By Jim Baller & Casey Lide

Over the last two decades, Congress has enacted increasingly forceful federal legislation intended to foster and protect competition in the cable industry. The evidence bears out the wisdom of this policy — year in and year out, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has found that incumbents charge lower prices, offer more channels, provide better customer service and introduce more new products and services in markets in which they face meaningful competition from terrestrial competitors than in markets in which they do not.

Study of Economic and Community Benefits of Cedar Falls, Iowa’s Municipal Telecommunications Network

The purpose of this study was to investigate the economic growth and quality of life benefits a municipal communications system stimulates. Data was collected to compare the level of activity within two adjoining communities, Cedar Falls and Waterloo commonly referred to as the “Cedar Valley”. The specific areas measured include economic development (business recruitment, business retention and expansion), enhanced education, improved healthcare, competitive advantages and population growth. The following presents the findings in each of these identified areas.

Legal and Practical Issues for Website Managers

Accessible from virtually anywhere, creatable by virtually anyone, and able to provide virtually any kind of digital, infinitely copy-able content, Internet websites present a myriad of legal issues for all website owners to consider. Websites operated by a government entity — with which we are concerned here — implicate additional, important constitutional and statutory obligations that are not applicable to private entities. As a means for providing government information, communicating more directly with citizens, and for providing efficient government services, such websites obviously hold great promise. However, government entities that do so should be aware that this new tool for citizen interaction carries with it the potential for legal entanglement  on several fronts.

A primer on bankruptcy law

Over the last year, Jim Baller, Sean Stokes and Casey Lide of the Baller Herbst Law Group, P.C., have  represented the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors and dozens of  municipalities, counties, public power utilities and rural cooperatives in the Adelphia bankruptcy,  working with New York bankruptcy counsel Ronald Cohen of Seward & Kissel. The following is an overview of bankruptcy law and practice, with emphasis on the rights of local governments and consumer-owned electric utilities. It is offered merely for general informational purposes is not intended as legal advice.

South Dundas Economic Impact Study

The Township of South Dundas invested $750,000 CAD in 2000 to build a fibre optic network. The goal of this investment was to provide broadband connectivity to South Dundas and promote local economic development. To conduct an economic impact study of the South Dundas fibre network, SNG collected data from the network subscribers, identified the direct effects to those organizations, and assessed those impacts on the local economy