The Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation (TPAF) has unveiled Broadband Boondoggles, a comprehensive collection of information about taxpayer-funded government internet projects.
Broadband Boondoggles is an online interactive map displaying information such as cost to taxpayers, debt, revenues, number of customers, and other facts related to more than 200 municipal broadband internet projects across America, including Opelika Power Services (OPS), the municipal broadband network in Opelika, Alabama.
The data contained in Broadband Boondoggles indicates publicly funded internet projects are a universal failure.
Government broadband networks cost American taxpayers billions of dollars a year while failing to stimulate economic growth, falling short of projected customer and revenue numbers, struggling to keep up with advancements in technology, and using tax dollars to compete against existing private companies, TPAF discovered.
“The truth is out, taxpayer-funded broadband is a failure and a waste of valuable resources,” said TPAF president David Williams. “This map shows exactly where government internet schemes are located and how much taxpayers are on the hook for these projects.”
When Opelika, Alabama’s utility company, Opelika Power Services, decided to enter the broadband business in 2010, an initial $43 million was spent to build a network capable of 1 gigabit-per-second speeds. Since then, Opelika has been dubbed the state’s “Gig City,” but a recent Freedom of Information Act request has revealed the network only has one subscriber for its Lite Speed Gig service and is charged $500 a month.
The OPS Director never responded to a request to discuss how the network’s subscriber numbers line up with plans to fully pay off the network and similarly, Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller has acknowledged the network has yet to break even.
“This map should be a warning to all state and local legislators that taxpayer-funded internet projects are a waste of money that will threaten the financial well-being of state and local governments,” Williams said.
Broadband Boondoggles is available online at: www.munibroadbandfailures.com.
The Taxpayers Protection Alliance Foundation (TPAF) is a non-profit non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through research, investigative reporting, and analysis about the effects of excessive taxation and spending by all levels of government. TPAF will also educate the public about government transparency and openness in the United States and around the world. Through blogs, commentaries, special spending alerts, and media appearances, TPAF will publish timely exposés of government waste, fraud, and abuse. Recognizing the importance of reaching people through traditional and new media, TPAF will utilize blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and user-generated videos to reach out to taxpayers and government officials.
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