With a new company set to take over Burlington Telecom and the Federal Communications Commission about to decide the fate of net neutrality, one city councilor says he’s worried that Obama-era internet regulations might not exist much longer for Vermont’s largest city.
If you attended Monday’s Burlington City Council meeting expecting a swift decision on a buyer of Burlington Telecom, you were in for a long and tedious wait.
The Burlington Telecom bidding process continued at an open City Council meeting Monday night, leaving two suitors standing to purchase the troubled municipal fiber-optics telecommunications network.
What was supposed to answer many Burlingtonians’ growing frustrations with their phone and cable companies has morphed into a boondoggle that has cost taxpayers more than $26 million.
After months of anticipation, and with a less-than-transparent process conducted behind closed doors, city officials finally showed their cards regarding the final bidders for the financially beleaguered Burlington Telecom.
Policing policy took on new urgency as the nation’s progressive mayors gathered in the Queen City on Friday following race-related riots last week in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The fate of taxpayer-owned Burlington Telecom will be decided in the coming weeks as city officials negotiate with finalists in what has been a long, secretive bidding process.
Mayor Miro Weinberger has bucked a transparent process for deciding who will purchase Burlington Telecom, but individuals close to the situation disagree on whether that’s good for taxpayers, who are on the hook for millions of wasted dollars.
As the sale of Burlington Telecom looms, the City Council has left the door open for a public-private partnership, with the city retaining up to 40 percent ownership.
Ali Dieng’s first chance to keep his promise comes on Monday as City Council will vote on a proposal to change North Avenue from four lanes to two to make room for bicyclists.
“As I am doing my sign waves during the campaign, cars are stopped and backed up. Even the emission effect of this traffic isn’t good.”