No EPB Fiber Internet for Rural Areas of Hamilton and Bradley Counties This Year

Nashville (WDEF/AP)  Areas of Hamilton and Bradley counties will not be getting high-speed internet access from EPB anytime soon.

A bill to allow municipal utilities to provide broadband outside of their current service areas failed in a legislative committee. Representative Kevin Brooks of Cleveland withdrew his bill after the House Business and Utilities Subcommittee voted 5-3 against an amendment to create a limited pilot program.

Private Internet providers like Comcast and AT&T opposed the bill, claiming it’s unfair for them to have to compete for customers against government-backed utilities.

Supporters of changing the law note that Chattanooga’s EPB utility brought its gigabit-speed service to Hamilton County long before commercial providers were willing to make their service widely available there or in other Tennessee cities.