There's a battle slated to come in 2005 for the likely future of the Internet in Illinois. The question is that of control: will broadband and future internet deployments be locally-and-municipally owned wireless and broadband networks with the freedoms we already enjoy, or will it become the for-profit fiefdoms of corporate monarchs like SBC, Comcast, and Verizon who might exercise control for their interests?

The stakes are about to be raised in Illinois, with an impending rewrite of the Illinois Telecommunications Act in 2005, which is slated to begin as soon as this week.

Committees in both the Illinois House and Senate are slated to begin proceedings. You are urged to contact their local Illinois representatives and the committee members (below). Encourage them to hold local public hearings on the Telecom Rewrite.

Public hearings matter as a source of input on decisions like this, and the more people weigh in on their communications destiny, the more likely that the future will reflect that input.

You can start today. Here is the contact info for Representative's Brosnahan's office (he's the chair of the Telecommunications Committee):

http://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?MemberID=607

Call or write him today to encourage him to hold local public hearings on the rewrite of the Illinois Telecommunications Act.

The full list of relevant committee members is below.

Telecommunications Committee...

Chairperson: James D. Brosnahan D
Member: Kevin A. McCarthy D
Member: Calvin L. Giles D
Member: Mike Boland D
Member: Joseph M. Lyons D
Member: John A. Fritchey D
Member: Edward J. Acevedo D
Member: Richard T. Bradley D
Member: Julie Hamos D
Member: Karen May D
Member: Marlow H. Colvin D
Member: Kenneth Dunkin


Hearing Scheduled for Feb 03, 2005

Chairperson James Brosnahan
Scheduled Date: Feb 03, 2005 11:00AM
Location: Room C-1 Stratton Building
Springfield, IL
Posting Date: Jan 27, 2005 12:00PM
Subject Matter: Organizational Meeting.
Clerk of the House Mark Mahoney
________________________________________


Computer Technology Committee

Chairperson : Constance A. Howard D
Member: Gary Hannig D
Member: Milton Patterson

Hearing Scheduled for Feb 02, 2005

Chairperson Constance Howard
Scheduled Date: Feb 02, 2005 4:00PM
Location: Room D-1 Stratton Building
Springfield, IL
Posting Date: Jan 27, 2005 12:00PM
Subject Matter:
Clerk of the House Mark Mahoney

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