I was pleased this morning to see stories about municipal internet efforts, and the Illinois Telecommunications Act in Slashdot, The NewStandard, and MuniWireless. The publicity on the issue seems to be increasing quickly; here's hoping we can keep it up.

Here's a suggested list of what Illinois residents can do on the issue:

(1) Read the latest bill and what it means.

(2) Contact your state legislators (click on "Legislator Lookup" under "Additional Resources") and the state's Telecommunications Committee. Encourage them to maintain the right of Illinois municipalities to establish their own community internet services, and to hold local public hearings on the Telecom Rewrite. Here's a suggested letter to use.

(3) Get more involved. There's a great mailing list called Get Illinois Online which you can join to learn the latest. Free Press also has an information portal on the issue to follow the scene nationally.

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