Weiser Wants to Fight FCC, Support Muni Broadband as Colorado AG
Former Obama adviser Phil Weiser pledged to take on the Republican FCC and support local broadband if elected Colorado attorney general in November. Weiser supports state legislation to provide open-internet protections for Coloradans and would join other Democratic state AGs’ net neutrality lawsuit against the FCC, he said in an interview. Also, Weiser supports eliminating Colorado’s ban on municipal broadband to increase internet access across the mountainous state. “I’m the partner for every county commission and local community.” Weiser, in his first bid for office, was deputy assistant attorney general and senior adviser for technology and innovation for President Barack Obama.
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Weiser faces a Democratic primary June 26, before the November election, with at least three other Democrats in the running, according to Ballotpedia. Incumbent AG Cynthia Coffman (R) ran for governor but failed to make the ballot.
“If you want to serve the public, you might need to be willing to run for office yourself,” said Weiser. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s also the most interesting and inspiring thing I’ve ever done.” President Donald Trump’s election was the “huge event” that inspired Weiser’s run, he said. “It certainly feels like our democracy, the rule of law [and] the type of nation we have … lies in the balance.”
Weiser supports Democratic state AGs suing the FCC because the commission didn’t provide sufficient justification for its “radical” decision in December to rescind federal net neutrality rules, the Democratic candidate said. In 2005, the FCC sanctioned a company for blocking traffic, and in 2007, the FCC sanctioned a company for throttling traffic, he said. “Both of those practices that the FCC had declared illegal are now declared legal by the recent order. This is a huge change from a longstanding set of norms that I believe serve consumers and innovation.”
States should step in because Congress appears unable to act, Weiser said. “States can’t just override what the FCC did, but I do think there’s a lot states can do,” he said. The Democratic candidate backs a Colorado bill to restrict state USF support to companies that adhere to net neutrality principles (see 1803260024), he said. “That is a sound position because the state is in the position of funding the building of a network and the state … has the discretion to dictate what type of network it should be.” Also, Weiser would support a “notorious disclaimer” that would require companies to disclose network management practices, he said.
Weiser supported repealing Senate Bill 152, Colorado’s law restricting municipal broadband. More than 120 counties and municipalities held ballot votes to opt out of the ban (see 1804040050). While communities seem to have little trouble winning the votes, requiring that step is an “unnecessary roadblock” that can delay broadband expansion up to 12 months, Weiser said.
A state AG can drive broadband access by being a “creative problem solver” and “incredible resource to use the law to help people across the state,” the candidate said. The AG can help localities develop legal frameworks for their networks, Weisser said. Coffman, the current AG, has been “mostly missing in action and basically delaying these discussions,” he said. Weiser wants to develop best practices to advance local projects because there are “some areas where it’s uneconomic for a private entity to deploy broadband,” he said. The AG candidate said he would closely monitor broadband opportunities at the federal level.