In Depth with Dan: Wilson is an oasis of affordable internet

CONGRESS TO BACK HIM UP.

>> VOICES OF THIS WAS A BIG

TOPIC FOR EVERYBODY AT HOME.

SO WE'RE GONNA DIVE INTO THE

INBOX TONIGHT. SO MANY OF YOU

WROTE IN SHARING YOUR

EXPERIENCES WITH INTERNET

ACCESS. PHYLLIS SAID I'M

FORTUNATE. SO FAR TO BE ABLE TO

AFFORD THE SERVICE. HOWEVER, IT

IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY

DIFFICULT TO PAY FOR DENVER

ROAD IN SAID FOR ME, IT'S

EXPENSIVE. BUT AT LEAST IT'S

AVAILABLE, FRED, JUST KIND OF

NICKEL AND DIME ME A LITTLE

BIT OF THE NAMES OF THE

STREAMING SERVICES THAT WE'RE

DESCRIBING SAID MAX IS THE NEW

NAME OF WHAT USED TO BE HBO,

MAX AND SHOWTIME. SORRY.

IT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE.

THE CORRECT NAME IS PARAMOUNT.

PLUS, FRED, LOOK, I'M A PURIST.

IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE HBO TO

MAY. BUT WHO COULD KEEP UP

ANYWAY? FIRST WAS HBO THAN IT

WAS HBO GO AND HBO. MAX ARE

NOW OR WHATEVER I'M DOING MY

BEST. OKAY. BUT YOU ARE RIGHT,

MARK. ON THE OTHER HAND WAS

LESS CRITICAL. ACTUALLY FOUND

THE STORY SOOTHING SOMEHOW HE

SAID THANKS FOR THAT. IT WAS

A NICE WAY TO DRINK A CUP OF

TEA CHOCOLATE AFTER DINNER.

MARK SEEMS TO HAVE THINGS

FIGURED OUT BUT HERE'S ONE THAT

GOT US THINKING. KATHY WRITES

IN AND SAYS, I'M WONDERING IF

THE EBT DISCOUNT FOR THE PUBLIC

IS STILL IN PLACE OR HAS THAT

PROGRAM BEEN DISCONTINUED?

SO GOT SOME ANSWERS FOR YOU

PRETTY MUCH. ALL OF THE BIG

INTERNET PROVIDERS HAVE

DISCOUNT PROGRAMS. A HANDFUL

THEY SEE PEOPLE RECEIVING SNAP

ACTUALLY QUALIFY FOR LOWER

PRICES. XFINITY, VERIZON, ATT

ALL OF THEM HAVE THIS OTHER

PROGRAMS ACTUALLY MAKE THE LIST

TO SHOW IF YOU'RE ON NATIONAL

SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAMS OR SOCIAL

SECURITY, THE COMMUNITY

ELIGIBILITY PROVISION, MEDICAID

OR WIC. THERE MAY BE SOME

DISCOUNTS OUT THERE FOR YOU ALL

DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU LIVE.

ALL THE BIG PROVIDERS,

INCLUDING SPECTRUM, MENTIONED

THE PROGRAM WE DISCUSSED LAST

WEEK, THE ACP, THE AFFORDABLE

CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM THAT CAN

SAVE YOU UP TO 30 BUCKS A

MONTH. BUT AGAIN, THAT THING IS

GOING TO BE RUNNING OUT OF

MONEY BY APRIL. CONGRESS WILL

DECIDE IF HE GETS MORE MONEY

AND IF IT LIVES OR DIES.

THIS WHOLE IDEA OF LAWMAKERS

DECIDING THE FATE OF INTERNET

ACCESS, GOT SOME OF YOU

THINKING ABOUT THE TOWN OF

WILSON. MARIA WROTE IN SAYING

WILSON STARTED LAYING CABLE

LINES YEARS BEFORE TIME WARNER

NOW SPECTRUM THOUGHT ABOUT

MOVING TO THE EASTERN PART OF

THE STATE. YES, SENATOR THOM

TILLIS BROUGHT A BILL TO THE

LEGISLATURE THAT ESSENTIALLY

SAID THAT THOSE COMMUNITIES

COULD NOT EXPAND THEIR SERVICES

BEYOND THEIR COUNTIES. MARIA,

THANK YOU FOR THIS E-MAIL.

YOU ARE ON TO SOMETHING WILSON

IS AN OASIS OF AFFORDABLE

BROADBAND ACCESS BECAUSE THE

COUNTY ACTUALLY HAS ITS OWN

MUNICIPAL BROADBAND PROVIDER

CALLED GREEN LIGHT. SO CHECK

OUT THESE PRICES $40 A MONTH TO

$100 A MONTH, A DECENT RANGE

THERE. THERE ARE MORE THAN 750

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS NATIONWIDE.

IT ACTUALLY OFFERS SERVICES

LIKE THIS. WILSON, THOUGH, IS

THE ONLY ONE IN NORTH CAROLINA

THERE USED TO BE TO ACTUALLY IN

OUR STATE. SALISBURY HAD IT

UNTIL BIG TELECOM. THEY STEPPED

IN. THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE IDEA

OF MORE COMPETITION. THIS ALL

WENT DOWN IN THE EARLY 2.

THOUSANDS WILSON COUNTY WENT

BACK AND FORTH WITH THE BIG

PROVIDERS FOR YEARS AND AFTER

NEGOTIATIONS FAILED, THEY BUILT

THEIR OWN NETWORK. THEY WANTED

TO BRANCH OUT. THEY WANT TO

EXPAND IT TO OTHER TOWNS.

BUT IN 2006 TIME WARNER CABLE,

A TNT AND CENTURY LINK, ALL

TEAMED UP TO FIGHT IT.

>> COMPETITION AND LOCAL

GOVERNMENT NOT USING THEIR ARE

WAY THIS IS A GUEST, DAVID

VERSUS GOLIATH. THIS IS DAVID

VERSUS GOLIATH AND ALL HIS

COUSINS.

>> WELL, DAVID AND GOLIATH ARE

WELCOME LIFE AND ALL THE

COUSINS THAT THEY HAVE A LOBBY.

LAWMAKERS IN 2011, THEY GOT

THEIR WAY. REPUBLICANS WON A

MAJORITY IN BOTH THE STATE

SENATE AND THE HOUSE AT THE

TIME. TOM TILLIS WAS THE

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. THEY

PASSED H BILL HB ONE. 29 THAT

WAS KNOWN AS THE LEVEL PLAYING

FIELD OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

COMPETITION. BILL, NOT NOT VERY

CATCHY TITLE, BUT YET THE POINT

EXCEPT IT DIDN'T SO MUCH AS

LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD IS AS

MORE LIKELY BULLDOZED IT ALL

TOGETHER.

>> BUT THIS IS TIME WARNER

CABLE'S EFFORTS TO CUT OUT

MUNICIPALITY US AS A POTENTIAL

COMPETITOR. AND IT IS A

MONOPOLISTIC BILL FROM WORD

GUY. WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE WHO

ARE LARGELY UNDERSERVED

THROUGHOUT MANY AREAS IN OUR

STATE.

>> SOME PEOPLE TRIED

CHALLENGING THAT LAW, BUT THEY

CAME UP SHORT WITH THE FCC AND

THE COURTS TODAY. NORTH

CAROLINA IS ONE OF 17 STATES

WITH A BAN ON THESE MUNICIPAL

BROADBAND PLANTS. SO, YEAH,

LAWMAKERS, THEY DO HOLD THE

KEYS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.

THEY COULD FUND AN EXTEND THE

ACP BENEFITS THEY COULD THE

LAW THAT BLOCKS CITIES FROM

TAKING TAKING THE REIGNS AND

DOING THINGS THEMSELVES OR OR

THEY COULD JUST DO NOTHING.

WE'LL SEE ALL THIS JUST ANOTHER

REASON. WHY UNDERSTANDING LOCAL

NEWS AND LOCAL POLITICS IS SO

IMPORTANT. KEEP ON SHARING YOUR

FEEDBACK ON THIS OR ANY OTHER.

WE READ THROUGH ALL OF YOUR

E-MAILS, PLEASE REACH OUT AND

WRAL DOT COM. LET ME KNOW WHAT

ELSE YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT

RIGHT HERE AT 7 O'CLOCK.

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GET ENOUGH OR YOU'D YOU KNOW,

CATCH MY STORIES, THE IN-DEPTH

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