The citizens of Lenoir City deserve a chance to vote on this risky proposal.

The only thing we know about the LCUB’s plan is that it could needlessly spend up to $132 million but they won’t even tell us if that is the right amount.

In 2018, a feasibility study said a municipal broadband network would cost $130 million. But the LCUB public hearing notice mentions only $22 million in expenditures. The News-Herald reported that the LCUB will borrow $132 million from the electric side of the business to fund the project, which would more than double the utility boards’ debt.

There are just too many questions and inconsistencies to go forward without the people of Lenoir City being able to decide if this project should move forward.

The perils and pitfalls of government-owned internet projects are well-documented. From Newport, Tennessee to Memphis to Bristol, Virginia, these undertakings have proven costly and many have failed.  These types of projects should be subject to strict scrutiny and oversight. Otherwise, taxpayers will be stuck with a hefty bill, poor service, and limited options for innovation. 

As noted in Citizens Against Government Waste’s report, “The Folly of Government-Owned Networks,” government-owned networks “have proven to be costly, unsustainable, and anti-competitive.”  They “divert taxpayer resources from higher priorities and fail to solve connectivity issues.”  When they fail, local taxpayers are left on the hook for massive bills for unusable broadband systems, and higher taxes.  Unless you, your family, and your friends tell the LCUB that they should reconsider their proposal, that could happen to all of you.

Lenoir City tax dollars need to be spent funding schools, supporting police and public safety, and building critical infrastructure, not on developing an expensive and duplicative government-owned network.