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Savannah Morning News Prints Foundation Critique of Government Broadband

posted 3 years ago on June 13th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

The Savannah Morning News edition of June 12, 2016 published a commentary by Georgia Public Policy Foundation President Kelly McCutchen criticizing Savannah’s plans to consider city-owned broadband. The link is here; the commentary is published below in in its entirety. Kelly McCutchen: City-owned broadband a bad idea Last month, the city of Savannah issued a request for proposal (RFP) seeking a company to evaluate the state of broadband services available in the city and to develop a strategic plan that will address any current gaps in service. The RFP says the plan to address gaps should include ideas for public-private partnerships or outline “various business models for municipal broadband delivery.” That phrase makes it clear that officials in Savannah… View Article

The Dangers of Municipal Broadband

posted 3 years ago on February 17th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity published this roundup on February 17, 2016, of municipal broadband project initiatives around the nation. Find the article online at http://franklincenterhq.org/12493/watchdog-government-broadband. The Internet of tax dollars: Watchdog covers the dangers of municipal broadband By Andrew Collins As the economy continues its full-throttle transition into the digital age, government-run Internet projects have become all the rage among lawmakers in statehouses, counties, and cities. Bolstered [1] by a Federal Communications Commission ruling last year that struck down laws preventing local governments from building out and competing with other broadband networks, these “municipal broadband” projects lead governments to sink tens – if not hundreds – of millions of dollars into Internet infrastructure. Much of these… View Article

Innovation is the True Health Care Solution

posted 4 years ago on November 6th, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

By Josh Daniels Political support for Medicaid expansion in Georgia is on life support and the prognosis may be terminal. This doesn’t mean, however, there isn’t a pathway forward for those looking for health care solutions. It’s the same pathway that has solved many of our problems: innovation. Each Medicaid expansion proposal has been a reaction to the failure of federal policy in attempting to address the “coverage gap.” But the gap is only a symptom of the underlying disease. The Affordable Care Act did little to actually make care affordable. In fact, it aggravated the very conditions that have driven health care costs up: regulation and government intervention. ObamaCare put more patients into the system with no corresponding increase… View Article

Heartland’s Broadband Article Quotes Foundation’s President

posted 4 years ago on November 5th, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Georgia Public Policy Foundation President Kelly McCutchen was interviewed for a November 2, 2015, Heartland Institute article by Tony Corvo on Peachtree City’s planned taxpayer-funded broadband. The full article is below; access it online here. Georgia Lawmakers Boot Up Taxpayer-Funded Internet By Tony Corvo The Peachtree City, Georgia City Council recently approved spending $3.2 million in taxpayer dollars to build and fund a municipal broadband Internet system. The new taxpayer-funded Internet service provider (ISP) will be funded through a mixture of subscriber fees and excise fees paid by cable television subscribers. Broadband ‘Boondoggles’ “I can’t speak for Peachtree City residents, but I think taxpayers are fed up with funding government boondoggles, especially when government is attempting to compete with… View Article

City-Run Broadband Internet Is a Disaster in the Making

posted 4 years ago on October 16th, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

By Kevin Glass Government Internet is coming to a city near you. The only question is if anything can be done to stop the politicians scheming to bring it. Across the country, there’s been an explosion in what are euphemistically called “municipal broadband” projects – government-funded and operated broadband services that are competing with community service providers that have been operating for years. All across the country, from Newark, Delaware, to Seattle, Washington, government officials are exploring the possibility of sinking hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into these projects. This isn’t a new fad: Government broadband networks have been pursued by officials since the late ’90s, when smaller locales like Ashland, Ore., and Marietta, Ga., built out their own… View Article

Friday Facts: September 25, 2015

posted 4 years ago on September 25th, 2015 by admin 2 Comments

It’s Friday! Events October 15: Just 19 days left to register for the Sixth Annual Georgia Legislative Policy Forum at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly on Thursday, October 15! Join legislators, government affairs representatives and other interested Georgians to learn from national experts how “Opportunity” knocks at this daylong event with the theme of “Wisdom, Justice and Opportunity.” Details here. Registration is $125 per person and includes breakfast and lunch. Register here. Sponsorships are available; contact Benita Dodd. December 8: Mark your calendar! The Foundation hosts, “The Case for K-12 Student-Based Budgeting in Georgia,” a panel discussion at The Cobb Galleria. Details to follow. Quotes of Note “The greatest good we can do our country… View Article

Reforming Medicaid with Technology

posted 4 years ago on September 25th, 2015 by admin 1 Comment

By Merrill Matthews Every state is looking for ways to reduce its Medicaid spending. Here’s an untested idea: Integrate existing technology to help Medicaid beneficiaries and their health care providers monitor and manage their health care. Medicaid’s Scope The federal-state Medicaid program is by far the largest health insurance plan, covering 62 million Americans, and it is the first or second biggest budget item in most states. Actually, Medicaid is three different programs. It provides health insurance for low-income children, pregnant women and some adults, covering about 40 percent of all births, and more than 50 percent in some states; It is the primary source of coverage for the disabled; and It covers certain costs for poor seniors, including nursing… View Article

Making Military Lives Matter

posted 4 years ago on May 22nd, 2015 by admin 1 Comment

By Benita M. Dodd Memorial Day Weekend, as you’ve heard time and again, is that long weekend marking the unofficial start of the summer: beaches, boats and barbecue fun in the sun. With all the frolicking, many may overlook that Monday is, first and foremost, a special day set aside to remember those Americans who have died serving in our armed forces. Two encounters in the week before the holiday have reinforced how times have changed in the military but, in many ways, they remain the same. They highlight the positive changes brought by technology. And they’re a reminder that even though military service may be voluntary, families still make heart-wrenching sacrifices. The first was a Facebook post on… View Article

U.S. Senate Votes to Oppose Freedom

posted 5 years ago on November 21st, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

By Bartlett D. Cleland Our civil liberties suffered another loss this week when the Senate chose to duck surveillance reform by killing the USA Freedom Act. The legislation would have limited the data dragnet that is currently being used to harvest Americans’ personal information via spying laws. Specifically, the legislation would have ended “bulk collection under Section 215 of the Patriot Act” and required the federal “government to more aggressively filter and discard information about Americans accidentally collected through PRISM and related programs.” In addition, all Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) decisions for the last decade that included a significant interpretation of the law would have had to be disclosed publicly, and “Internet and telecom companies would be allowed to… View Article

Checking Up On Health: April 1, 2014

posted 5 years ago on April 1st, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

Health Policy News and Views Compiled by Benita M. Dodd “Health Reform 2.0: The Great Debate”: Are you a member of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation? If so, it gets you a discount rate to attend the first face-to-face debate between two of the nation’s most influential health care experts as they battle with ideas regarding the future of health reform in the United States: John Goodman, a key thought leader for free market solutions and Dr. Kenneth Thorpe, who worked in the Clinton administration on “HillaryCare,” has been an advisor to Congress, and has been a key resource to most every Democratic presidential nominee during the last 20 years. The conference is hosted by the Institute for Healthcare… View Article