Georgia House wants local utilities to provide broadband
Following legislation that won unanimous support Monday in the Georgia House, local utility cooperatives would be authorized to provide broadband in an effort to boost internet access in rural areas. Republican Rep. Penny Houston of Nashville said Monday that her proposal would remove any legal question about whether Georgia's electric membership cooperatives, called EMCs, could offer broadband to their customers. That authorization, she said, would increase economic development and improve education in rural parts of the state where internet access can be slow, spotty or non-existent.