Bayou Buzz reports that the Governor has made her appointments to the Broadband Council. Readers with a long memory will recall the law that established the Broadband Council. The Council is tasked with developing a plan for providing broadband in rural areas of the state.
There is a story behind this simple BayouBuzz listing. The establishing law, as is common, was originally introduced in parallel form in both the house and the senate. Co-sponsors in the Senate were Noble Ellington and Lafayette’s Michot.
If Noble Ellington seems familiar it probably wasn’t because he co-sponsored what was originally a pretty good bill. More likely it is because you vaugely recall something about a Louisiana senator saying “tolerance is tearing down the foundation of this country” and getting a lot of great publicity for our state in the national media. Now this Noble fellow from Winnsboro took that bill, which was intended to promote rural broadband and handed it over to BellSouth’s lobbyists to be refashioned into a bill that would forbid local governments from providing broadband for themselves. Seems a little….odd, contradictory, hypocritical? I think so too. Blanco, the Louisiana Municipal Association and the Police Jury Association of Louisiana wrangled a less onerous version that allowed the project to go ahead but made it much harder for municipal utilities to provide such services. Now this guy Noble is put on the Broadband Advisory Council. Makes some sort of twisted Louisiana-style sense—after all if you are going to actually do something sensible you need to make sure that it has a fair chance of failure. Only in Louisiana.
But the fun doesn’t end there: Terry Huval is also appointed a member. Yes, LUS’ Huval.
It should make for interesting conversation, don’t you think?
Here’s the full list of appointees to the Broadband Advisory Council:
Carlo MacDonald, Baton Rouge; Gordon Polozola, Baton Rouge; Terry Huval, Scott; Tommy Williams, Baton Rouge; Senator Noble Ellington, Winnsboro; Representative Francis Thompson, Delhi; Bob Manuel, Ville Platte; Emile Cordaro, Prairieville; Larry Henning, Baton Rouge; Gene Dry, New Orleans; Ted Miller, Arnaudville; Sherman Tate, Little Rock, AR; Cheryl McCormick, Baton Rouge; John Pat Bullock, Shreveport; Roger Stouff, Jeanerette; Judy Brown, Homer
