New Group Looking to Push Free-Market Solutions on Internet Access

On Tuesday, business and policy leaders from the Sunshine State unveiled a new organization -- the Florida Coalition for the New Economy (CNE). CNE is looking to ensure that businesses will be able to offer greater coverage and more efficient Internet services across the state, while limiting the role of the public sector.

When government enters the market and competes with the private sector as an Internet service provider or otherwise, it has a distinct advantage over private providers, said Bill Herrle, the executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)/Florida, in a statement released on Tuesday. Government entities dont pay the same taxes or abide by the same regulations. Unfortunately, this has the effect of stifling private investment in broadband, hurting the private sectors and especially small businesses ability to create jobs and expand economic opportunity for the whole state.

With more than half of Florida government spending happening at the local level, it is vital to the health of our city, county and state economies that these spending decisions are fiscally responsible, said Dominic Calabro, the president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch. Local government investment in redundant broadband services not only pulls scarce public dollars away from other critical needs areas, such as education, public safety and health care, it puts taxpayers at risk for the financial obligations that have too frequently occurred with similar government-run projects across the nation.

Other groups in the CNE include: the Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Federation of Republican Women, Florida FreedomWorks, Florida United Businesses Association, the Heartland Institute Florida, the James Madison Institute, and the Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce.