Koopman Abstaines From PSC CenturyLink Vote

With a 4-0 vote, the Montana Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement today with provider CenturyLink to address service quality violations across Montana. The settlement agreement is in response to the Commission’s decision last month to file a complaint in Montana District Court.

Commissioner Roger Koopman, of Bozeman, abstained in the vote, saying that:

“The marketplace, not subsidies, are the best way to address broadband needs in the long run, with pricing that reflects true cost.  Personally, I’m not of the opinion that just because you want something, government should force everyone else to pay for it.”

As a stipulation of the settlement, CenturyLink has agreed to accept approximately $91 million over the next 6 years from the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund phase II for broadband infrastructure investment in rural Montana. CenturyLink also stated that they will ‘augment’ the CAF II funding with investments of their own to amplify the effects of the federal funds.