Blake’s Blog

Here’s a bit of legislative trivia: The long-discussed Competitive Cable and Video Services Act that’s working its way through the Tennessee General Assembly includes at least one provision that should interest those who remember the infamous Memphis Networx project.

For those who don’t remember (repressed memories can sometimes be a wonderful thing), Memphis Networx was a venture in which the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division and a group of private investors tried to start their own telecommunications company. MLGW eventually sold out its interests to private investors, but not before losing about $28 million worth of ratepayers’ money in the process.

Anyway, according to a summary of this new bill, "municipalities, counties and cooperatives are authorized to form telecommunication joint ventures with other entities."

So in case MLGW ever has another $28 million rattling around in its pockets, this bill would provide an easy way to get rid of it.