An Open Letter to the Kansas State Senate
When I first read about Kansas Senate Bill 304, I felt shame. As the morning has turned to night, my feelings have turned to anger. My own Senator, Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, is a member of the sponsoring and introductory group, the Committee on Commerce. Another Wichita senator, Sen. Susan Wagle, is the vice-chair.
Summarizing the bill, municipalities will be prohibited from acting to entice companies into technological infrastructure enhancements. You know, like Kansas City did with Google Fiber. The franchise model that power and cable providers use to gain monopolies will be the law of the land, literally.
This can not stand. I am tired of fighting to change the image of our state, only to have our government, who claim to fight for further economic development, propose legislation, binding the hands of those who would bring faster infrastructure and more innovation.
Senators, find me one person who enjoys paying Cox Communications. Find me one investor who would buy a house in their service area just to see what amazing thing could come out of it. Then I will listen to whatever flawed reason you thought this bill would be a good idea, and tell you in what way you are wrong.
Other Kansans, write your senator. Call them. If you don’t know who they are, find out here. [According to this, ]an open hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, February 4th](http://kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/sb304/). Make your voice heard now.
Here is what I wrote to Sen. Faust-Goudeau. Feel free to copy.
Senator-
It is with much disappointment that I write you. Today, I have read much of Senate Bill #304. This backward-looking legislation will stifle innovation. It is not difficult to see the spark that was brought to Kansas City, Kansas with the introduction of Google Fiber. By bringing in technology that current Telecoms would much rather sit on, Google sparked an opportunity for creating a new forefront.
As a member of the Startup community in Wichita, I am fearful of the repercussions from these events. If this bill is not squashed with fervor, I believe that the work we’ve done as a community will go to waste. SB 304 brought international attention to Kansas within the technology communities, and not in a positive light.
The infamy brought on Kansas has done nothing but tarnish the image of our great state in the eyes of entrepreneurs, outside investors and technologists looking for a place to build. Wichita is fighting against serious talent drain, and this bill will only make young, smart people more wary of moving to, or even staying in, Kansas.