(Washington, D.C.) – Last week, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) delivered a petition to Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop and the Columbus City Council, signed by 242 residents, expressing their concerns that the city is planning to use taxpayer money to subsidize a broadband system built by Meridiam, a foreign-based infrastructure company with no prior experience building broadband networks.

“At a time when families are being squeezed by both inflation and a recession, Columbus residents can hardly afford any wasteful use of taxpayer resources,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz. “Subsidizing a foreign-based firm with no experience in building broadband networks is not only reckless, but also shuts out domestic broadband providers that have invested millions to connect Hoosiers. We are also alarmed by the lack of transparency that has defined the process of contracting with Meridiam in Columbus. We urge city leaders to change course and protect taxpayers by abandoning these plans.”

CCAGW has a long history of promoting and lobbying for a vendor and technology neutral approach to broadband deployment. The organization has analyzed taxpayer-funded or subsidized broadband networks and found that they have a long history of failure, leaving residents in debt and threatening the financial health of cities and towns across America.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

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