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3 <br />WHEREAS, the General Assembly has already established 1) statutory provisions for Public <br />Enterprises (NCGS Chapter 160A, Article 16); 2) conservation finance provisions in the <br />Budget and Fiscal Control Act (NCGS Chapter, 159 Article 3); and 3) oversight by the Local <br />Government Commission (NCGS Chapter, Article 2), with a local government required to <br />comply with all of those requirements in order to undertake providing an enterprise service to <br />its community; and <br />WHEREAS, the two bills as proposed aze counter to the Local Development Act of 1925 in <br />NCGS Chapter 158 that allows local governments to aid and encourage economic <br />development in communities throughout North Carolina; and <br />WHEREAS, North Carolina law has long permitted local governments to engage in public <br />enterprises and there is no justification for treating communications enterprises differently <br />from other public enterprises that aze essential for a sound economy; and <br />WHEREAS, historically it has been government that funded much of the current corporate <br />telecommunications infrastructure in the United States and government that paid for and <br />developed the Internet; and <br />WHEREAS, there are telecommunications designers, equipment manufacturers and <br />suppliers in North Carolina who will be negatively affected if local governments aze not <br />allowed to provide needed communications services, meaning North Carolina will stand to <br />lose more jobs by not investing in top-quality broadband infrastructure than it will lose due <br />to government provision of such services; and <br />WHEREAS, many for-profit companies with operations in North Carolina have joined <br />North Cazolina local governments in opposing these bills; <br />NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Orange County Boazd of <br />Commissioners, oppose House Bill 1252 and Senate Bill 1004 and any other similaz <br />legislation and urge all members of the North Carolina General Assembly to oppose this <br />legislation in committee and, if necessary, on the floor of the General Assembly. <br />~;_ <br />This the 5~` day of May ® t ~~~~~ <br />sr :~ ~ ~~ ' ,~ Valerie P. Foushee, Chair <br />~` "~~~~~ ``~ Oran a Coun Board of Commissioners <br />~~;-:~ g tY <br />~_._.~. <br />Attest: ~ ~¢~~'' <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />