A free-market think tank is pointing to Ocala as a primary example of why Florida municipalities should reconsider entering the internet business, arguing that government-owned broadband networks saddle taxpayers with debt and underperform compared to private competitors.
In a recent report titled “Florida’s Government Run Internet Experiment Isn’t Working,” the James Madison Institute (JMI), which is a Florida-based research organization that advocates for limited government and economic liberty, critiqued the financial and operational viability of the Ocala Fiber Network (OFN).
The JMI report highlights that despite being in operation for thirty years, OFN has reached just 10.5% of the city with high-speed connectivity and serves only around 5% of the city’s population…