As we know from the city's own data, the people of Seattle are not satisfied with their internet service. It should be faster and cheaper, like it is in many other parts of the world. And they want the digital divide—the yawning gap between robust high speed service offered in wealthier areas of Seattle and slower, crappier service in poorer areas—to be closed.

To address all those problems, Mayor Ed Murray is exploring a high speed municipal broadband solution (publicly owned internet service, presumably, if built, operated by Seattle City Light). He's been exploring it since January, in fact.

Murray reiterated that he's still open to the idea on August 5, during a joint announcement with CenturyLink about the company's plans to offer $80 per month bundled gigabit service. CenturyLink Vice President and General Manager for the Greater Puget Sound Region Sue Anderson told me she'd like the city to help private companies offer gigabit service before turning to a municipal option—that's exactly what Murray is doing so far. CenturyLink donated $700 to his mayoral campaign last year.

Last week, however, the powerful industry association USTelecom began lobbying against Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler's drive to get rid of state laws in Tennessee and North Carolina—laws that the telecoms lobbied for—which block cities from expanding their municipal broadband programs. CenturyLink, along with AT&T and Verizon, are members of the group.

In a statement from spokeswoman Meg Andrews sent to the The Stranger today, CenturyLink comes out hard against municipal broadband, arguing that it has a "poor track record" and has often represented "millions of dollars in failed investments." The company says it supports public-private partnerships to provide better internet service in more areas. But Seattle's recent attempt to create such a partnership totally bombed. (The company's full statement is below the jump.)

This position is at odds with the available evidence and the Murray administration. "We also need to consider the option of building a city-wide municipal high speed internet system that meets the demands of this thriving technology hub," Murray has said. The mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment on CenturyLink's statement today.

The company's statement adds, "The FCC should seek more productive methods to enable broadband that don’t involve injecting itself into state proceedings and substituting its opinion for local decisions on how to use limited taxpayer dollars."

In its letter to the FCC, USTelecom says state legislatures should limit or prohibit cities like Chattanooga from expanding their own broadband programs because of their dubious history.

In fact, says former Seattle Chief Technology Officer Bill Schrier, "Chattanooga is pretty widely recognized as a success. This attempt by the [telecom] coalition to block their expansion is because they fear competition, which drives down prices. These lower prices are good for consumers, but bad for CenturyLink and other companies."

"I think the fact that Mayor Murray is still considering that option [municipal broadband] is a pressure point for CenturyLink," he continued. "Because if they offer better service, there’s less likelihood that Murray would want to invest public dollars." Murray has expressed concerns about the considerable costs of building a municipal broadband network—but Chattanooga's utility-operated gigabit program is already turning a profit and paying down the loans used to build the popular service.

Here's CenturyLink's statement in full:

CenturyLink shares the FCC’s interest in bringing broadband to more Americans and we spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year to do so. However, experience has demonstrated that municipal ownership is not a good solution. State leaders know that municipal broadband providers have poor track records and all too often leave taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars in failed investments. State leaders also understand that in virtually every situation where a municipality builds its own broadband facilities, it’s entering a competitive marketplace. State leaders have a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely and not placed at undue risk in competition with private investments. They cannot abdicate this responsibility simply because the FCC wants municipalities to build more broadband. The FCC should seek more productive methods to enable broadband that don’t involve injecting itself into state proceedings and substituting its opinion for local decisions on how to use limited taxpayer dollars.

As a member of USTelecom, CenturyLink supports public-private partnerships that maximize existing infrastructure to extend broadband service to unserved areas. We encourage private investment that brings long-term advantages to the municipality and its citizens while growing the tax base and exposing taxpayers to less risk.

CenturyLink is investing in Seattle and major cities across the U.S. We are currently offering 1 Gig to Seattle residents in multi-tenant units and plan to install residential and business 1 Gig services throughout the city this year and into 2015.