US court says FCC can't block state laws on public broadband

(Telecompaper) A US federal appeals court has overturned a Federal Communications Commission ruling allowing city-owned broadband services to expand into areas overlooked by commercial providers, AP reports. The court said the FCC overstepped its authority and could not pre-empt state or local laws. The decision comes as part of a dispute between the FCC and the two states Tennessee and North Carolina. Both states had passed laws preventing local providers in their respective cities of Chattanoo