Topeka ? A hearing on a bill that critics said would have killed the ability of cities and counties to bring broadband Internet to their areas was cancelled.

Senate Bill 304 was to be the subject of public hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Commerce Committee.

But on Monday, Committee Chair Julia Lynn, R-Olathe, cancelled the hearing.

“This is how our process was designed to work,” Lynn said. “Based on the concerns I heard last week, I visited with industry representatives and they have agreed to spend some time gathering input before we move forward with a public hearing,” Lynn said in a prepared statement.

“I have decided to cancel the meeting planned for this week, and we’ll revisit the topic when some of these initial concerns have been addressed,” she said.

The measure, introduced at the request of a lobbyist for the cable industry, caused an uproar especially in areas where cities were working with companies to expand broadband service.