Telco Digital Extortion? > Exactly why....

Exactly why....

Other users here have developed similar ideas.

Perhaps we should form a DSLR focus group to develop and hash out the details of how that would work. I know there are a lot of people in here that could collectively probably come up with a pretty convincing, and well developed solution.

I have been preaching this for a long time.

Have one nationwide network that is controlled by either the government or 1 or 2 companies the government has oversight of. Those companies have no responsibility other than maintaining the network. They are not allowed to service public customers, they can only update and repair the network. These companies make money by charging access to the network on a per subscriber per service basis.

Then any and every service provider whether it is Comcast, Charter, SBC, Bellsouth, or any other person that is able to pay for access to that network can deliver any service they choose to any customer in the country.

I as a customer can then actually have a choice in who I get what services from. If I want phone from SBC and TV from Ted's TV service of Tampa, but my internet connection from Verizon then I have that choice. If I really like a local company that has great customer support then I can subscribe all my services from them. Again, I am free to make that choice and I don't have to worry about SBC running a new fiber connection to my home right along side of the Charter one that is sitting next to the MCI one because I decide to change service providers over time.

Would it be worth the effort to try and have this written in a manner similar to way the IETF documents projects?

I think there will be a new round of antitrust action and divestiture down the road as the consequences of present policy become harder to ignore, but the political climate isn't right at the moment. It will be at least a decade or two before the momentum shifts.

I'm afraid that we are undermining our future ability to compete. We are laying the ground work for a second rate infrastructure, which is likely to ultimately lead to a second rate economy. We aren't living in a post wwII society anymore and the rest of the world isn't going to sit around waiting for us to get our heads out of our asses.