batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ
clubs: | I know what ails the rural broadband market.
There is no money in it, the great unwashed can't afford it and I don't want to pay for it.
Ma Bell is dead and yet the people bitch. |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO | There is no money in giving rural America phones but they got 'em! |
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Dominokat
"Hi"
Premium
join:2002-08-06
Boothbay, ME
clubs:
4 edits | Universal Service Fund!!!! We all pay into it. What is it for? Help tel cos cut cost to deploy into the rural areas. (Oh, I forgot. It is a fund used to lobby against deployment to rural areas. AKA: Slush Fund) |
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batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ
clubs:
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| said by Dominokat  :Universal Service Fund!!!! We all pay into it. What is it for? Help tel cos cut cost to deploy into the rural areas. (Oh, I forgot. It is a fund used to lobby against deployment to rural areas. AKA: Slush Fund) It is for POTS the last regulate vestige of Ma Bell days. The great unwashed can get POTS.
I know USF, Verizon New Jersey pays millions upon millions and gets back ZERO. |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
 ·PHONE POWER
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T CallVantage
·Time Warner VOIP
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to rradina
I can absolutely see the need to subsidize telephones. Direcway satellite broadband is not perfect but it's usable for the necessities (browsing, email, education and research, downloading software updates). No, you won't be playing FPS off of it, but I don't think America needs to subsidize FPS online play.
And yes, I have used DirecWay plenty. We have an office in Los Angeles that neither DSL nor cable service for broadband (yes, even in LA there are still unserved spots!) So they have DirecWay. It's not great, but it works. |
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Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
·Qwest.net
1 edit | reply to batterup
said by batterup :There is no money in it The real problem is there are no Votes in it. What really needs to happen is the formation of a large lobby organization like the National Rifle Association. Believe me if there was a large block of votes out there which could be won by the deployment of broadband in the country side politicians would look like a gaggle of fatties trying to fight their way through an open door way to get to a TV camera to be the first to announce resolutions, bills, and money to get broadband deployed to the country side started big time before the next election. 
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Remember safe sex does not prevent crabs. |
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batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by Transmaster : The real problem is there are no Votes in it. If there were enough people for a vote to make a difference there world be enough people to make it profitable. |
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Nuts
join:2006-04-27
Forest, OH | No, it's profitable. They just don't think it a big enough profit. They'r making plenty of profit off of our phone lines. |
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Nuts
join:2006-04-27
Forest, OH | reply to djrobx
The company I work for will not reimburse home office users for satellite because it's no better than dial-up for VPN use. So no, it's not usable for all necessities. |
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ropeguru
Premium
join:2001-01-25
Bridgeport, WV
clubs: | reply to batterup
Damn... I thought I was on crack or somethng..
Do you have that quote on speed dial or something for every article??
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FWD#: 223611 |
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LoneGreyWolf
Premium
join:2002-09-09
Bath, NY
clubs:
| reply to djrobx
Not to mention that when your a family of seven, five of those seven being in school, that FaP comes up very quick.
For a normal sized family, say a family of 4, it may be usable, but with my family of 7, satellite wouldn't be feasible.
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"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep."
~By Robert Frost~ |
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MrMoody
Carbon Based Lifeform
join:2002-09-03
Smithfield, NC
·Embarq
·Skype
·magicjack.com
| reply to batterup
said by batterup :There is no money in it, the great unwashed can't afford it and I don't want to pay for it. There must be some money in it because Embarq is doing it.
I know several people who are beyond the reach of DSL and cable. They are not mountain men living in cabins miles from the nearest neighbor as some telcos and some here seem to assume. They want broadband and can afford it, but had the misfortune of having their small telco bought up by a big one with no interest whatsoever in rolling anything out to lower density areas, smaller towns or any place with less than six-figure incomes.
As far as moving to get broadband, there's a huge difference in paying $100/month for broadband and $1-2K/month+ additional for any place with a yard or becoming an apartment dweller when they're used to having more living space and a yard.
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"It is a future in which globalization really does work ... and everybody winds up getting to be part of the third world." - William Gibson |
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batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Nuts
said by Nuts :No, it's profitable. They just don't think it a big enough profit. They'r making plenty of profit off of our phone lines. Universal Service Fund. |
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Edward1978
join:2007-07-23
De Soto, IL | reply to batterup
Wow, thanks for calling rural america "whitetrash". Plus, how would you know they wouldn't pay for it? |
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batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by Edward1978 :Wow, thanks for calling rural america "whitetrash". Plus, how would you know they wouldn't pay for it? They can't afford POTS unless I pay for it. I'll be damned if I will pay for high-speed porn. |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
·Charter Pipeline
| reply to djrobx
said by djrobx :I can absolutely see the need to subsidize telephones. Why? Do we subsidize other utilities? |
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batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by rradina :said by djrobx :I can absolutely see the need to subsidize telephones. Why? Do we subsidize other utilities? Yes, electricity was the first.
»www.usda.gov/rus/electric/
The Bell System used to subsidise local service with long distance. Now the government taxes US to subsidise local service. |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
·Charter Pipeline
| This sounds decidedly different from USF. USF is a subsidy to offset the apparent high cost of delivering communications to sparsely populated areas. The link you cited mentioned loans to fund the development of rural electric infrastructure. A loan is a lot different than the outright USF welfare program.
This following FAQ entry was also in the linked site and all I can say is RIGHT ON! If you want to live in the sticks and enjoy a modern convenience, be prepared to write a check!
Question: I want to build a house out in the country where I have bought some land, but the electric cooperative/utility wants to charge $20,000-$50,000 to get a line out to me. Does USDA Rural Development have a program to help pay for the connection?
Answer: The cost for connection to a home or business is an issue between the utility and the individual concerned. Working with neighbors and the utility concerned may be the best approach to resolving the connection problem. If it can be demonstrated to the utility that there is growth potential that will level out the fixed costs, the utility may be willing to share more of the initial outlay for connection.
Why is this different for phone and why don't we have the same response for high speed network connections?
What is the mindset of people that always want someone else to help them pay for their stuff? |
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