nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
 ·Comcast
| Karl is right
Karl is right when he says the incumbents and their lobbyists are playing to win.
they are not interested in the welfare of either consumers or the U.S. - they are interested in making as much money as possible, period. They will fight tooth and nail to prevent any regulation (or lack thereof) that reduces the amount of money they make or forces them to spend more money than they desire.
the only way broadband in this country will get better is if there is real competition; the only way we will get real competition is if the government steps in to make it happen.
otherwise, we will continue to see slow rollouts of advanced services (fiber, VDSL, doscis 3.0), slowly increasing speeds and increasing prices. |
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GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| said by nasadude  :the only way broadband in this country will get better is if there is real competition; the only way we will get real competition is if the government steps in to make it happen. Yes to "competition is the key." And NO to the suggestion that government must make it happen. Government intervention won't make competition happen. All it will do is add another layer of cost with bureaucrats siphoning off their percentage of the action. And maybe switching the advantage to someone other than than current dominant players.
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digitalfreak
join:2005-12-09
49533
1 edit | You know, but choose to ignore as usual, that REAL broadband competition will never happen in the current environment. |
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spade
join:2003-08-09
Fresno, CA | reply to nasadude
when was the last time government helped a business it wasn't heavily involved in? altruistically?
guess i missed that one.. |
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PDXPLT
join:2003-12-04
Banks, OR
| reply to GOLFnSUN
said by GOLFnSUN :And NO to the suggestion that government must make it happen. Nonsense. Government always is essential to making it happen. Government provides a monetary system, so that value can be easily exchanged. Government enforces the rule of law (or is supposed to), so that contracts can be enforced (which makes entities willing to enter into contracts in the first place). Government controls access to resources owned by the American people that are needed by businesses (e.g., radio spectrum). In short, government sets the ground rules and provides the playing field and the tools in which competition takes place. It can do it badly, or do it well.
Now, as some have argued here, perhaps broadband isn't really very important. It's useful to provide access to porn, to allow college students to steal music, and not much else. It's not much more than a frivolous luxury. If that's the case, then BB policy isn't very important. If the only criteria used to set the rules is that which maximizes value to ISP shareholders, fine.
However, U.S. government policy, as defined by Congress in the 1996 Telecomm Act, says something different. Broadband is considered such a driver of growth and so imprtant to citizens, that it is U.S. policy that it made available to all, in a timely manner and at reasonable cost. Specifically, the FCC was tasked with seeing to it that this happens, and with tweaking the playing field to deal with any instances where market failure prevents that goal from being acheived for certain portions of the citizenry. |
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Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO
| reply to GOLFnSUN
So tell us, who is going to make that happen? Over the last 100 years for telecom and a few decades for cable why has that not already happened?
Oh that's right... because we are dealing with a "resource" that is monopolistic by nature and that at best has a duopoly in major cities. The incumbents have had control of the transport for decades. They have control of regulation for the most part and are dominant in a field that is impossible for someone to enter into and truly compete with them.
Besides that I as a property owner have absolutely no desire to have multiple "carriers" come in and tear up my yard or string dozens of lines everytime they need to get their services to me or one of my neighbors. There should be one nationwide network, PERIOD. Everyone else should simply be service providers and that includes AT&T and Comcast if that is what they want. |
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huntml
join:2002-01-23
Mullica Hill, NJ | reply to GOLFnSUN
OK. So what is *your* suggesting for fostering competition in the telecom industries? |
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GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
1 edit | said by huntml :OK. So what is *your* suggesting for fostering competition in the telecom industries? 1st of all, I think we have competition now in most areas.
2nd, give smaller players a holiday from regulations, especially by state and local governments. No build out requirements; no reporting requirements; no extra taxes like USF, local sales taxes, etc until a company reaches a certain size.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
Ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk? |
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huntml
join:2002-01-23
Mullica Hill, NJ
·Comcast
1 edit | said by GOLFnSUN :said by huntml :OK. So what is *your* suggesting for fostering competition in the telecom industries? 1st of all, I think we have competition now in most areas. 2nd, give smaller players a holiday from regulations, especially by state and local governments. No build out requirements; no reporting requirements; no extra taxes like USF, local sales taxes, etc until a company reaches a certain size. 1. Certainly arguable.
2. Not a bad idea, but certainly to be lobbied hard against by the incumbents.
What happened to 3-5, TK? These were some very interesting ideas, and I was in the middle of replying to tell you I thought so when they evaporated.
Too far off the party line, maybe? Some of the things you proposed were things I think would help, but they aren't the kind of things I've ever seen put forward by the GOP. Restriction of localities' ability to refuse to allow easements? Patent reform? Really, TK. |
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funchords
Hello
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Washington, DC
 ·Verizon Online DSL
 ·Skype
| reply to GOLFnSUN
said by GOLFnSUN :1st of all, I think we have competition now in most areas. Please say more about this competition that we have in most areas. |
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