 dadkinsCan you do Blu?Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
kudos:18 | reply to voipdabbler
Re: Tired of the "us" vs. "them" mentality. "Utility"?
Broadband is not a utility - not yet at least.
As soon as it is recognized as a utility, then it will surely get treated as such.
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Think outside the Fox... Opera |
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| said by dadkins:"Utility"? Broadband is not a utility - not yet at least. As soon as it is recognized as a utility, then it will surely get treated as such. I think we're on the cusp of the Internet being considered as a utility. (Electricity and phone service weren't considered essential either when first introduced.) With a baby bell (Verizon) talking about moving the majority of their phone service from switched circuits to VOIP, I think we're almost to the point of having to categorize the Internet as a utility, too. Perhaps, that's the best thing to happen to change the shape of the dialog on broadband policy in this country. (Even though I worry about the national security implications of moving so much of the operations of our critical infrastructures to the Internet, which is so easily susceptible to remote attack by foreign enemies; hopefully, our national broadband policy discussions in future will also cover the very important aspect of security policy.) |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu?Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
kudos:18
1 edit | Metered billing?
Unlimited use as long as you pay your bill?
Standardized speed for everyone everywhere?
What speed is to be the standard?
Don't think so...
Too many people will get their panties in a wad.
I welcome metered billing!
I don't see it happening anytine soon.
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| reply to dadkins
said by dadkins:"Utility"? Broadband is not a utility - not yet at least. As soon as it is recognized as a utility, then it will surely get treated as such. The main media that carry broadband are utilities - telephone lines and cable TV lines. Broadband is just not yet considered an essential utility, but it is getting there. |
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 jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA | reply to dadkins
I'd be happy with a true metered billing system as well, not the overage penalty model that seems to be taking root.
They shouldn't be able to have their cake and eat it too. (whatever the hell that means)
If a more realistic minimum cost starting point was available, I'd be totally on board. If I'm away fishing in the Caribbean all month, I don't want to have to pay $50+ dollars. How about $10 or even $20. At least something that is a bit more fair to those that rarely use any internet resources. |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu?Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
kudos:18 | reply to fifty nine
said by fifty nine:said by dadkins:"Utility"? Broadband is not a utility - not yet at least. As soon as it is recognized as a utility, then it will surely get treated as such. The main media that carry broadband are utilities - telephone lines and cable TV lines. Broadband is just not yet considered an essential utility, but it is getting there. Cable TV is not a utility.
Electricity and water are.
Utilities are widely available to households... sadly, cable is not available to many households - electricity usually is.
Broadband is getting there, but until it is universally(more or less) available, and standardized - well, we get to wait.
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dadkinsCan you do Blu?Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
kudos:18 | reply to jmn1207
Absolutely!
Everyone gets the same ??mbps speed, charged a connection fee of $10 or $20, then $0.xx per GB used.
Bring it!
I kill Comcast at 30-35GB per month. 
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| reply to dadkins
Well, if infrastructure of existing utilities, such as phone service, are moved to the Internet, it begins to drive the conversations in a different direction, because the access to broadband will become essential for utilization of the utility. You need adequate broadband for VOIP to work. I don't see people agreeing to do without phone and a majority of the under served areas lacking broadband also lack cellular to make it a viable alternative to the loss of landlines. (The last FCC-published data showed that only 150 of the 428 cellular Rural Service Areas had any type of cellular coverage available for local service--even though some unserved areas had towers that were available for roaming for customers of major carriers just passing through--figures.)
In a way, maybe Verizon's comments, which they immediately started back peddling from, will force regulators and politicians to begin seriously discussing a national broadband policy. |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu?Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
kudos:18
2 edits | Just because VZ decides to go VoIP, there is still many places that are not served by VZ.
Here, the POTS provider is AT&T(formerly SBC).
I haven't had POTS service for... 17 years? 18 years?
It takes more than simply switching voice to IP to make broadband a utility.
I look forward to some sort of standardization.
My outlets for electricity are right at 120V... what's yours?
I have 240V in the garage, how about you?
I have 16mbps internet... what's yours?
There are a few more things to get worked out still before broadband internet can be considered a utility.
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1 edit | reply to dadkins
said by dadkins:Cable TV is not a utility. Cable TV is a utility. It is regulated by the board of public utilities office of cable TV in this state.
»www.nj.gov/bpu/divisions/cable/
Cable TV also uses utility easements to run their infrastructure.
The NJ BPU also defines cable TV as a "critical service":
»www.nj.gov/bpu/about/index.html
"The Board of Public Utilities is a regulatory authority with a statutory mandate to ensure safe, adequate, and proper utility services at reasonable rates for customers in New Jersey. Accordingly, the NJBPU regulates critical services such as natural gas, electricity, water and telecommunications and cable television."
It is very much a utility. |
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| reply to dadkins
said by dadkins:Just because VZ decides to go VoIP, there is still many places that are not served by VZ. Here, the POTS provider is AT&T(formerly SBC). I haven't had POTS service for... 17 years? 18 years? It takes more than simply switching voice to IP to make broadband a utility. I look forward to some sort of standardization. My outlets for electricity are right at 120V... what's yours? I have 240V in the garage, how about you? I have 16mbps internet... what's yours? There are a few more things to get worked out still before broadband internet can be considered a utility. Verizon's plans have much more significance because they are one of the baby bells created after the break up of the original AT&T monopoly. Verizon's plans, along with their sibling CLECs will have the greatest impact across the country because of the sheer size of the baby bells.
Whether you like it or not, the actions of the baby bells in moving from switched circuits to VOIP means that the politicians and regulators will be forced to address national broadband policy. Failure to do so runs the risk of areas being left with no telecommunications service, since many of the same areas lacking broadband have no cellular, period. And the fact you can look at a roaming map and say, gee I can get roaming service on my cellphone doesn't mean anything. Federal regulators have done a great disservice to the public by allowing carriers who've won spectrum to limit their service to roaming while denying local residents any coverage. Again, the last FCC-published data showed only 150 of 428 cellular Rural Service Areas had any cellular coverage. If federal regulators plan on allowing switched circuits to die off, they're going to have to develop a national broadband plan that will deliver broadband to all areas to retain current communications capabilities. They cannot afford to have vast areas of the country unserved by any form of telecommunications service and expect to win re-election. Verizon may regret their comments simply because it bumps the issue up the ladder more quickly, given their original statements about the timing on moving away from switched circuits (timing that's much sooner than many analysts had predicted). |
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dadkinsCan you do Blu?Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
kudos:18
2 edits | Whether I like it or not is irrelevent.
VZ is not the end all be all of determining whether or not something happens.
Yes, VZ is one of the bigger fish in the baby bell pool, but SBC/AT&T is also a baby bell.
Just because one of the baby bells is doing this, doesn't mean they will be the deciding factor.
Maybe if they all did, it would be different and happen a bit quicker.
We shall have to wait and see, won't we? 
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO | dadkins
You really think SBC/at&t is switching to Uverse for just tv and internet? It is not an "if" situation. It is a "when" situation. |
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