DampierPhillip M Dampier
join:2003-03-23
Rochester, NY
1 edit | Phillip Replies.... A few thoughts based on some of the comments:
1) Regardless of whether this bill passes or not, it's a very strong reminder that consumers need not simply sit back and take abusive, unjustified pricing schemes. There is a real cost ISPs have to consider and that is in goodwill. Managing bad press and consumer outrage can get expensive.
2) Lack of competition is a major problem in communities like Rochester that have zero prospect of fiber to the home because we're stuck with a phone company that is now going to have to spend time and attention trying to absorb Verizon's castoffs. That allows broadband backwaters to develop in under competitive communities like ours, which used to be one of NY's highest tech communities.
3) I know the doctors Massa is referring to. Their concerns were broader than that, talking about whether people would want to live and go to school in a community left behind with expensive, slow, capped access. There are people who buy homes based on what broadband is available there. Rochester is trying to move from a manufacturing community into biotech. The University of Rochester (and the medical center) have now replaced Kodak as our largest employer. It's hard to be a biotech leader with 3.1Mbps DSL and capped Road Runner when Buffalo and Syracuse are in a speed race with Verizon and FiOS.
4) Rural communities will not be thrown under the bus. Anyone who reads my site knows I have a special fondness for calling out lousy providers (FairPoint being a particularly good example). No rural area should be forced to endure broadband backwater status with low speed DSL as their "broadband" service. But we need to tackle that through the broadband stimulus bill to deploy funding for construction of broadband networks WITH CONDITIONS to make sure companies like Frontier don't get the money and throw a 5GB cap on everyone.
This bill is not perfect and there are issues we are working on behind the scenes to address some of the more vague language and the enforcement mechanisms, which rely too much on agencies that don't always run with the ball. But it's not an omnibus piece of legislation designed to fix everything. It's designed to stop what the industry calls consumption based pricing, but is really profit padding and content protectionism.
We need everyone who cares about this issue to get involved and ask their member of Congress to co-sponsor the bill. You'll find a lot more detail under the Take Action! section on Stopthecap.com with toll free numbers to call, language to use, and how to make a difference.
The amazing thing is, we succeeded in April to get one behemoth provider to shelve this stuff temporarily. Now we need to move in with the wooden stake and kill it for good.
There is nothing wrong with tiers based on speed, and I know a lot of folks ready and happy to pony up more money for better, faster service. They just don't want to pay 300% more for the exact same service they get right now. | |
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 | | Re: Phillip Replies.... Good work Phillip....we'll push from this end
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BF69~~~Please stop suffocating gerbils! | |
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 | me1212
join:2008-11-20
Pleasant Hill, MO | Re: Phillip Replies.... I will try to help too. | |
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| | Will the bill force ISPs to make public the amount their network actually costs them per user or per megabyte (or megabit)? I really would love to know that information. | |
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Reviews:
 ·WOW Internet and..
| Instead of trying to get laws passed and your name in the papers, why not go out and start building your own wireless ISP? And while you're trying to get laws passed against TWC and RR just keep in mind they are two different companies. One is the Cable Operator, and one is the ISP. One is in VA and one is in NY. And make sure you add ATT to that law and add VZW and ATT Wireless and Sprint/Nextel.
I want an iPhone with unlimited 3G for $15 per month because that's a fair price.
And would you rather keep your phone service or let the lines rot with VZ. You can't have your cake and eat it to.. Get a life and stop bitching about it. At least you can get DSL and RR. | |
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| rcabor4
join:2007-04-17
Grand Prairie, TX | Re: Phillip Replies.... And if we allowed gas stations to charge $20 a gallon when its $30 a barrel, we could just build our own wells and make our own gasoline.......And instead of making sure Microsoft is not engaged in monopolistic practices we should just write our own software..... | |
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| | | Mainly because wireless is crap and will never compete with hardline bandwidth and thus will never truly bring competition to any community beyond those very basic users. | |
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·WOW Internet and..
| Re: Phillip Replies.... and you have proof that wireless is crap? WiMax is out preforming U-Verse. It is expandable fast, easy and cheaper.
There is no hard network. No ROI, nothing. And if it was such crap then why is ATT building out Wireless networks for?
And as far as MSFT, yah you should write your own software, people already do, its called Open Source. Ever hear of it? | |
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| | | | | Re: Phillip Replies.... said by hottboiinnc:There is no hard network. No ROI, nothing. And if it was such crap then why is ATT building out Wireless networks for? Really? I guess if you are going to ask a stupid question you need a stupid answer so here it is.....
Because plugging your devices into an ever expanding cable and then traveling with them causes all kinds of knots and kinks in the line.
Here's your sign! | |
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| | said by Dampier:This bill is not perfect and there are issues we are working on behind the scenes to address some of the more vague language and the enforcement mechanisms, which rely too much on agencies that don't always run with the ball. And you think that making a bill that already leans too far to the regulatory side of the pendulum even more so is an improvement?
I agree with hottboiinc that your group's efforts could be put to better use by starting up your own ISP and providing the competition you seek instead of pushing for even MORE regulation by government drones. That USED TO BE the American way. Now the American Way seems to be loud whining and demanding the gov't take care of me.
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bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY | Frontier has 10 mbit DSL in areas of Rochester and they have business plans which (supposedly) were never capped.
If they are research doctors I would guess they could afford a business class DSL or Time Warner line. | |
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