Reviews:
 ·MSN
·Brand X Internet
·DSL EXTREME
4 edits | An open letter to Blair Levin Dear Mr. Levin:
Attached is a five dollar bill, which I have included so you can go out and buy a clue-as you clearly have none.
You say you want to 'fix' the Internet. Ironic, as many to most of the problems the USA Internet has were actively caused by the FCC. See, whan the FCC gutted the 1996 Communications Act, they effectively killed ALL Internet competition, which insured the monopolistic stagnation we have today.
The biggest thing that the FCC could to is allow for competition among Internet Service providers. See, competition makes for more choices, both lowering prices and improving service.
This might well be impossible in the case of cable TV, as the FCC got SCOTUS to go along with them in the BrandX case. It IS possible in the case of DSL simply by telling the ILECS that the time has come for them to begin abiding by the agreement to which THEY signed allowing for wholesale leasing of their last mile circuits.
Another thing the FCC can do is make sure they they don't 'bend over' to the NAB and broadcasters where white space spectrum sharing is concerned. This space can be used well by wireless ISPs for medium (1-10 mile) paths.
There also needs to be a decently sized swath of UHF spectrum where ISPs can employ reasonably priced equipment to operate wireless broadband networks that actually can offer decent speeds to customers. This should be freely open to all, as opposed to being auctioned off to the richest, largest companies. They have enough spectrum, don't you think? This wireless option would also work to allow broadband to be extended to rural areas. The FCC should also work to pre-empt state and local laws with regards to reasonable height transmission towers and receive antennas & dishes for customers. Only by doing everything above can wireless broadband ever hope to live up to what it is capable of.
I'm not going into any great technical detail here-instead I'm painting a big picture that is small enough in size that you can read it over your Caesar salad lunch. You should leave the technical details to your FCC engineers. By the way, you do realize that the FCC has less then HALF the engineers that it needs to run effectively, don't you? Fire half the lawyers and bureaucrats there and replace them with engineers! After all, it's SCIENCE you are regulating, not art or intellectual property.
Seriously though, the trouble with Internet in the USA is that the FCC has stifled competition. They have given it over to the 'big boys' who have responded by throttling speeds and metering bandwidth, rather then installing newer, faster, better networks. Kind of sounds like the telephone companies pre divestiture doesn't it? Or am I the only one that remembers mechanical phone exchanges, expensive long distance rates, dial telephones rented from the phone company and paying extra for 'touch tone' service?
I hope (yet remain skeptical) that you, the Obama Administration and Congress are serious about making things better Internet wise in this country. The fact that the United States (INVENTOR of the Internet) is barely in the top 20 speed and deployment wise is truly pathetic.
Regards,
Dana Puopolo |
