Alpine
Premium
join:2000-01-11
Atlanta, GA
| reply to Neyland
Re: Great, but what he fails to mention..
That I certainly won't disagree with. They've got a significant infrastructure disadvantage against the cable cos, pure and simple. That's why they're always playing catchup
FIOS doesn't have that disadvantage, but even in utopia FIOS is going to take years to get a decent deployment and market share.
This is the biggest reason I support the ATT/BellSouth merger. The two apart, especially BellSouth, are going to have a next-to-impossible time finding the resources to catch-up with cable. This is even more true when DOCSIS 3.0 finally rolls out.
Adam |
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Neyland
join:2003-02-04
USA
1 edit | But didn't Bellsouth put themselves into this situation by not being willing to invest heavily in it's own infrastructure the way cable has done? On top of taking large amounts of tax money to provide a network that still hasn't materialized. Then it seems they want to push TV/Voice/Data over the same network that can't compete with just voice and data. All the while trying to get Congress and the FCC to 'Believe me this time I really mean it' on national franchises and net neutrality. All the while trying to make the claim that we're not like cable companies, we shouldn't be held to their regulation.
Well, IMO if both the cable industry and the telephone industry both offer the same services then they both should be held to the same regulation.
I feel that no town should be able to ask for ridiculous things in their franchising agreements, however, I certainly am not in favor of a national franchise that would allow any company to come in and A) cherry pick and B) add poles or other unsightly 'improvements' where current lines are buried and C). tell local governments what taxes and fees they can charge for local franchises.
I also don't feel that if a local government has a referendum and chooses to build out it's own plant that no company either cable or telephone should be allowed to do anything about it. Especially if those companies aren't willing to offer the services in the first place.
I'm not pro cable or teleco. I've owned both and go to where the best deal that meets my service requirements. I'm rather fluid. The only thing I trust is that the company is out to make money and however they feel they can make it they will. They aren't out for me so I have to be.
I like FIOS. I think it's the correct way for the phone companies to be going in. I like the competition I'm seeing in markets that it's in. I think Verizon has it right and time will prove it so. I don't like the cherry picking though. I understand it, but just don't like it.
The original poster is correct though, Bellsouth is only telling part of the truth. What they're leaving out is they've seen an increase of customers upgrading that have the ability to upgrade. Of their customer base, how many have the ability to from the entry level speed to their top tier? |
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deadzoned
Premium
join:2005-04-13
Baton Rouge, LA
 ·Cox HSI
| reply to Alpine
said by Alpine  :That I certainly won't disagree with. They've got a significant infrastructure disadvantage against the cable cos, pure and simple. That's why they're always playing catchup FIOS doesn't have that disadvantage, but even in utopia FIOS is going to take years to get a decent deployment and market share. This is the biggest reason I support the ATT/BellSouth merger. The two apart, especially BellSouth, are going to have a next-to-impossible time finding the resources to catch-up with cable. This is even more true when DOCSIS 3.0 finally rolls out. Adam Heh, the reason that they are feeling the pinch now is because the Tele-Co's have made a lot of silly decisions based on their current bottom lines rather than thinking of the future and spending money to make money like most successful businesses do. 
I have no sympathy for them and I also question whether or not the mergers will have any affect on the future if the do go through. I don't see how merging 2 major phone companies that individually have shown that they are not willing to make good decisions will form one gigantic phone company that will suddenly make all the right decisions and do all the right things.
AT&T has their crappy U-Verse stop gap measure that they are trying to roll out in a limited fashion. Bellsouth has nothing that I can see that they are offering other than their normal DSL stuff.
It's real easy to understand - if you want to be competitive at all in the cable tv market and offer triple play services you have to be willing to spend the money on the proper technology and not waste time, money, and resources on outdated technology that will have to be upgraded almost immediately after you start adding more than a few subscribers to the system. FTTC vs. FTTH...
Heheh, I can't wait to see what they decide to do when they run out of bandwidth!
Verizon is the only company on the Tele-Co side doing it the right way. It's sad really, as the answer is right there to see but the AT&T''s and Bellsouth's of the world refuse to acknowledge it and instead look towards a merger to save them. It's pretty odd thinking. |
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bogey780
join:2004-03-19
Here
| reply to Neyland
'But didn't Bellsouth put themselves into this situation by not being willing to invest heavily in it's own infrastructure the way cable has done?'
BellSouth has more deep fiber then any other major telecom in the US... or so I've been told. BellSouth hasn't deployed their next gen solution yet. |
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