America's Broadband PlanIs there one? ( old news - 05:24PM Thursday Apr 20 2006) Former director of the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy, John Eger, pens an article at Govtech about a need for a national broadband policy. After lamenting our 12th place showing in broadband penetration in the recent OECD rankings, Eger tries to debunk the common "but America is so big" excuse, and suggests that it's our lack of long-term vision or plan that's really keeping us from being higher on the list. He suggests forming a broadband equivalent of the 1987 Advanced Television Advisory Committee (ATC), which was established to solidify HDTV broadcast standards.
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 shapiro44
join:2004-03-01
Highland, NY | 100 MB broadband for all should be everyones right | |
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Tzale
Proud Libertarian Conservative
Premium
join:2004-01-06
Sweden | Re: 100 MB broadband for all Are you willing to spend $100, maybe $200/month for broadband? The broadband companies aren't going to waste THOUSANDS of dollars bringing a broadband connection to 2 people out in rural Iowa.
-Tzale | |
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G_Poobah
join:2004-01-17
Schenectady, NY
| Re: 100 MB broadband for all Hmm.. I sort of live in the boonies. Yet I have cable TV? How could that be?
Ahh, right, it wasn't their choice. As part of the agreement to make money off the 'high profit' part of town, the cable company was REQUIRED to run cables to everyone.
That's why we used to be a 'democracy', not a 'fascist state'. Even though I'm NOT in the 'high profit' area, myself, and most of the rest of the voters, determined that it was in OUR best interest if everyone was served. Ergo, if you want to sell cable tv, or internet, or anything in our town, you have to do it for EVERYONE in our town. That is democracy in action.
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Flabby? pastey-skinned? riddled with phlebitis? Then you've got a good Republican body! So compare your lives to mine, and then kill yourself. | |
| | | | | axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: 100 MB broadband for all The difference now is that monopoly companies can afford to choose not to serve the community at all if those are the conditions. I think the cable companies were a lot smaller back then, right? And cable TV wasn't as tantalizing as broadband is now... more difficult for collective bargaining. Technically this is fine, its not the company's fault if people don't stand up for themselves... unless laws are passed via lobbying preventing it, then that's dirty. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Ahrenl
join:2004-10-26
North Andover, MA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Actually, forcing private investors to build things because the mob requires it sounds more like a facist state then a democracy.. 
What you describe is the almost exactly the argument of communism, just so you know.
Capitalism is good because it provides the incentive to improve. Otherwise no one would, and if things are not improving, they're going the other way. The government is there to make sure system abuse is not occuring.
Now if companies want to receive public help (tax breaks, subsidies, etc.) to build their business, then they're beholden to public desire (other than market forces) as the public is, essentially, a stakeholder at that point. | |
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ss4vegito7
join:2004-07-24
Cranbury, NJ
| Re: 100 MB broadband for all said by BloodRoses  :and I'm not willing to pay extra on my bill so some arse that decides to live in some craphole in the middle of nowhere can get broadband, either. A wise New Yorker once said "Dial-up is fast enough for their fast paced lifestyle". If you don't like it, move. What if you can't afford to move but would like decent internet? And don't say if you can't afford to move that you can't afford broadband because that isn't true.
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»www.rockinthebury.com
andhttp://www.cranburypcrepair.com | |
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Bill
Light Up The Halo
Premium,VIP
join:2001-12-09
clubs:
| Re: 100 MB broadband for all said by ss4vegito7 :What if you can't afford to move but would like decent internet? And don't say if you can't afford to move that you can't afford broadband because that isn't true. That's up to them to figure out. It's not my problem. Part of my monthly bill shouldn't be going to help them.
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Bill
SocalServer.com: LA Game Servers
Check out our public servers | |
| | | | | older dog
Premium
join:2005-06-09
Norwich, NY
| We all subsidize somebody with something.
Water comes to mind. We in the country subsidize your cheap water.
How by land restrictions around water sheds. Hurts resale of land, tax base, and prevents the area from ever growing to where the area would be viable for broadband deployment on its own.
After all you could just move to a area where water is easier to provide.
The list is endless on both sides. | |
| | | | | | PDXPLT
join:2003-12-04
Banks, OR
| Re: 100 MB broadband for all said by older dog :We all subsidize somebody with something. Water comes to mind. We in the country subsidize your cheap water. How by land restrictions around water sheds. Hurts resale of land, tax base, and prevents the area from ever growing to where the area would be viable for broadband deployment on its own. After all you could just move to a area where water is easier to provide. The list is endless on both sides. Not to mention all the "scenic restrictions" that serve no purpose, other than to give some suburban dweeb a pretty view when they go on their Sunday drive in the country. You don't hear rural folks demanding that strip malls all be dismantled, just so that they don't have to look at them at those times when they venture into the 'burbs. Why should rural people be forced to restrict what they do with their own property, just to satisfy the aesthetic sensibilities of some city slicker? | |
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CaptainRR
Premium
join:2006-04-21
Blue Rock, OH
| Re: 100 MB broadband for all I hear. Sounds like living in the Adirondacks! Cell service is scarce because they don't allow towers. One thing I can say is most of the private telco's up there do provide DSL and are way ahead of any major telco. Were I used to live I used to have a small telco that covered only two townships. I have family up there and they cover every corner of there service area with DSL. What I am getting at is if you are on a baby bell telco more chance's are you will get DSL before most people will with major telco's in rural areas. I know that first hand. I am with the new AT&T out in the middle of no wear and just barley have dialup! | |
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CConverse
join:2006-01-31
Syracuse, NY
1 edit | said by PDXPLT :Not to mention all the "scenic restrictions" that serve no purpose, other than to give some suburban dweeb a pretty view when they go on their Sunday drive in the country. No purpose? Ask the birds or butterflies that use the areas as migration "rest stops". As the swamplands that act as natural filters for earth's water supply. Ask the trees and plants that provide us with the oxygen we breathe. There's plenty of reason to keep these areas, we just have to look for them.
Edit: See (and look up) my quote for more details.
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UNLESS Someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to change...
It's not
-The Once-ler
From The Lorax by Dr. Seuss | |
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ImaIdiotToo
@comcast.net
| and I'm not willing to pay extra on my bill so some arse that decides to live in some craphole in the middle of nowhere can get broadband, either Agreed! Phuck the farmers, the stupid hayseeds don't need broadband. They should just move their farms to the city. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | bamabrad
join:2006-01-27
Port Orange, FL | Re: 100 MB broadband for all If it were me,(but it's not), I wouldn't put down the hard working people that feed me- BB is important-but I can't eat it. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | older dog
Premium
join:2005-06-09
Norwich, NY
| Re: 100 MB broadband for all Just a example of how wrong you are.
»members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl···d=lupole
AT this point in time they are small, but who knows, if they could get more than 19k how much they could expand. Try uploading items at that speed and see how long it takes.
Do not say ISDN is available it is not. satellite does not work because of the forest, no wireless.
They were my neighbors before I moved.
Many farmers have used the net to buy and sell embryos for many years. Countries hit by mad cow disease have been a hot market.
Some have become millionaires from this. Equipment is another that is easily traded on the net.
The net has had as big a effect on commerce for rural areas as paved roads. | |
| | | | BigVe
join:2005-07-15
Gulliver, MI | Many places in Sweden only pay about $40 for 100/100 | |
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Tzale
Proud Libertarian Conservative
Premium
join:2004-01-06
Sweden
·Verizon FIOS
 ·Optimum Online
| Re: 100 MB broadband for all said by BigVe :Many places in Sweden only pay about $40 for 100/100 Yea, and Sweden is about the size of what? A "day" trip in America?
-Tzale
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»www.hello-radio.org/
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rachelsfx
join:2004-09-27
Pensacola, FL | Japan only pays $25 a month 150/50 Internet. I guess they are losing money? | |
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oliphant
I Have 8 Boobies
Premium
join:2004-11-26
Corona, CA
1 edit | Sigh... Again, penetration isn't who can get it...it's who DECIDES to buy it. No different that the lame America sucks at cellular article of a week back showing we have less cell phones, but ignoring that it's not because coverage is lacking or people can't get it...it's that they don't need it, especially with our POTS being very cheap and reliable compared to other nations.
You want to move us up the list...take away all the newspapers, news channels, talk radio and the other alternate sources of entertainment and information.
If all we had was 4 channels of state run television and way fewer newspapers, the internet would be more popular and more people would bother signing up for faster access to it (since these statistics ignore who is on using dial up). But since people have so many other sources for entertainment and news, people simply don't give a crap about "faster" internet.
And that isn't to say 100% of the people in the US can get it...only that "penetration" statistics are completely pointless.
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WAR HAS NEVER SOLVED ANYTHING, except ending slavery, facism, communism, Nazism.... | |
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Kfedka
Premium
join:2005-05-06
Spokane, WA | Re: Sigh... I cant remember the last time I read a newspaper or watched the news, I get all my info online.:D | |
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xdeadhead
220, 221, Whatever It Takes.
Premium
join:2000-11-08
Mechanicsburg, PA | Re: Sigh... what is this "newspaper" to which you refer?
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I am not herbert. | |
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roamer1
sticking it out at you
join:2001-03-24
Atlanta, GA
clubs:
| said by oliphant :Again, penetration isn't who can get it...it's who DECIDES to buy it. True. There are certainly many areas of the US where there is no wired broadband, but in most areas with any significant population, there is usually at least one wired option available...and there's almost always satellite and maybe a WISP or too if all else fails.
America sucks at cellular article of a week back showing we have less cell phones As you mention, there are fewer cell phone users in the US largely because of cheap, ubiquitous POTS (and now VoIP  ) service. That said, the US market has matured to the point where nearly everyone who actually *wants* a phone has one, and carriers seem to be grasping at straws, now targeting those who are still least likely to have them --- meaning tweens and younger kids, the elderly, and certain ethnic markets.
The US wireless phone market does suck when it comes to *phones*, but that's largely because of some carriers (T-Mobile, Verizon) being somewhat conservative on the handset side, and most importantly, Americans' peculiar flavor of technophobia -- which needless to say, also plays into our relatively weak showing when it comes to broadband.
You want to move us up the list...take away all the newspapers, news channels, talk radio and the other alternate sources of entertainment and information. I don't think having so many sources of information is the main culprit, although having a glut of TV programming like the US does probably doesn't help, and I don't think cost is either. I think technophobia, puritanical attitudes (such as the odd idea that the Internet is nothing more than a big red-light district), and the low cost of dialup -- fueled by that cheap POTS -- are the main reasons why more Americans don't have broadband.
-SC
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"it seems like all you ever buy is Abercrombie and cell phones" --a friend | |
| | jdracer47
join:2005-10-16
Auburn, PA | I agree with you but when the FCC considers one person with broadband in a zipcode as that area has been deployed, what measure do you want to use? My area supposedly has a wealth of broadband, but I assure you we have less than crap where I live. | |
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oliphant
I Have 8 Boobies
Premium
join:2004-11-26
Corona, CA
| Re: Sigh... These aren't FCC statistics either. I'm curious what the cable and telcos would "brag" are their subscriber rates...what percentage of customers they have deployed to, buy HSI as this would show people's interest.
The latest data from Comcast is that they're selling HSI to less than 20% of their serviceable homes said by Comcast 3Q report :
Comcast Cable ended the third quarter of 2005 with more than 8.1 million high-speed Internet subscribers, adding 437,000 subscribers during the quarter and resulting in a penetration rate of 19.9% of available homes.
meaning Comcast services over 40 million homes with HSI, but only sold it to 8.1M of them.
Only 1 in 5 who can get Comcast HSI, buy Comcast HSI. And sure, some of those 4 in 5 buy from a competitor but I would guess those areas seeing competition on average are doing as well as Comcast does on average so even if we assume that everywhere that Comcast is, there is an HSI competitor (which isn't the case), that would be 2 in 5 buying HSI who can get HSI.
Now these are 'educated' guesses, but it infers that very few people who can get HSI, bother to buy HSI. However people here at DSLR confuse the "subscriber" statistics with "availability" statistics.
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WAR HAS NEVER SOLVED ANYTHING, except ending slavery, facism, communism, Nazism.... | |
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yathinkhere
@verizon.net | Hmm, Yes, GOUGE THE CONSUMER!
Erect toll-roads, squabble about marketshare, claim your competition does illegal/unethical things,etc, etc, etc.
A fine example for the rest of the world! | |
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Tzale
Proud Libertarian Conservative
Premium
join:2004-01-06
Sweden | Re: Hmm, Same way the rest of the capitalist world works. The only difference is they pay much higher taxes, have much higher population density (since when is all of Canada or the Russian Federation wired???).
-Tzale | |
| | | Shark_615
join:2006-01-17
Pickering, ON | Re: Hmm, The population density in Canada is less then the US. | |
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Tzale
Proud Libertarian Conservative
Premium
join:2004-01-06
Sweden
·Verizon FIOS
·Optimum Online
| Re: Hmm, said by Shark_615 :The population density in Canada is less then the US. Wow, you're so smart. Who ever said that Canada had a higher population density? Canadian broadband SUCKS in comparison to American broadband. What my point was that countries like Canada, Russia, etc who have a lot of land like the USA can NOT provide service to EVERYONE.
Now a smaller country like Germany that can be driven across in 5 hours from the border with France and Poland is MUCH easier to install services in. Especially when the population is 80,000,000 in SUCH A SMALL AREA.
-Tzale
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»www.hello-radio.org/
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| wev567
join:2006-02-25
Pittsburgh, PA | National Broadband Plan? We will have that two weeks after we have a coherent health care plan and a rational sustainable energy policy. | |
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G_Poobah
join:2004-01-17
Schenectady, NY
| Re: National Broadband Plan? Well, looks like Massachusetts, home of those Liberals Kerry and Kennedy are way in front of the REDneck states. They have statewide guaranteed health care for all. And remember, they get free heating oil from those commies in Venezuela too. So, next on their list is Universal broadband. Hmm.. I guess living there is a pretty good deal, especially for the smart people, who go to HARVARD and MIT and whatnot.
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Flabby? pastey-skinned? riddled with phlebitis? Then you've got a good Republican body! So compare your lives to mine, and then kill yourself. | |
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scrummie02
Bentley
join:2004-04-16
Arlington, VA
| Re: National Broadband Plan? those "REDneck" states grow the food you take your granola eating skinny liberal ass to the grocery store to eat. I am from Colorado, a redstate, and I have found the state to be very "wired" for the size that it is. Not to mention, not everyone in Colorado is a raving communist lunatic that wants to erode our Bill of Rights like in Mass. where everything is "wicked" awesome. | |
| | | | kinabrew
join:2002-02-01
·Comcast
| Re: National Broadband Plan? I'm from New Mexico, right below you, and would love to see you back up your claims about the "red states" producing the food that feeds the "blue states".
Just take a look at all of the stuff California produces, like more dairy products than Wisconsin, and more potatoes than Idaho. | |
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scrummie02
Bentley
join:2004-04-16
Arlington, VA
1 edit | Re: National Broadband Plan? all you eat is Dairy? What about beef, grain, poultry, and livestock and other commodities? I'd bet if you would do some research you will find which way these rural counties with smaller populations voted.
While California leads in all crops and total commodities, the other states right below it aren't far behind.
If it wasn't for states like Colorado, Nebraska and Texas you'd be eating a lot of Tofu my friend.
Sorry about you living in N.M., that sucks. Of all the desolate places I've been, that ranks right below Idaho and Wyoming.
»www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FarmIncome···htm#prod | |
| | | TheGhost
Premium
join:2003-01-03
Lake Forest, IL
clubs:
·AT&T U-Verse
·Comcast
| Re: Gov't plans take too long to implement said by GOLFnSUN :He suggests forming a broadband equivalent of the 1987 Advanced Television Advisory Committee (ATC), which was established to solidify HDTV broadcast standards. Sure, it only took 15 yrs before HDTV started to become available. So if the Gov't forms a BB committee right now, we can see some results about the year 2020. And 2020 may be sooner than if we leave it to the Bells and CableCos. | |
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COMMAN
Plug Me In
join:2000-07-17
Mount Juliet, TN
·Embarq
 ·Vonage
1 edit | Re: Gov't plans take too long to implement Who do you think will "grease the wheels" at that committee?
That's right, the Bells and CableCos.
I have no doubt the Big Business players WON'T step up to do the right thing, but the truly sad part is "our" (and I use the term loosely) government has been bought and paid for by these same companies. Has anybody noticed how much both the Telcos and CableCos spend on lobbyists these days? And as long as they're spending millions fighting each other, that money isn't being spent on infrastructure. | |
| Soden_dop
join:2006-03-19
Graham, WA | people just seem not needing it truly, it just seems that people in the US dont really have that want/need to be part of the broadband community, yeah things like myspace and WOW will pull people in to the broadband world but still people seem content living with out it. | |
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xabe
hysteria
Premium
join:2005-11-09
Hawaii
| Re: people just seem not needing it said by Soden_dop :truly, it just seems that people in the US dont really have that want/need to be part of the broadband community, yeah things like myspace and WOW will pull people in to the broadband world but still people seem content living with out it. It's not that they don't want/need to be part of the broadband community - it's that broadband isn't a necessity for life. People, especially older people, have gotten by just fine without a 10Mbps cable connection with VOIP, video on demand, 300 satellite channels, etc.
People mix conveniences with necessities.
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the same breath that fills the sails is the same breath taken from you | |
| | | jdracer47
join:2005-10-16
Auburn, PA
| Re: people just seem not needing it Maybe you should tell that to the teachers in school who always give my kids crap to look up on the internet. Yeah I guess dialup would do, but they would have to be up till 3 AM downloading crap they need. It is on the verge of that necessity word. | |
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Vig
Thread-safe since 1997
Premium
join:2004-03-23
San Diego, CA | Look up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a government committee to the rescue!  | |
| moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD | Wait a minute................... The Former director of the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy had no plan or policy? Wasn't this his job?
Government as usual. | |
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gwion
wild colonial boy
Premium,ExMod 2001-08
join:2000-12-28
Pittsburgh, PA
| Nope... ... no plan, whatsoever. Gwion, out.
PS- America, get a life! This is the tech revolution! Exctly what do you expect people to PAY a grand for one of these machines for, anyway? Aside from us terminal geeks, a computer adds up to an internet connection... and the more transparant, the better. Give this stuff away... bandwidth, that is... the promise is SO great, the medium is so promising...
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Semper Eadem
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They turned our power down
And drove us underground
But we went right on with the show
I've seen the lights go out on Broadway ... | |
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LilYoda
Feline with squirel personality disorder
Premium
join:2004-09-02
Mountains
1 edit | Re: Nope... This has got to be the worst post to signature ratio I've seen so far 
Or is part of the small text your post and not your sig??? | |
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Mercurybird
Premium
join:2004-06-24
Hooks, TX
·Allegiance Communi..
·CableOne
| As long as... greed is driving the bus it will continue to lumber along at 35 mph on the interstate.
I said it before and I'll say it again...
Look at Japan where the broadband is at saturation levels and racing along the audobaun at 50 times our speed here, if I remember right.
It is amazing what can be done when no one cares who gets the credit. But as long as greed is driving the bus...
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"The farther back you're able to look, the farther forward you are likely to see." Winston Churchill | |
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Gov't plans take too long to implement