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Qwest: Subsidize Rural Broadband
By cutting subsidies to wireless providers...
Qwest tells the Deseret News that they offer broadband to about 83% of its service area "but [have] not found an economic way to serve the rest." The company this week submitted a proposal to the FCC that would cut subsidies paid out to wireless providers by migrating to a per-household rather than per-user basis. The company says the resulting $500 million in savings could then be given to -- oh say, Qwest -- for finishing the deployment job. Unlike AT&T and Verizon, Qwest lacks a wireless division.
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marors1
Premium Member
join:2003-05-21
00000

marors1

Premium Member

at least they are doing something...sort of...

I do hope that someone does something soon for serving rural and other underserved areas. It is getting to be a real joke that the USF fund is nothing but another way to extract money from the pockets of consumers without any real benefit to the consumers.

This is way too typical of big companies and needs to be changed.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd

Premium Member

Re: at least they are doing something...sort of...

just make it law that for a company to get USF money they most have equal broadband over their entire service area.

crazypete32
@170.92.100.x

1 recommendation

crazypete32 to marors1

Anon

to marors1
they should just get rid of the usf altogether...

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Re: at least they are doing something...sort of...

I agree.
Besides.. Qwest has a wireless division - its called Sprint.
Time4aNAP
Premium Member
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL

Time4aNAP

Premium Member

Re: at least they are doing something...sort of...

said by en102:

Qwest has a wireless division - its called Sprint.
We're talking about old-school, smoke-filled-room telco executives here. They probably have no clue that Sprint is a wireless service.

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Re: at least they are doing something...sort of...

I always find it ironic that some of the same companies that hate taxes/fees to the government coffer are the same ones that beat have the government create a telco slush fund and are milking it to death, pushing for increases, and fighting over themselves on its use.
Time4aNAP
Premium Member
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL

Time4aNAP

Premium Member

Re: at least they are doing something...sort of...

Yep, they're an ironic bunch. Every two years, the Big Business politicians promise to shrink government and reduce taxes. And every time they get half a chance, they do the exact opposite--they add new bureaucracies, and spend taxpayer dollars like drunken sailors. I never cease to be amazed at how so many people perennially fall for that song and dance.
Time4aNAP

Time4aNAP to crazypete32

Premium Member

to crazypete32
said by crazypete32 :

they should just get rid of the usf altogether...
...and???

Are you under the impression that throwing that money into the general fund is somehow a better alternative? "Gee, the government that I helped put into power is corrupt. I know! Let's make a scapegoat out of some faceless low-level bureaucrat, and screw everybody."

Brilliant.
dynodb
Premium Member
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

dynodb

Premium Member

Re: at least they are doing something...sort of...

You really have no clue how the USF works, do you?

Were you to get rid of the USF, there'd be no more collection of USF fees from customers, therefore no money to go into the general fund or for whatever projects are deemed by the FCC as worthy of funding.
Time4aNAP
Premium Member
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL

Time4aNAP

Premium Member

Dream On

said by dynodb:

You really have no clue how the USF works, do you?
Well, I know enough about it that I can address the topic, and don't have to stoop to ad hominem attacks, like you're doing.
Were you to get rid of the USF, there'd be no more collection of USF fees from customers...
Obviously it wouldn't be called "USF" any more. And you might like to believe that killing the USF is going to reduce your phone bill. But history says that's just a pipe dream.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

1 recommendation

Kearnstd

Premium Member

Re: Dream On

said by Time4aNAP:
said by dynodb:

You really have no clue how the USF works, do you?
Well, I know enough about it that I can address the topic, and don't have to stoop to ad hominem attacks, like you're doing.
Were you to get rid of the USF, there'd be no more collection of USF fees from customers...
Obviously it wouldn't be called "USF" any more. And you might like to believe that killing the USF is going to reduce your phone bill. But history says that's just a pipe dream.
haha i can see the telco guys now making up a new name for a fee to replace the USF except this time they keep the money. something stupid like "Line Maintance Fee" or "Energy Recovery Fee" ohh ERF sounds good, they would do it to appear more green.
Time4aNAP
Premium Member
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL

Time4aNAP

Premium Member

Re: Dream On

You understand how the system works.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

1 recommendation

88615298 (banned) to crazypete32

Member

to crazypete32
said by crazypete32 :

they should just get rid of the usf altogether...
Sure but that isn't happening so we might as well deal with realities not fantasies and at least use the USF for something useful.
DemonChicken
join:2006-10-15
Boon, MI

DemonChicken to marors1

Member

to marors1
QUOTE "More norhtern Michigan residents will have access to brodband internet service from ATT michigan asthe company completes and inititative to expand to rural areas. Representitives from ATT joined state and local officials on monday at the Traverse City chamber of commerce as part of a statewide tour to promote broadband accesibility.
In march 2006 ATT michigan commited to invest FOUR HUNDRED EIGHTS SIX MILLLION DOLLARS to bring the company's high speend DSL service to 57 wire centers that were not equiped at that time. ( DOES IT COST THAT MUCH? ) In northern michigan locations incluede Cheboygan Fife Lake, Harrietta, Lake Leelanau, Mcbain, North port, Onekema Williamsburg and Wolverine." Endquote

DOES IT COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BUILD TO 57 WIRE CENTERS? May i also note. My location, Boon Michigan located CLOSER to town also with a HIGHER population is completly disregaurded. Does anyone know if the 486 Million dollar deal covers the entire northern michigan area. OR did it cost 486 million just for 47 centers? /endrage
Time4aNAP
Premium Member
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL

Time4aNAP

Premium Member

Michigan, Of All Places

Even though the story's about the UP, I still see a sad irony in the fact that it's in the state of Michigan. Back when AT&T was still AT&T, Ann Arbor was AT&T's "test market" for DSL service, that was supposed to become widely available via what became Ameritech "any day now", for year after year, with zero expansion.

The first DSL service in Chicago was provided by a company called Worldwide Access (wwa.net), whose service was limited to a small portion of downtown for several years because they had to run their own copper, using abandoned freight tunnels that later gained notoriety when a city contractor dumped the Chicago River into the whole tunnel system, including many downtown basements and electrical vaults. WWA never got to take any bows for being a true innovator in DSL, after Verio gobbled them up just prior to wider (but still very limited) DSL expansion.

To this day, the company that calls itself AT&T has done nothing whatsoever to develop DSL (DSL is a Bellcore invention, BTW). Instead they resell DSL service from Covad. Between Ameritech's non-performance and SBC's reputation for being Satan incarnate, I wouldn't put much stock in the company that now calls itself AT&T delivering on its promises. Especially when it comes to DSL. Especially in Michigan!
Time4aNAP

Time4aNAP to marors1

Premium Member

to marors1
said by marors1:

at least they are doing something...sort of...
A pathological optimist is somebody who, upon learning that someone has gone on a murder rampage, says "well at least he made a name for himself."
DemonChicken
join:2006-10-15
Boon, MI

DemonChicken

Member

Re: at least they are doing something...sort of...

ok WHERE does all the 486 million go. I sure as hell know that it didnt expand DSL to my location. And on second note yes Harrietta is 7 miles away and has a lower population than us. IM SURE that more people want DSL here to.
Time4aNAP
Premium Member
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL

2 edits

Time4aNAP

Premium Member

Take a Deep Breath

Hey, I'm on your side, remember? I'm all for universal service, and as a metropolitan dweller I'm more than happy to contribute to expanding Internet service far and wide. In fact I've consulted pro bono on a couple of rural WISP initiatives just because I felt that it was the Right Thing to do.

As a taxpayer who still remembers the S&L scandal and the RTC, I'm not about to sit by quietly as it gets swept under the rug. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, not bloody likely! I don't believe that throwing the baby out with the bathwater would solve anything. The USF funds health care and education for rural areas too.

So far it seems that the bulk of the outrage has been over the USDA's role in distributing USF funds earmarked for Internet expansion. I don't know how it got there, but based on its poor performance in USDA hands, I think that management should be turned over to the USAC and FCC for future management, aggressive collections, and fraud prosecution.

Just don't forget that on the scale of Executive Branch screwups, your broadband future does rank way below the ones that have resulted in massive loss of life, limb, property and liberty. I have hope that progress can be made on all issues simultaneously. But I don't expect it to be easy.
DemonChicken
join:2006-10-15
Boon, MI

1 edit

DemonChicken

Member

Re: Take a Deep Breath

My Statment wasnt directed twords you. In PC magazine michigan was one of the higher ranking states for internet speed. But that isnt about avalability.

In fact I emailed the chamber of commerce. I dont expect a response though. I would be happy if WISP was as fast as fast DSL speeds. I cant get that though. Harrietta truley has even less people than where I live. That was from a different forum. Anyway 486 million dollars went to 47 wire centers near me but still to far away. 7 miles away is the closest one. In a population lesser than me area.
Time4aNAP
Premium Member
join:2007-04-09
Des Plaines, IL

Time4aNAP

Premium Member

Re: Take a Deep Breath

I feel for you. I used to live in a posh Chicago suburb that wasn't quite as wealthy as Kenilworth, but more exclusive. The exclusivity was because the village only covered two or three square miles, including the country club. That exclusivity also applied to getting a cable franchise. We didn't get cable until the '90s. Even smaller private subdivisions had cable service before us! It sucks to be surrounded by easy access, but have it out of your own grasp.

Keep on reminding your local, state and federal representatives that you and others in your town want decent broadband. No guarantees there, but persistence has been known to pay off. Meanwhile you might get together with other interested parties in your area, and talk about forming a co-op. When all else fails, do it yourself!
Jonbo298
join:2004-01-12
Council Bluffs, IA

Jonbo298

Member

Qwest has Wireless

Its just put together with Sprint (as mentioned above). Not the most economical solution but since Qwest has been digging itself out of debt, they can't deploy their own network.

longstreet
join:2004-11-14
Plano, TX

1 edit

longstreet

Member

meh

Qwest : HELP US PAY FOR OUR 250 million dollar SEC VIOLATION! GIVE US MONEY!

Sane people : No f'ing way dude. I'm with Utopia.