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FCC Cancels Vote On Nationwide Free Wireless
Telco lobbying, Martin's problems kill M2Z plan...

While FCC boss Kevin Martin's plan to offer free, 768kbps wireless broadband has gotten a ton of bubbly press coverage, we've repeatedly noted how the plan was never going to actually happen. There's a number of logistical reasons why, the biggest being that deep-pocketed incumbents don't want the added competition, and want the spectrum for themselves, without conditions. As it stands the plan involves auctioning off spectrum in the AWS-3 (2155-2180 MHz) band, with the condition that whoever buys it must deploy at least 768kbps, smut-filtered wireless to 95% of the country in ten years time.

T-Mobile has taken the lobbying lead on this fight, with support from AT&T and Verizon. T-Mobile originally tried to claim that the M2Z plan to use Time Division Duplex (TDD) technology would cause interference, but those claims were proven wrong by FCC tests -- and the annoying fact that T-Mobile uses the same technology in the Czech Republic without any problems whatsoever. Once the interference claim didn't work, the telcos brought out the big guns and got the White House itself to shout down the plan last week.

With telco-driven opposition mounting, and FCC boss Kevin Martin under fire for being, well, a jerk, the FCC has scrapped the December 18 meeting, according to the Wall Street Journal.

quote:
Sen. John Rockefeller, (D-W.Va.), and Rep. Henry Waxman, (D-Calif.), who will chair the Senate and House committees overseeing the FCC next year, earlier Friday sent a letter to Mr. Martin asking him to cease actions on controversial policy proposals. . ."We received the letter from Senator Rockefeller and Congressman Waxman today and spoke with other offices," said FCC Spokesman Robert Kenny. "In light of the letter, it does not appear that there is consensus to move forward and the agenda meeting has been canceled."
The potentially dead plan was originally proposed by M2Z Networks, a startup made up of a lot of former FCC execs. Martin, who'll you recall launched a wholesale investigation into Janet Jackson's boobie, was primarily interested in the plan because it involved mandatory smut-filters -- something appealing to family-values constituents in North Carolina, where Martin is rumored to be eying a post-FCC political career. If nothing else, a Commissioner who usually votes against consumer interests got lots of nice press for supposedly being a consumer advocate.

If the plan had made it past telco lobbyists, it might not have made it past opposition from free speech groups, who are claiming the government-mandated filters would violate the First Amendment.
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yolarry
join:2007-12-29
Creston, WV

yolarry

Member

Assholes!

Now I going to stuck with hughesnet and dial up forever. :|
wirelessdog
join:2008-07-15
Queen Anne, MD

wirelessdog

Member

Re: Assholes!

Good news for all the mom and pop wireless providers.

MrMoody
Free range slave
Premium Member
join:2002-09-03
Smithfield, NC
Netgear CM500
Asus RT-AC68

MrMoody to yolarry

Premium Member

to yolarry
said by yolarry:

Now I going to stuck with hughesnet and dial up forever. :|
You would have been in the other 5% anyway, and it would take 10 years for you to find that out.
probboy
join:2008-01-10
Natick, MA

1 edit

probboy

Member

Re: Assholes!

said by MrMoody :

You would have been in the other 5% anyway, and it would take 10 years for you to find that out.
Thank you, at least one other person on this site is willing to admit that this plan was never going to be the panacea for unserved rural areas.

MrMoody
Free range slave
Premium Member
join:2002-09-03
Smithfield, NC
Netgear CM500
Asus RT-AC68

MrMoody

Premium Member

Re: Assholes!

said by probboy:

this plan was never going to be the panacea for unserved rural areas.
No, no plan that sets out to serve x% of the US ever will. Either it has to be 100% in a reasonable length of time or something specifically delegated to unserved rural areas only. Anything else will naturally concentrate on the cities, where a filtered, capped wireless service would get used for mobile internet, while rural homes wait for someday.
probboy
join:2008-01-10
Natick, MA

1 edit

1 recommendation

probboy

Member

Re: Assholes!

I think all these plans work around the proverbial 800 lb elephant in the room: either we, as a society, decide to provide high-speed internet access to rural areas or we decide we aren't going to. If we are going to provide access, let's build out a future-proof network like FTTP or FTTN (where possible) or fixed wireless solutions (where a wired approach doesn't work) using existing subsidies (like the universal service charge, for example). If we, as a society, decide not to build out rural networks, then let's eliminate the universal service fund.

Half-baked plans like M2Z's or Google's (& others') white space broadband are never going to provide access to unserved rural areas, regardless of what any CEO or press release says.

NetAdmin1
CCNA
join:2008-05-22

NetAdmin1 to probboy

Member

to probboy
said by probboy:

Thank you, at least one other person on this site is willing to admit that this plan was never going to be the panacea for unserved rural areas.
Probably not, but 95% of America is more than 95% of the population. More than 5% of the nation is technically uninhabited.

MrMoody
Free range slave
Premium Member
join:2002-09-03
Smithfield, NC

MrMoody

Premium Member

Re: Assholes!

It is completely beyond doubt that they meant 95% of the population.

NetAdmin1
CCNA
join:2008-05-22

NetAdmin1

Member

Re: Assholes!

Not completely beyond doubt... Coverage is sometimes express in terms of geographic area.

However, I found the FCC filing. They are talking population. My mistake.
quote:
Require the licensee to provide signal coverage and offer service to: 1) at least 50
percent of the total population of the nation within four years of commencement of
the license term and 2) at least 95 percent of the total population of the nation at the
end of the 10-year license term.


DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

DaveDude to yolarry

Member

to yolarry
I dont know but i used bonded ISDN for years, might be faster then hughs

battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000

battleop to yolarry

Member

to yolarry
So sorry you don't get Wireless Welfare.

Anonymous Coward
@verizon.net

-1 recommendation

Anonymous Coward

Anon

All for the big telcos, put the screws to the people

George Bush can't leave fast enough.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: All for the big telcos, put the screws to the people

said by Anonymous Coward :

George Bush can't leave fast enough.
But these 2 killed it off - not Bush:

Sen. John Rockefeller, (D-W.Va.), and Rep. Henry Waxman, (D-Calif.)

DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

1 recommendation

DaveDude

Member

Re: All for the big telcos, put the screws to the people

said by FFH5:
said by Anonymous Coward :

George Bush can't leave fast enough.
But these 2 killed it off - not Bush:

Sen. John Rockefeller, (D-W.Va.), and Rep. Henry Waxman, (D-Calif.)
T, you never get it , its the hatred that more important, thats a core liberal value, hate those who question us, even if democrats were the cause.

Brent A
@comcast.net

Brent A to FFH5

Anon

to FFH5
I don't see how telling Martin not to be a party-crashing dumb-ass is ruining anything.

NetAdmin1
CCNA
join:2008-05-22

NetAdmin1 to Anonymous Coward

Member

to Anonymous Coward
said by Anonymous Coward :

George Bush can't leave fast enough.
Might make sense if GWB had something to do with them killing this plan. You might want to blame the lobbyists first.

JasonOD
@comcast.net

1 recommendation

JasonOD

Anon

Great news........

Thanks to common sense and a reality check, the free market & taxpayers win. Nothing is really free.
chelpt
join:2008-05-24
La Crosse, WI

chelpt

Member

Re: Great news........

The more our government advertises 'free' services, the more it starts to sound like Communism. Because, I realize that if the government gives, it can take. (Not that Fedzilla decides to take any ways:-P )
k1ll3rdr4g0n
join:2005-03-19
Homer Glen, IL

k1ll3rdr4g0n

Member

Well, it could be worse

And it is.
Are we all stupid humans that don't want innovation?
The incumbents had their chance to speak and all they had were lies, so they can go pound sand. If only these idiots realized that this will happen eventually, they are only buying time by being stupid. And in the long run its going to hurt them even more! This is simply because by the time the plan is reintroduced again even better wireless technology will be on the market and they will be able to reach even more homes/businesses.

In the mean time cable companies rate hike and put in caps, while the rest of the world are at least 10x speeds we are.

I swear I really wonder about the intelligence of some of these CEOs. It seems as the more money you get paid, the lower your IQ drops.

And for those who think that this would violate the first amendment to be smut free, you are the dumbest porn surfer ever. If they don't require registration, it would be the best anonymous connection to the internet you can get. Isn't that what you want, to be able to post your opinion anonymously? Or would you rather have your porn? If all you want is porn, I'll burn you DVDs full next time if you leave this plan alone.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Unworkable?

How would anyone be able to cover the cost of such a freebie? Were the taxpayers going to be hit up for paying for this?

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Unworkable?

said by pnh102:

How would anyone be able to cover the cost of such a freebie? Were the taxpayers going to be hit up for paying for this?
M2Z networks was going to get the spectrum at a big discount; use most of it to SELL service; and use 768 kbps of it for the free internet(but with lots of ads to sell).
probboy
join:2008-01-10
Natick, MA

probboy to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
said by pnh102:

How would anyone be able to cover the cost of such a freebie?
They weren't; they would have never been able to build out the required infrastructure within the required timeframe on the business plan proposed.
aaronkeown
join:2008-02-05
Jeffersonville, IN

aaronkeown

Member

Check your politics at the door please.

Hatred as a liberal value?Why do people always have to drag their own personnel politics into this.The only thing I hate is the fact that unfettered capitalism has led to our country's current economic condition.