Want to truly take nothing? Seriously? The mere existence of the Internet is due to government funding. The wires that connect your little corner of Oregon to the great wide world? Probably wouldn't have happened without government subsidies. The same is true around the world. A lot of the research that drives the technology getting your bits across the wire...hmmm...government funding, as well.
You're in the wrong industry to invent a moral highroad about government subsidisations. Telecomm is considered a utility, and utilities will always be subsidised by governments. Always have been, and always will be. On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 5:29 PM, <rea...@muddyfrogwater.us> wrote: > The fact is, the only things we're doing wrong, is allowing too much > subsidy, too many barriers to entry into the business, and too much tax > money to be gobbled up. > > In all of these countries with so-called "great" broadband, how much is > ACTUALLY spent by the consumers and taxpayers? Nobody knows. I will > guarantee you it is WELL MORE than anyone pays here. No, not the price > of > subsidized services, the total spending divided by users and taxpayers. > > What is the actual "return" on broadband? I can tell you honestly, that > with the exception of a small handful of my customers, the only "return" is > time saved, with no monetary returns. For a few, it does have financial > implications, and they do earn or save money. I'd say it was under 10%. > Now, that's RESIDENTIAL customers. Business customers have a far > different viewpoint... And they often pay well more than residential > service > prices to get SLA's, etc. > > Subsidizing the residential users with taxpayers is both economically > wrong, > and just plain common sense wrong. > > But as far as the article goes.. We need MORE "free market" and less > interference. Broadband would spread faster, not slower. And be more, > not less, competitive. > > But we have to recognize some things... There are historically created > monopolies, and there are current monopolies, and these monopolies exist > due > to force of law. If there's anything that's held up broadband, it's these > monopolies. > > Local and state laws often create monopolies by placing huge impediments to > new startups, or wireless deployments, and often absolutely and totally > forbid WIRED competition for phone and cable operators by offering > exclusive > franchises. The number of competitive wired phone operators is nil, for > all practical purposes, for a lot of reasons. Yet, we have no end in > sight > of the wireless phone guys competing for your dollar. > > In rural America, far too much land is governmentally owned, and is the > single largest obstacle to wireless deployments. Eastern Oregon, for > instance is hugely Federal, some state, and tiny spots of private land. > Trying to use federal or state land is just simply not feasible, especially > if you're provider #2 for a town of 2000 people and you're trying to be > cost > competitive. And Congress can't seem to figure out that handing out > grants > to people who are experts at milking the sow in DC isn't cost effective or > in any other way effective. Those who can, do, those who can't, get > grants > or loans. Not universally, but at least around here, that's the case. > > Here is Eastern Oregon, we have one company that invested minimal money of > their own, but bilked the state for millions, and uses state money (mine, > no > less) to deploy fiber to compete with non subsidized WISP's and other > ISP's. > And, since their contract is written in a certain way, they use the LEAST > cost effective means of reaching people. They get paid by the state to > waste money, IMO. And are they friendly to being cooperative iwth other > ISP's? Hell no. > > Every time you offer public subsidy, you simply invite the taxpayers to get > screwed endlessly. > > And we're ALL taxpayers. > > If you want to lobby DC and get my support, then the following words and > this idea will NEVER surface in what you say... "Give us money from the > taxpayers". If you want to talk tax breaks, if you want to talk legal > classifications, if you want to talk about barriers to services, etc, > etc... > by all means, do so... but you lose me everytime you say "we need money". > If you can't make the business case for it without subsidy or grants, IT > SHOULD NOT BE DONE. Period. > > And those poor whiny souls who bellyache about "the position we hold in > broadband penetration" can have endless bleeding ulcers over it, they have > no point worth considering. > > As I've said before... lots of people here are arguing that "since it's > going to be spent, get your share". NO! > > If it has to start somewhere, it starts with me. I take nothing. Zilch. > Never. Ever. Just do the right thing. Eventually, doing the right thing > will be popular and can be sold to the saps in DC. But it has to start > somewhere. Even if it starts AND ENDS with me... I'm doing the right > thing, period. > > > > > > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > <insert witty tagline here> > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jack Unger" <jun...@ask-wi.com> > To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org> > Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 2:19 PM > Subject: [WISPA] ARTICLE - What's the U.S. Doing Wrong with Broadband ? > > > > > > > http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Whats-The-US-Doing-Wrong-With-Broadband-101328 > > > > > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > > http://signup.wispa.org/ > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > > > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
