Right: The Technology Policy Institute notes that "at the current rates of broadband adoption the U.S. is behind the leaders only by a number of months, and all wealthy OECD countries will reach a saturation point within the next few years."
Now, how many here are updating their business models to compete with the government? -RickG On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 12:34 PM, Jeff Broadwick <jeffl...@comcast.net>wrote: > I don't think it ignores that, it is suggesting that the private sector is > in the process of closing that gap, without government "investment" and/or > intervention. > > I don't believe that it is arguable that coverage is increasing...that's > the > net effect of the whole WISP industry. > > > Regards, > > Jeff > > > Jeff Broadwick > ImageStream > 800-813-5123 x106 (US/Can) > +1 574-935-8484 x106 (Int'l) > > -----Original Message----- > From: wireless-boun...@wispa.org [mailto:wireless-boun...@wispa.org] On > Behalf Of Jack Unger > Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:28 AM > To: WISPA General List > Subject: Re: [WISPA] From Today's WSJ > > Sorry but this article (accidentally or intentionally) misses or (more > likely) ignores the point that 24 or more million occupied American > households have no access to broadband. The WSJ is merely a mouthpiece > (especially now that Rupurt Murdoch owns it) for the telcos. > > jack > > > Jeff Broadwick wrote: > > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703652104574652501608376 > > 552.ht > > ml?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop > > > > > > > > * REVIEW & OUTLOOK > > * JANUARY 20, 2010 > > > > A 'National Broadband Plan' > > One more solution in search of a problem. > > > > > > The Federal Communications Commission recently told Congress that it > > will miss a February deadline for delivering a "national broadband > > plan" and requested a one-month extension. If it keeps missing > > deadlines, nearly everyone in the U.S. might soon have high-speed > Internet. > > > > As part of last year's stimulus package, Congress asked the FCC for a > > plan to ensure that everybody in the country has access to broadband. > > That's a worthy goal, but the idea of a government plan is based on a > > false presumption that the spread of broadband is stalled. The reality > > is that broadband adoption continues apace, as does the quality and > > speed of Internet connections. > > > > Between 2000 and 2008, residential broadband subscribers grew to 80 > > million from five million, according to a study by Bret Swanson of > > Entropy Economics. Broadband penetration among active Internet users > > at home is 94%, and nearly 99% of U.S. workers connect to the Internet > > with broadband. A typical cable modem today is 10 times faster than a > > decade ago. Wireless bandwidth growth per capita has been no less > > impressive, showing a 500-fold increase since 2000. > > > > Meanwhile, U.S. information and communications technology investment > > in 2008 alone totalled $455 billion, or 22% of all U.S. capital > > investment. Nominal capital investment in telecom between 2000 and > > 2008 was more than $3.5 trillion. > > > > Those who favor more government control of the Internet ignore this > > private progress and point to international rankings. According to > > OECD estimates, the U.S. ranks 15th in the world in broadband > > penetration per capita. But because household sizes differ from > > country to country, and the U.S. has relatively large households, the > > per capita figures can be misleading. A better way to gauge wired > > broadband connections is per household, not per person. By that measure > the U.S. ranks somewhere between 8th and 10th. > > > > Such comparisons will soon be moot in any case because broadband > > penetration is growing rapidly in all OECD countries. The Technology > > Policy Institute notes that "at the current rates of broadband > > adoption the U.S. is behind the leaders only by a number of months, > > and all wealthy OECD countries will reach a saturation point within the > next few years." > > > > Even the Obama Justice Department seems to reject the broadband market > > failure thesis. "In any industry subject to significant technological > > change, it is important that the evaluation of competition be > > forward-looking rather than based on static definitions of products > > and services," said the Antitrust Division in a January 4 filing to > > the FCC. "In the case of broadband services, it's clear that the > > market is shifting generally in the direction of faster speeds and > additional mobility." > > > > Justice concludes that while "enacting some form of regulation to > > prevent certain providers from exercising monopoly control may be > tempting > . . . > > care must be taken to avoid stifling the infrastructure investments > > needed to expand broadband access." > > > > No matter, the default position of the Obama Administration is that > > little useful happens without government, so the FCC is busy planning. > > Chairman Julius Genachowski is sympathetic to net neutrality > > regulations that would prevent Internet service providers from using > > differentiated pricing to manage Web traffic. Liberal interest groups > > like Public Knowledge and Harvard's Berkman Center for the Internet > > and Society are urging the agency to reinstitute "open access" > > mandates that would force cable operators and phone companies to share > > their infrastructure with rivals at government-set prices. > > > > The irony is that the private investment and innovation of recent > > years have occurred in the wake of the FCC rolling back similar rules > > that held back telecom in the 1990s. Consumers continue to have access > > to more and more broadband services, while Google, YouTube, iTunes, > > Facebook and Netflix originated in the U.S. > > > > Doesn't the Obama Administration have enough to do than mess with a > > part of the U.S. economy that is working well? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > Jeff > > > > > > Jeff Broadwick > > Sales Manager, ImageStream > > 800-813-5123 x106 (US/Can) > > +1 574-935-8484 x106 (Int'l) > > +1 574-935-8488 (Fax) > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ---------- > > 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/ > > > > > > > > -- > Jack Unger - President, Ask-Wi.Com, Inc. > Network Design - Technical Writing - Technical Training Serving the > Broadband Wireless, Networking and Telecom Communities Since 1993 > www.ask-wi.com 818-227-4220 jun...@ask-wi.com > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---- > WISPA Wants You! 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