I don't agree. They are saying the new fund would include every type of high-speed service and possibly even allow multiple providers in the same area.
Wireless providers have several advantages: Quick deployment: We have put up brand new tower locations (including backhaul, AP's, UPS, etc.) in less than a week. (This is start to finish, including finding the location, installing all equipment, and hooking up new customers). Local service and support: No 800 numbers. No talking to someone across the country (or world). Quick installation for each customer: We can have customers up and going within 1 business day (when required). Typical fiber deployment is 30-60 days. Getting a few extra dollars to pay for each rural connection isn't going to change any of that... the fiber guys will still have to take out a loan to install each customer... while we continue to be profitable on each customer from day 1. Travis Microserv Brian Webster wrote: > When USF reform comes for broadband connections in rural markets, say > goodbye to the competitive advantage WISP's have in sparse population areas. > Going to be hard to compete against fiber speeds and capacity. Rural Telco's > will build fiber to the home everywhere if they get subsidies like they do > with voice lines......makes a huge difference in the business model when you > have a big chunk of additional revenue per user EVERY MONTH, and the fact > that you can count on the fiber infrastructure lasting 20 to 30 > years....hard to compete against that. If they only allow one carrier per > market to receive the USF funds, guess who is going to get that? Certainly > not the WISP's. > > > > Brian > > > -----Original Message----- > From: wireless-boun...@wispa.org [mailto:wireless-boun...@wispa.org]on > Behalf Of Marco Coelho > Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2010 10:26 AM > To: WISPA General List > Subject: [WISPA] USF Changes > > > FCC to propose revamping Universal Service Fund > AP > > > By JOELLE TESSLER, AP Technology Writer Joelle Tessler, Ap Technology > Writer – Fri Mar 5, 5:25 pm ET > > WASHINGTON – Federal regulators trying to bring high-speed Internet > connections to all Americans will propose tapping the government > program that now subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural areas. > > The Federal Communications Commission will include a proposal to > revamp the Universal Service Fund as part of a national broadband plan > due to Congress on March 17. Although the proposal itself has been > expected for months, Friday's announcement offered the first solid > details. > > The FCC said it envisions transforming the Universal Service program > over the next decade to pay for high-speed Internet access instead of > the traditional voice services that it currently finances. The > proposal would create a Connect America fund inside the Universal > Service program to subsidize broadband, and a Mobility Fund to expand > the reach of so-called 3G, or third-generation, wireless networks. > > "It's time to migrate this 20th-century program," said Blair Levin, > the FCC official overseeing the broadband plan, which was mandated by > last year's stimulus bill. "We need to move the current system from > the traditional networks to the new networks." > > The Universal Service Fund was established to ensure that all > Americans have access to a basic telephone line. Today, the program > subsidizes phone service for the poor, funds Internet access in > schools and libraries and pays for high-speed connections for rural > health clinics. But its biggest function is to bring telephone service > to remote, sparsely populated corners of the country, where it is > uneconomical for the private companies to build networks. > > Funding for the $8-billion-a-year program comes from a surcharge that > businesses and consumers pay on their long-distance bills. That > revenue base is shrinking, placing the Universal Service Fund under > mounting pressure even as the FCC seeks to use it to subsidize > broadband. > > The agency's plan will lay out several options to pay for the > proposals it outlined Friday, including one that would require no > additional money from Congress and one that would accelerate the > construction of broadband networks if Congress approves a one-time > injection of $9 billion. > > Either way, Levin stressed, the proposal would not increase the annual > size of the Universal Service Fund, but rather would take money from > subsidies now used for voice services. > > The FCC would also seek to save money by subsidizing no more than one > broadband provider in an areas. Some critics of the program have > complained that wireless companies now overlay landline systems with > new networks considered duplicative. > > Levin said Connect America would not favor one technology over > another, be it cable, DSL or wireless. > > The FCC proposal also envisions revamping the multibillion-dollar > "intercarrier compensation" system, the Byzantine menu of charges that > telecom carriers pay to access each other's networks and connect > calls. Any changes to the Universal Service Fund would also require > changes to intercarrier compensation because rural phone companies > tend to rely heavily on both funding sources. > > The FCC's latest proposals will be part of a sweeping national roadmap > for bringing universal, affordable broadband connections to all > Americans. > > Although the plan is due on March 17, the agency has already begun > releasing details, including a proposal to make more wireless spectrum > available for mobile broadband connections by letting television > broadcasters and others voluntarily cede some airwaves. > > Some of the proposals will likely require congressional action, while > others might be up to the FCC to implement. > > Yahoo article: > > http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100305/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_fcc_universal_service > ;_ylt=AgSGtpiLKKQbXooR3LKvT.cPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTMzNGcwMmcyBGFzc2V0Ay9hcC8yMDEw > MDMwNS9hcF9vbl9oaV90ZS91c190ZWNfZmNjX3VuaXZlcnNhbF9zZXJ2aWNlBHBvcwM3BHNlYwN5 > bl90b21ic3RvbmUEc2xrA2ZjY3RvcHJvcG9zZQ-- > > -- > Marco C. Coelho > Argon Technologies Inc. > POB 875 > Greenville, TX 75403-0875 > 903-455-5036 > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---- > 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! 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