I honestly don't think we're working with the government so much as we're working with the market.

We are a bunch of Davids trying to play in a game that is dominated by Goliaths. I know how that bible fable goes so we don't need to get sidetracked on a lecture about how that story ended... My point is that our "market" has huge players affecting change and us small guys have been able to succeed to varying degrees BECAUSE we haven't been on the radar.

Our government fully believes that the best-suited companies to deliver broadband to the masses are these bigger players, and I tend to agree with them. I've always considered myself a "niche" provider, and as soon as the nice becomes attractive to a company with real money, slow or fast, I will realize the inevitable decline of my wireless business. Not because of the government, but because of the market.

For myself, this uphill battle is stress better left up to someone else. My business plans are to ride the wireless wave as long as I can, and venture into other businesses and make them valuable with the revenues generated by the wireless business. I just released the first version of my first iPhone/iPad game on Apple's App Store, for instance. I'm thinking of starting a landscaping business (not WORKING it, just owning it). I think a music/movie studio is in my future. Eggs in several baskets. That kind of thing. In the meantime, the wireless business has to be tended to and made everything it can be.

On 7/19/2011 7:20 PM, RickG wrote:
Mark,

You just made my point, it appears to me that WISPA, many WISP's, and small business owners in general have done their best to work with the "system". And what rewards do we get for it? I dont know about you but the "system" is killing me! Mark my words, unless things change, the "system" that is beginning to fail us now will eventually totally fail us. Sorry for sounding so pessimistic but after watching our government at "work" after 35 years, the only thing positive is that it can change if we want it to but it's gonna be a long, hard fight.

On Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 11:56 AM, Mark Nash <markl...@uwol.net <mailto:markl...@uwol.net>> wrote:

    You absolutely have a right to chase your dreams in this country,
    as opposed to other countries.  But you have to temper yourself
    with the absolute fact that you belong to a system.  Successful
    business owners either work within the system, or find a way
    around it.  Do what you can, when you can, to affect change, but
    to try to wholesale uproot the system is going to cause you
    persistent pain and anguish.


    On 7/19/2011 8:15 AM, Andy Trimmell wrote:

    +1

    *From:*wireless-boun...@wispa.org
    <mailto:wireless-boun...@wispa.org>
    [mailto:wireless-boun...@wispa.org] *On Behalf Of *RickG
    *Sent:* Saturday, July 16, 2011 9:04 PM
    *To:* fai...@snappydsl.net <mailto:fai...@snappydsl.net>; WISPA
    General List
    *Subject:* Re: [WISPA] The Legislative Situation Is Dire

    "it is Regulation (1996 Telecom Act) that
    allowed us (ISP's) to be able to go into the business of providing
    internet access and other communication services"

    *With all due respect, it's exactly the mindset that government
    "allows" us to be in business that IS the problem. Telecom Act or
    no, regulation or no, there should be no question that we are
    allowed to make a living the way we want to regardless.*

    On Sat, Jul 16, 2011 at 10:42 AM, Faisal Imtiaz
    <fai...@snappydsl.net <mailto:fai...@snappydsl.net>> wrote:

    I am going to address your points backwards:-

    --------You wrote -------

    And lastly, about the FCC, the last administration's appointees were
    advocates for free markets and for competition and deregulation. Not
    particularly effective ones, but at least they were not our
    enemy. The
    current administration's people at the FCC are IN NO WAY our
    friend, for
    any way, manner, or purpose, and everything they want is bad for
    us and
    the country. STop talking political party talking points, and get
    some
    reality.

    ---------------------------------

    We have been wireline ISP's first, since 2000, if you really believe
    what you wrote (above) then you are truly mis-informed...
    The simple facts are ... it is Regulation (1996 Telecom Act) that
    allowed us (ISP's) to be able to go into the business of providing
    internet access and other communication services ..... and it is THE
    DEREGULATION over the past 5 years, that has been KILLING the
    ISP's  off.
    You forget, that if you don't have the ability to connect to other
    networks in a fair and equitable manner, you are not going to be
    able to
    continue in this business.
    Get a grip of reality and the full picture.. you are playing with
    a DUAL
    EDGE sword here...

    ---------------You wrote-----------------


    You seem to think that the answer is to find the right pol to
    influence and
    the right committee members to lobby and the right allies to
    obstruct X or
    advance Y, but those are expediency, not principle.   They should
    be TACTICS
    to a principled purpose, one that will attract others, on the
    basis of its
    soundness and validity.

    ------------------------------------------------
    Not sure where you are coming up with this from ...however each and
    every one has his own right to interpret the events .

    ------------You wrote -----------------------------


    Additionally, I said absolutely NOTHING partisan.   Not even
    ideological.
    It's simple straightforward business principles.   Principle
    Numero Uno is
    "have the freedom to be in business", and there is nothing
    convoluted or
    difficult about that.

    ----------------------------------------------------
    hehe.. when you start off a paragraph with "this administration"
     or do
    a follow up with "the previous administration".. that is as
    partisan as
    one can get....

    I agree with your 'Principle Numero Uno', but you are harking at the
    wrong organization.. it is not in  WISPA's charter or mission, maybe
    should be a member of the SBA association, or FISPA or COMPTEL
    ... but
    then again you will have to get your head straight about how the
    US Gov.
    has operated for the last 200 years....

    WISPA's mission has been to address issues related to Wireless, (not
    business, not telephone service, not hosted services, etc etc)...
    While I understand your frustration with the Gov., and do agree with
    some of your points, but what you keep putting forward on the WISPA
    forums is  more like 'Don Quixote Tilting  at the windmills"



    Faisal Imtiaz
    Snappy Internet&  Telecom

    On 7/16/2011 12:59 AM, MDK wrote:
    > A "plan of action"?  If I said "this is what WISPA should do"
    and laid it
    > out in detail, all you'd do is say "who are you?  Why should we
    hacve to do
    > what you say?"
    >
    > Frankly, I have no idea why you're having difficulty.  You see,
    when you
    > have proper business principles as your guiding mechanism, what
    you should
    > do is crystal clear.   Nobody needs to write out a plan of
    action, it
    > becomes self evident - you always advocate FOR the proper and
    best thing.
    > And, after being consistent, year after year, and when stuff
    like this comes
    > up, which becomes so blatantly obviously a result of failure to
    follow true
    > principle, again, nothing is obscure or difficult.
    >
    > Additionally, I said absolutely NOTHING partisan.   Not even
    ideological.
    > It's simple straightforward business principles.   Principle
    Numero Uno is
    > "have the freedom to be in business", and there is nothing
    convoluted or
    > difficult about that.
    >
    > You seem to be interested in mere expediency.   That's what's
    gotten us to
    > this crisis point, the idea of managing the favoritism, the
    cronyism, etc,
    > to favor you, or at least not hurt you too much.   That's
    what's BEEN going
    > on.  Had we (WISPA) been looking for and actively seeking
    allies who would
    > with us, say with many voices, but one message - "hands off,
    and be a
    > steward of what's entrusted to you", I think the landscape
    would look
    > different.  The word "steward" is loaded.  It means one
    entrusted to manage
    > things for the benefit OF THE OWNER, that's us.    The FCC and
    Congress are
    > managing for the benefit of the federal treasury and the
    donations to
    > campaigns - which is the polar opposite of managed for the good
    of the
    > people.
    >
    > In the previous post, I wrote an analogy, one where the city
    effectively
    > puts every service and business up for licensure at auction.
     It takes no
    > imagination at all to see that the city coffers and the winning
    bidder are
    > the beneficiaries and the people are the losers.   Spectrum is
    a public or
> national resource held in trust by the federal government. Auctions to the
    > highest bidder do not benefit anyone but the monopoly holder
    and the
> treasury, by creating monopolies or very limited competition. Again, we as
    > consumers and businessmen are the losers.  Imagine if there
    were enough
    > spectrum delegated so that if us WISP's wanted to be mobile
    broadband
    > providers we could, as well as cellular, or even video / audio
    broadcasters.
    > Instead, such services have been delegated a minute slice of
    available
    > spectrum, keeping up the price of the auctions - and the number of
    > competitors down.
    >
    > Why?   It is in the interest of politicians to separate us from
    our money.
    > But their REAL job is to defend us keeping it.  There are NOW
    myriad
    > political allies to spread this message, to change the
    discussion from "whom
    > to screw out of lots of money" to "what is the best policy for
    the people
    > and keep competition alive?"   And, that's the message that is
    NOT being
    > advocated by WISPA, and it should be.
    >
    > You seem to think that the answer is to find the right pol to
    influence and
    > the right committee members to lobby and the right allies to
    obstruct X or
    > advance Y, but those are expediency, not principle.   They
    should be TACTICS
    > to a principled purpose, one that will attract others, on the
    basis of its
    > soundness and validity.
    >
    > And lastly, about the FCC, the last administration's appointees
    were
    > advocates for free markets and for competition and
    deregulation.  Not
    > particularly effective ones, but at least they were not our
    enemy.   The
    > current administration's people at the FCC are IN NO WAY our
    friend, for any
    > way, manner, or purpose, and everything they want is bad for us
    and the
    > country.  STop talking political party talking points, and get
    some reality.
    >
    >
    >
    > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    > Neofast, Inc, Making internet easy
    > 541-969-8200 <tel:541-969-8200> 509-386-4589 <tel:509-386-4589>
    > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    >
    > --------------------------------------------------
    > From: "Faisal Imtiaz"<fai...@snappydsl.net
    <mailto:fai...@snappydsl.net>>
    > Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 8:01 PM
    > To: "WISPA General List"<wireless@wispa.org
    <mailto:wireless@wispa.org>>
    > Subject: Re: [WISPA] The Legislative Situation Is Dire
    >
    >> Errr.......  and your point is ?
    >>
    >> Ok, I am a nobody... I have seen / read your emails, not once
    can I say
    >> I have been able to pick out a proposed specific, action or a
    plan of
    >> action from you ....
    >>
    >> My friend you and I can agree or dis-agree on concepts all day
    long...
    >> but the point still remains ... I for myself still am not able to
    >> ascertain what exactly is it that you have been proposing ? ( I
    >> understand the anger at all of the powers to be.... part...and
    I beg to
    >> differ when you start blaming ..'this administration'..... I
    personally
    >> have been watching and following the FCC stuff, on sliding
    slopes, for
    >> the last 12 years..that according to my calculations has been
    multiple
    >> administrations.....)
    >>
    >> You clear your head, and try to articulate your position in a
    >> non-partisan manner, which can be understood by the general
    public, and
    >> put forward a reasonably understandable plan of action .... I
    guarantee
    >> you, you will have many here who would be willing to listen
    and follow
    >> your lead...
    >>
    >> But if you continue expressing yourself in the convoluted
    manner, as in
    >> your email below....then there is a very high probability that
    these
    >> will continue to be chalked off as "tirades" and "rants".
    >>
    >>
    >> :)
    >>
    >> Faisal Imtiaz
    >> Snappy Internet&  Telecom
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    
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