Many rural LECs are not required to provide unbundled network elements. As a network provider you can resell their service but they are not required to provide unbundled elements necessary to compete against them as a facilities based provider. So, for example, in Alamo Tennessee or Northern Wisconsin you can get a T-1 from a competitive carrier that resells their services but you cannot get competitive POTS service. You can buy DSL service from anyone but they are reselling the RLECs DSL access services not just running on their cable pairs. One of the biggest players that specializes in being a rural LEC is Frontier Communications.
Yes, there are wireless carriers and satellite providers but especially in rural areas they are not a real viable alternative for high speed data since we know the characteristic of satellite service and WISPs have the same density problem in providing service in rural areas. It is hard for a WISP to be profitable when you only have a handful of customers per mile. Same formula, low density, long distances, high infrastructure per customer cost for the WISP. Steven Naslund Chicago IL -----Original Message----- From: Frank Bulk [mailto:frnk...@iname.com] Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2014 10:08 PM To: Naslund, Steve Cc: nanog@nanog.org Subject: RE: Level 3 blames Internet slowdowns on Technica Not sure which rural LECs are exempt from competition. Some areas are effectively exempt from facilities-based (i.e. wireline) competition because it's unaffordable, without subsidy, to build a duplicate wireline infrastructure. There are also wireless carriers and WISPs the compete against RLECs, as well as satellite providers. I'm not aware of any exclusivity. Frank -----Original Message----- From: Naslund, Steve [mailto:snasl...@medline.com] Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2014 9:00 PM To: Joe Greco Cc: nanog@nanog.org Subject: RE: Level 3 blames Internet slowdowns on Technica <snip> In a low density area you can never fund a build out which is where universal access charges came from and the reason that rural LECs are exempt from competition. In return for building a network that is not profitable easily they get exclusive access to sell services on it to give them a chance. Will your NRC be reasonable anywhere outside a major metro area? <snip> Steven Naslund Chicago IL
