Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund White Space
That's wishful thinking, The harsh reality of DC and politics is something else altogether. When has any act of Congress or the FCC been a consumer benefit in the last 3 years??? And considering many of the WISPs don't want to particpate in federal filings, why would the feds want to let them particpate in funds that go to their staunches supporters? And clear benefit? Clear to who? There are 500+ Congresspeople that don't understand whit one about anything to do with wireless, the Internet and telecom. Sprint and BellSouth are co-opting the wireless clear benefit by putting up there own wireless - while drinking the Wimax punch. Peter Tom DeReggi wrote: If you want USF money, you will have to start charging/collecting USF money. Disagree. We already pay it on our downstreams any way. Its about benefiting consumers not benefiting providers. USF helps get services to consumers. Giving part of the money to WISPs, help serve more consumers more efficiently so more consumers can be served. There is a clear benefit of allowing WISPs to receive funds, regardless of wether they pay in. The small miniscule amount a WISP would pay in today is next to nothing. Percentage of market owned by WISPs way less than .1%, to small to record. Tom DeReggi -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund
Why would our possition be to volunteer to contribute? They'll make us pay on their own, I see no reason to incurage it. The contributors should be the mature high volume telecoms, that aren't hurt by contributing. The whole robin hood thing, take a little bit from each of the rich to subsidize a few poor. But I do not believe wireless providers are in the same class as Telecoms in their growth cycle, so they should not be treated as such. WISPs need subsidy for a period of time, while growing. Plus WISP are mostly serving underserved anyway. Taking from the poor to pay the poor, doesn't make sense to me. (maybe disadvantaged may be the more appropriate term than poor as not cost effective to serve is not the same as poor) But we surely should encourage that WISP b eable to collect from the fund. That is NOT a double standard, based on the above arguement. Those who can provide a more efficient method of serving consumers (lower cost) should get preferencial treatment for receiving funds. Tom DeReggi RapidDSL Wireless, Inc IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband - Original Message - From: Anthony Will [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: WISPA General List wireless@wispa.org Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2006 9:18 AM Subject: Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund First of all we should all understand that USF is not going anywhere. Our nation’s telecommunications network is too important. Second with the above understanding we should try and push the legislation to account for the work we as WISP's are doing and allow us to contribute and receive funding from USF. I reed an article about some proposed legislation that uses a reverse auction style for USF funding. This would allow for the most efficient network to receive the appropriate funding. We can in almost all cases implement the same or better network for less then an established Telco. Thus this legislation would give us the trim and fit organizations a competitive edge. ABOVE ALL we need to be included in the new legislator. It should not be technology dependent but results dependent. One thing to realize if this does happen that likely every Telco out there would start using wireless equipment to stay competitive and all the effects of that must be understood. Anthony Will Broadband Solutions Marlon K. Schafer (509) 982-2181 wrote: I talked (personally, not as WISPA) with the commerce committee co-chair's staff person on USF today. What it LOOKED like was said in the conference hearing I saw (and she agreed that it sounded this way) was that USF had paid for the laptops. What really happened was that USF paid for other things allowing the school system to buy the laptops themselves. In my mind this is a matter of semantics as it means that there wasn't as much money needed in the first place. We had a really good talk. She said that in about two weeks they'll be working more in earnest on the issue. Coming up with more specific proposals for people to talk about. On the white spaces issue. We talked about the ideas in our position paper. She didn't think that the idea that all TV spectrum should be open would fly. But did like the idea of using smart radios and allowing use now not after the DTV transition. She also seemed to understand the need for sub gig spectrum at higher power levels. We'll see where it all goes. Marlon (509) 982-2181 Equipment sales (408) 907-6910 (Vonage) Consulting services 42846865 (icq) And I run my own wisp! 64.146.146.12 (net meeting) www.odessaoffice.com/wireless www.odessaoffice.com/marlon/cam - Original Message - From: Dustin Jurman [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'WISPA General List' wireless@wispa.org Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 2:45 PM Subject: RE: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund Hey Marlon, I like your point about the laptops, we really need to check and make sure it's outside of the USF charter. I think we definitely need more stories of how USF is not bringing tangible results to communities, where WISPS are delivering service to those communities self funded. Dustin -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marlon K. Schafer (509) 982-2181 Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 1:32 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund Here's what I wrote up on USF. Several felt it's got some errors that need fixing. Feel free to fix this, toss it and start over. Anything at all. But right now, officially, we're doing NOTHING. And that must change guys. Someone needs to come up with a position paper for WISPA to work from. Right now I've got some access to some in congress and I think we should work with that! laters, Marlon (509) 982-2181 Equipment sales (408) 907-6910 (Vonage) Consulting services 42846865 (icq) And I run my own wisp! 64.146.146.12 (net meeting) www.odessaoffice.com/wireless www.odessaoffice.com/marlon/cam - Original Message - From: John Scrivner [EMAIL
Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund
First of all we should all understand that USF is not going anywhere. Our nation’s telecommunications network is too important. Second with the above understanding we should try and push the legislation to account for the work we as WISP's are doing and allow us to contribute and receive funding from USF. I reed an article about some proposed legislation that uses a reverse auction style for USF funding. This would allow for the most efficient network to receive the appropriate funding. We can in almost all cases implement the same or better network for less then an established Telco. Thus this legislation would give us the trim and fit organizations a competitive edge. ABOVE ALL we need to be included in the new legislator. It should not be technology dependent but results dependent. One thing to realize if this does happen that likely every Telco out there would start using wireless equipment to stay competitive and all the effects of that must be understood. Anthony Will Broadband Solutions Marlon K. Schafer (509) 982-2181 wrote: I talked (personally, not as WISPA) with the commerce committee co-chair's staff person on USF today. What it LOOKED like was said in the conference hearing I saw (and she agreed that it sounded this way) was that USF had paid for the laptops. What really happened was that USF paid for other things allowing the school system to buy the laptops themselves. In my mind this is a matter of semantics as it means that there wasn't as much money needed in the first place. We had a really good talk. She said that in about two weeks they'll be working more in earnest on the issue. Coming up with more specific proposals for people to talk about. On the white spaces issue. We talked about the ideas in our position paper. She didn't think that the idea that all TV spectrum should be open would fly. But did like the idea of using smart radios and allowing use now not after the DTV transition. She also seemed to understand the need for sub gig spectrum at higher power levels. We'll see where it all goes. Marlon (509) 982-2181 Equipment sales (408) 907-6910 (Vonage) Consulting services 42846865 (icq) And I run my own wisp! 64.146.146.12 (net meeting) www.odessaoffice.com/wireless www.odessaoffice.com/marlon/cam - Original Message - From: Dustin Jurman [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: 'WISPA General List' wireless@wispa.org Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 2:45 PM Subject: RE: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund Hey Marlon, I like your point about the laptops, we really need to check and make sure it's outside of the USF charter. I think we definitely need more stories of how USF is not bringing tangible results to communities, where WISPS are delivering service to those communities self funded. Dustin -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marlon K. Schafer (509) 982-2181 Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 1:32 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund Here's what I wrote up on USF. Several felt it's got some errors that need fixing. Feel free to fix this, toss it and start over. Anything at all. But right now, officially, we're doing NOTHING. And that must change guys. Someone needs to come up with a position paper for WISPA to work from. Right now I've got some access to some in congress and I think we should work with that! laters, Marlon (509) 982-2181 Equipment sales (408) 907-6910 (Vonage) Consulting services 42846865 (icq) And I run my own wisp! 64.146.146.12 (net meeting) www.odessaoffice.com/wireless www.odessaoffice.com/marlon/cam - Original Message - From: John Scrivner [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: wireless@wispa.org Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 10:25 AM Subject: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund Marlon has been asking us for a while to give him feedback on Universal Service. We have not helped him as much as we should have. He asked for input from the WISPA membership originally. I am asking everyone, members or not, if you can help. Marlon has been asked by a member of the House Commerce Committee (One of his Reps in Washington) to help them structure legislation toward the re-working on the Universal Service Program. Thoughts on the Hill are now leaning toward making it available to multiple operators in a market and opening it to aid in broadband as well as telco. The feeling from most WISPs is two things to date. Most think the government should make Universal Service just go away. I share some of that feeling myself. What should be known though is that government rarely makes things go away. They usually want a role. With that said we need to give them ideas on how to make this program help us in our goal to bring broadband into underserved and/or unserved areas. To do this we need to understand what the program does, what was its history, how it works and how it does not work. We need to develop a strong strategy for dealing
Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund White Space
These are just my thoughts, but they come from having taken a serious beating in DC over the last 18 months. Lesson One: FCC will protect the PSTN and the associated ILECs at all costs. Lesson Two: Tax monies are THE issue. Lesson Three: No Free Lunch. None. Period. Lesson Four: Politicians will say one thing and do the opposite. Always figure out where their bread is buttered. That said: You want white space. You want more Unlicensed Spectrum. You want USF funds. You want E-rate monies. Okay. What are you willing to sacrifice in return? USF is a white cow for people such as Sen. Stevens. If you want USF money, you will have to start charging/collecting USF money. If you want E-Rate, learn the system, get a SPIN number, suck up to the Board of Education, and get some E-Rate projects. (You won't win it with the lowest bid alone. No one wants to change the status quo). If you want more unlicensed spectrum, what will you do for the FCC or the PSTN or the SYSTEM? This list complained loudly and publicly about filling out the required Broadband subscriber forms. What will you do when you are filling out 499/499a forms? What about when you have to make your USF payments on a timely, quarterly basis, but the system won't accept payments under $1000? (Plus that 11% fee will not help your lowest price system of selling). That's my 2 cents. Be careful out there. They eat their young. Regards, Peter RAD-INFO, Inc. -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund
Here's what I wrote up on USF. Several felt it's got some errors that need fixing. Feel free to fix this, toss it and start over. Anything at all. But right now, officially, we're doing NOTHING. And that must change guys. Someone needs to come up with a position paper for WISPA to work from. Right now I've got some access to some in congress and I think we should work with that! laters, Marlon (509) 982-2181 Equipment sales (408) 907-6910 (Vonage)Consulting services 42846865 (icq)And I run my own wisp! 64.146.146.12 (net meeting) www.odessaoffice.com/wireless www.odessaoffice.com/marlon/cam - Original Message - From: John Scrivner [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: wireless@wispa.org Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 10:25 AM Subject: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund Marlon has been asking us for a while to give him feedback on Universal Service. We have not helped him as much as we should have. He asked for input from the WISPA membership originally. I am asking everyone, members or not, if you can help. Marlon has been asked by a member of the House Commerce Committee (One of his Reps in Washington) to help them structure legislation toward the re-working on the Universal Service Program. Thoughts on the Hill are now leaning toward making it available to multiple operators in a market and opening it to aid in broadband as well as telco. The feeling from most WISPs is two things to date. Most think the government should make Universal Service just go away. I share some of that feeling myself. What should be known though is that government rarely makes things go away. They usually want a role. With that said we need to give them ideas on how to make this program help us in our goal to bring broadband into underserved and/or unserved areas. To do this we need to understand what the program does, what was its history, how it works and how it does not work. We need to develop a strong strategy for dealing with Universal Service and offer a position that legislators can feel good about and that helps show we are serious about helping in legislative issues. I welcome feedback from anyone with information which can help us develop this position. We need to act soon as the legislature is wanting to do something now. Please help us mold our future through this important effort. Your thoughts and knowledge are needed. Input from anyone with knowledge of Universal Service would be helpful at this time. What we do not need is an argument that we should just tell them to make it go away. We know that is what many of you want. In lieu of it going away we need to know how it can be made to help us. Thank you, Scriv -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ USF reform possition paper 3-24-06l.doc Description: MS-Word document -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
Re: [WISPA] Universal Service Fund
I think the key is this: If we are going to be forced to pay into the fund, we must be able draw from the fund. However, as a small WISP, I really don't need any more paper work. I don't want it to go away, as I see the need out where it is 30 cable miles from the customer to the switch (for POTS). But, I am not sure that it really applies to us. My operating costs don't really change based on the customers range My install costs might be higher, but that is a one time cost. As I understand the USF, the payments are to offset the increased costs of maintaining rural phone service, not the increased one time costs. I may be wrong John Scrivner wrote: Marlon has been asking us for a while to give him feedback on Universal Service. We have not helped him as much as we should have. He asked for input from the WISPA membership originally. I am asking everyone, members or not, if you can help. Marlon has been asked by a member of the House Commerce Committee (One of his Reps in Washington) to help them structure legislation toward the re-working on the Universal Service Program. Thoughts on the Hill are now leaning toward making it available to multiple operators in a market and opening it to aid in broadband as well as telco. The feeling from most WISPs is two things to date. Most think the government should make Universal Service just go away. I share some of that feeling myself. What should be known though is that government rarely makes things go away. They usually want a role. With that said we need to give them ideas on how to make this program help us in our goal to bring broadband into underserved and/or unserved areas. To do this we need to understand what the program does, what was its history, how it works and how it does not work. We need to develop a strong strategy for dealing with Universal Service and offer a position that legislators can feel good about and that helps show we are serious about helping in legislative issues. I welcome feedback from anyone with information which can help us develop this position. We need to act soon as the legislature is wanting to do something now. Please help us mold our future through this important effort. Your thoughts and knowledge are needed. Input from anyone with knowledge of Universal Service would be helpful at this time. What we do not need is an argument that we should just tell them to make it go away. We know that is what many of you want. In lieu of it going away we need to know how it can be made to help us. Thank you, Scriv -- Blair Davis AOL IM Screen Name -- Theory240 West Michigan Wireless ISP 269-686-8648 A division of: Camp Communication Services, INC -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
