This bandwagon is being built without your input because you will not
participate. The regulation of any communications industry is inevitable
in this country. The Part-15 rules that govern the use of spectrum are
in fact regulations. The "Part" is referring to Part-15 of the Code of
Federal Regulations if memory serves me. You cannot hide from
regulation. It will not go away. The best you can do is steer the people
who make the regulations to do the right thing whenever possible.
That's right. But that regulation allows non-interactive use of the
spectrum. In other words, I don't have to request to be able to use it. I
am bound by the same laws that everyone else is, but have equal opportunity
for use.
Some WISPs have licensed spectrum. Some will be more involved in
spectrum policy issues and licensing than yourself. Others will become
licensed operators as they grow. Probably all successful WISPs will have
a mix of licensed and unlicensed in their network at some time.
The regulators will not serve your needs exclusively as that is not
their job. Public officials are supposed to do their best to support the
public good and will do whatever they see fit to do so.
Well... Let me re-phrase this a bit. They will do what serves thier stated
goals and still keeps them in compliance with the directives of the
politicians that write thier laws for them. They are unelected, but they
are to carry out the goals and wishes of those who have been. "Supporting
the public good" is about the least of thier concerns, unless it is the
concern of those they work for - the politicians. This isn't to impugn
the FCC or any public official, it's just a slightly cynical method of
describing exactly who they answer to and why and how.
I personally know many people in government, both elected and appointed,
who are there because they do so to help the common good. One of my
goals in life is to reach a point of financial self security such that I
would be able to run for political office without the stigma of having
"special interest" backing. In other words if I already have my money
then my only motive there would be to do good for our society. That
would be my only reason to get into politics. I am tired of hearing the
cynical voice as being the only one with any volume in politics today.
There are still good people with good intentions who are there to help.
There are bad ones too. We cannot always assume that anyone willing to
help is there to stab us in the back. With that said I truly appreciate
and support the right of hearing the cynical voice. I just oppose that
view in most cases. :-)
This includes
monitoring the growth and access to broadband across the country,
setting rules and regulations to govern communications, imposing taxes
when they see fit, enforcing rules and regulations, establishing funding
opportunities for infrastructure build-out, leveling the economic models
of rural verses metro broadband access. You cannot start a lobbying
organization to help structure the direction of your industry and then
ask those you are lobbying to just ignore you and leave you alone. It is
not the way the world works. Like it or not, you are regulated now and
have been all along.
The way I see it, a lobbying effort is not one to beg to be regulated
more... but to defend and promote our interests. I don't understand why
we're so happy to jump into this "registration" to be a WISP. It's now
illegal to provide broadband without registering yourself with the FCC.
That's one MINUTE step to only allowing "qualified" people to be WISP's and
so on. That is NOT in our interests. I mean, do you really understand
the implications of this? It is illegal to provide broadband without
FEDERAL REGISTRATION. Yup, if I buy a connection and hook up my block, I AM
BREAKING THE LAW. That's extreme and excessive intrusion into my, your,
and every other ISP's business. And yes, thousands of people are now
breaking federal law... and I cannot believe that WISPA should roll over and
play dead on this. We should defend the notion that federal intrusion is
NOT welcome. Do they want or need more demographic data? Fine. Let's
have WISPA help do this, but KEEP IT CONFIDENTIAL. The last thing I want
is the feds telling me my chosen occupation is only at thier pleasure and
whim.
All we're doing is helping them kill us, when it serves the purposes of the
politicians they work for. We SHOULD participate. That should be
apparent, by the fact I'm willing to support WISPA, actively participated
in the debates before its formation, and now contribute what is for me, a
considerable financial investment to support it. One can hardly accuse me
of not wanting to participate in the process.
What I don't understand, is why am I the only person who has massive alarms
going off in his head at the direction WISPA apparently seems to support?
It seems debate consists of calling anyone who disagrees with the idea
"non-participating" or some other debate squelcher.
If you break the law it is your own butt in the sling. WISPA and nobody
I know supports your view on this. The form 477 is your best chance to
show the work you are doing to bring WISP operations into the realm of
more than a bunch of renegades out throwing Pringle's cans up on top of
grain legs. (Not that there's anything wrong with that) WISP operators
need to be proud of the work they have done. The FCC did not ask us for
our input in whether or not to produce a registration for broadband
operations. It is an inevitable part of the growth of the industry. Like
it or not. It is the law. I do not pretend to think we can stop
government's role in the development of the broadband industry and its
regulation in this country. I just want to make sure they don't do harm
when I can help it. That is not to say that WISPA is "begging" for
regulation.
As far as funding is concerned there is money available. People are
getting it. You can too if you ask for it. The money is going to go to
somebody. It might as well be you.
Funding? My concern isn't about funding. It's about regulation. And
ingratiating yourself by supporting excessive regulation and intrusion will
get US precisely nothing good. Are we that money oriented, that we'll
stick our head in the federal guillotine for a chance at a few dollars? I
won't. No way. I will and have found other ways of achieving my goals,
other than getting in bed with the government. There should be a debate
about USF funding... Should be a dialog with the FCC, with lobbyists, with
Congress, even... And find a way to ensure that pursuing USF money doesn't
kill us by inviting ourselves into the spider's web, and if it can't,
lobbying AGAINST the idea of the feds being able to regulate broadband
access.
If, in the future, this ruins us all..I will find and remind you all of
this.
If the government finds a way to ruin us all I assure you it will not be
because we tried to work with those who are regulating us. In fact, an
argument could be made that those who decided to snub the law and ignore
the role of government in communications regulatory policy could
eventually lead to the death of this industry. We are part of the system
now. Accept it and decide how we can limit the harmful effects and
maximize the benefits available. That is what options we have at this
time. Get us 3000 paid WISP operators who all obey the law and we will
have a much stronger political lobby to make change. Until then we are
few and are voices are less powerful than they should be.
Scriv
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