----- Original Message ----- From: "John Scrivner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 5:33 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] It's been a long road
> > > > > 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. :-) Ok, I try :) Seriously, I am idealist at heart, I'd like to think that the FCC and most government agencies are staffed with good, decent, well-motivated people. Reality is, they don't serve us, they serve those we elect. I don't like to think or speak this way, but it must be recognized when so much is at stake. > > > This includes > > > > > >>monitoring the growth and access to broadband across the country, The way I see this... Monitoring is fine. Let them try. There is NOTHING "holy" about providing an internet connection in excess of a certain rate that requires the feds to know who does it where, to whom, how, and when. > >>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 WISPA should have an obligation to get them to reverse this ruling. This is a "law" not written by an elected official. I seriously doubt they even have any specific congressional authorization to take over the ISP business. > 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 And not formally opposing this will do precisely NOTHING for us. It will not give us even a 3 second reprieve or reconsideration when they decide we're no longer useful in the game of politics. Yes, it seems all nice and fuzzy to be compliant and "nice" but that's not a reason for not opposing it. > 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. Government has no legitemate role in this, John. How on earth could you think otherwise? Making it a violation of federal law to provide an internet connection in excess of 200kbps is really..well..counterproductve, no? The reason is not to 'help' us, it is to gain control over an industry, for future purposes. > > > > > > >>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. What makes us "part of the system" other than some over-reaching and excessively self-important regulator's whims? Nothing. We're nothing different than the guy who fixes my tires, and I'll be hanged if he needs a department of flat fixing to make him into a valuable services. Sheesh. 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. Not opposing it won't buy us 1 second's consideration, John. Stand on principle, not expediency. 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