Of coures it's flawed. That's like saying that if anyone within zipcode
xxxxx has a newly paved street in front of their home, then everyone in zip
code xxxxx has the same.
I don't offer service via zip code. I offer service via where my signal
reaches.
And, I've even made a few little interesting things to get service where it
DOES NOT reach. Or...well, it didn't at first.
The presumption that every who has broadband available will buy it is...
absurd. We all know that.
I know people who won't even pay for dialup.
The question is, why do we want to know? I can think of business reasons
why I'd want to know. But why would the mayor of my town, for instance,
want to know? What public purpose would be served by expending resources
to find out? None, that I can actually think of.
Even nationally, the SAME ANSWER applies. There is no actual need OF ANY
KIND to know "the number". If 27 percent of the population has broadband
available, is there some kind of crisis? What if it's 80%? what if it's
99.776 %? The answer is, THE NUMBER DOES NOT MATTER. Once you realize
this fundamental truth, then we can get beyond this, and start to make
coherent and logical analysis of what's going on, and what, if anything,
should be done about it.
First, to get a clear-eyed perspective, let's look at something that's an
indisputable "need". Food. Is there anywhere in this country you can't
buy food? ( Yeah, I know, try going to out eat in Odessa, it's a
constraining experience) If you know of any town where the people cannot,
without extreme difficulty obtain food, I'd love to hear of it. So, let me
ask you... Is the ubiquitous availability of commodity food due to
government policy? Was a large government initiative required to get
grocery stores available throughout our nation? Did the USDA and other
agencies create programs to fund the creation of grocery stores throughout
the country? Did Congress address the lack of grocery stores repeatedly
until it was solved?
The negative answers to all those somewhat silly questions is kind of
obvious. Whereever people wanted to live, there was a demand for a place to
buy at least the staples and someone filled that need, often more than a
single someone, and they competed for the customer.
So, why is the FCC and Congress in a dither about where broadband is
available? If people want it, it will come. Just like grocery stores.
If it won't, then the real question of consequence is... WHY?
Is it not economically feasible? If not, why not?
Is it physically not feasible? If not, why not?
Is the actual demand enough to sustain the mechanism to provide the service?
(you mean they might not want it? Yeah... they might not!)
Then, finally, what artificial obstructions exist to providing broadband?
Let me state some of the issues that the above questions begin to relate
to... "economically feasible", to start with. What are the main problems
that occur money-wise when attempting to bring broadband to an unserved
area, or make it financially unworkable?
Gee, a good lot of you have done it, me included. What about we collaborate
a bit and summarize those obstacles we found and overcame? This would be a
good topic for someone to lead a thread on for a while.
Physical issues. I met an ISP in Idaho who built a backbone over 2
mountains. He had to go something like 60 to 80 miles to find a location
where he c ould get hooked up. Impressive effort, to say the least. What
about some eastern and southern areas that are nothing but solid trees?
What physical barriers exist to deliver broadband via physical medium
(fiber, copper, etc)?
How many of us, me included, built a network because our gut said we had a
market? Can I see a show of hands? How did we decide that our market was
large enough to sustain the size and expense we incurred? Howw many were
dramatically wrong in that assumption - in either direction?
Lastly, what artificial barriers exist? I have a rather large list of my
own, and somehow I'll bet you people can dwarf what I've observed. Let's
do this list style.
The only connectivity available is through a phone company, and they can
price you into the realm of non-workabilty.
I have two towns in my market that have specifically enacted regulations to
PREVENT any further wireless OR WIRED "telecommunications services" from
being deployed. That is, they have claimed control over all rights of way
and the "air" within their town. No towers, no rooftops, no pole to pole,
no underground, NOTHING may be deployed in these towns without going through
a process which is carefully calculated to cost a LOT of money the outcome
is almost gauranteed to be negative. If the citizens don't object, then
they have built in mechanisms to cost unlimited sums of money and unlimited
delays at the whim of the any of the city officials. The codes start out
with "we believe our town to be more than adequately served by
telecommunications services, and so to protect our citizens and town,
we....blah blah blah." I kid you not.
Another is the federal ownership of land. No federal land is usable for
wireless broadband. Period. Not unless you for some reason have millions
of dollars and a whole army of lawyers on retainer, will you ever succeed in
obtaining the use of public land to provide services to the public. The
USFS guys explained the process to me to use USFS land, and it's simply
idiotic. It can't be done.
The threats of the federal government. CALEA being just tjhe apparent tip
of the iceburg. You'd have to be a complete imbecile to think of getting
into the WISP business right now. I'm beginning to think it's getting
more stupid by the day to remain. I figure I'll just stay at it as long as
I can and hide my assets offshore. Basically, since every ISP organization
appears to be advocating devastating regulation upon all networks, there's
nobody left to defend the actual ISP's from what appears to be an applauded
and asked-for "culling of the herd".
We can survive competition from cable, telephone, even licensed WISP
operations. No problem. But we cannnot survive the completely uncaring
and capricious hand of the federal or state government. It is the only
100% lethal item in this list. Creativity can get you around almost every
other obstruction or difficulty. Government can't be gotten around. It is
proactively lethal.
Someone on the list has been repeatedly complaining about the small
percentage of wisp's that apparently file form 477. The statement was
"they won't be happy" when referring to the overreaching regulator
do-gooders.
There are only two choices: Either private enterprise fills the needs,
like grocery stores do... Or government takes over and "takes care of us"
like they did with the telephone co monopoly way back when. There is no
"middle ground". For decades we paid absurdly high costs for phone
services, and "innovation" and "change" did not even exist.
Either we become ardent, vocal, and so persistent in our defense, insisting
upon keeping free enteprise alive and the regulators the hell away... or we
give up and admit that we prefer monopolies. Name for me ANY regulated
industry vibrant with new small businesses and rapid innovation. It does
NOT exist. It consolidates until we're in a monopoly. That's where TV,
Radio, Cellular, even copper POTS service is headed without intervention.
Even with intervention it becomes a calcified, unchanging and certainly
non-innovative industry.
Either we defend ourselves, and we defend the "cowboys" as Peter likes to
call people like me by rising in opposition to ANY regulatory garbage that
puts us under their thumb... Or we've just killed our whole industry,
because it will cease to be the free market and just become yet another
pigeonholed and protected monopoly status.. .and not a one of us will be
that "monopoly".
Just 3 years ago, when I was about to embark on this dreamquest I call my
business, every ONE of the list participants on every one of the lists i
was one, was adamant that our uniqueness and our ability to do what had not
been done, and to serve those not being served, was because we had no
limits. Because we were free and open and unrestrained. We recognized
that our industry, OUR profession was not limited and could succeed
precisely because we had no gatekeeper and referee creating and enforcing
someone else's rules on our game.
We had a unique focus on creating our own last mile, and were undaunted in
our efforts because those who lacked the guts to go where no ISP had gone
before were NOT in our business. We were, as someone likes to
disparagingly refer to the vast majority of us "Cowboys". We WERE 100%
"cowboys" because they are the pioneers. They are the ones who break the
molds and do what hadn't been done. What on earth are we doing when we
silently tolerate the disparaging of "cowboys"? Either these "Cowboys"
continue to pop up in greater numbers and more and more places to serve whom
otherwise won't be served... or we're dead as an industry.
Now let's imagine that Lonerock, Oregon experiences a population boom. In
fact, due to the wonderful clean air, temperate climate, lack of crime, and
overall attractiveness of this town...
(here it is, in real life!
http://neofast.net/users/mark/pics/lonerockvalley.jpg )
A lot of new residents move in and build homes, eventually they start a
little school back up, and one day a relatively young retiree shows up and
polls a bunch of people in town "do you want a small grocery store... if one
was here, what would you want in it?" Except for the 4 old soreheads at
the far edge of town, everyone sees the value in having a store locally. In
fact, having one just might encourage a bit more stability to town.
So, he applies to the recently incorporated town for a building permit and a
business license.
After much discussion, he's called in to face the mayor and city council.
"We're prepared to entertain granting your permits, but before you do, we
have a list of demands. We want to be assured that you'll carry a wide
array of brands of products. We want to be sure that you'll reinvest in our
community with the profits. We want assurances from you that your prices
will be low, quality high, and that you'll be open seven days a week and at
least till 10 pm and open by 7 am. And lastly, it's very important to us
that you'll agree to install the climate control equipment we want in your s
tore so that your customers are comfortable all year around, and that it's
well lit to our requirements and we also want you to pay for and get a
liquor license too, and make sure you're well stocked with a list of
products we wish you to carry. And lastly, since everyone will be shopping
there, we want you to photograph everyone and carry thier information and
image in a database to help us should there ever be any law enforcement
required in our town."
The retiree looks over the men behind the desk and tables and mumbles
something to himself. He takes the pages long list of demands and
requirements and goes home. Sitting at his desk that night, he figures out
the costs involved and the demands on his time. The next day he stops in
at the mayor's office and drops a letter on the desk and walks out. Later
that afternoon, he makes a number of phone calls and a week later a "For
Sale" sign appears on his home.
The town council is stunned at the letter. It says simply "I withdraw my
applications for business license and building permit". The news leaks
out... Rather, it explodes. The city council meeting is innundated with
the townspeople standing up and asking "Why aren't we going to have a
store?" To which the mayor answers "I don't know, we really need one and
we encouraged him to open one up".
Yeah, I know, the story's a bit crude and silly.
But the point is inescapable. And it's on topic. The FCC recognizes that
it's mechanism for justifying it's policy decisions suck. Why? Because
the whole pursuit of the number in the first place is pointless. No matter
WHAT number the FCC arrives at, and by what method... It cannot escape
criticism of it's policies. If the FCC wants to justify what it does... or
perhaps more accurately, make a cogent arguement for cogent policies, then
the number becomes irrelevant, as does form 477, OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF
POINTLESS PAPERWORK.
Instead, WE should be telling the FCC what our hurdles to deployment are,
and that placing roadblocks like CALEA in the way will only serve to STIFLE
deployment. The FCC and the feds need to stop acting like the mythical
town council I wrote about if it wishes to have people set up shop and
provide service. It needs to clear every roadblock it can that is created
intentionally or unintentionally by federal regulation or ownership or rules
or law.
Because like grocery stores, WISP's should be in every town, in every
community, in every county, in every state, in the whole nation. And the
only way that's going to happen, is if every possible business model,
including the guy who does it as a hobby, or the retiree who happens to be
bored and want to find something productive to do, or the computer store
owner who needs his own connection... or a couple of part time partners...
or an angel investor and a couple network whiz types... or a group of
professional businessmen and a venture capital type get to gether and work
out something that works, and the people get served should be viable.
Someone asked me why I decided to wireless... specifically why wireless to
offer broadband. I answered this way: "Because I can". There was no
toll booth set up by someone else to pay to get into the business.
There was nobody standing there with a list of demands to get a license to
do it. Even then, it took me 5 years to find a way to do it in a way that
would be viable for me and my limited financial means.
If the FCC is actually serious, if Congress is actually serious... and if
WISPA is actually serious... about addressing how widely broadband is both
available and adopted... then what REALLY has to be addressed, is this: If
broadband is not available, what is the obstruction ,and how can it be
cleared? And we need to address it. We need to address EVERYTHING, from
how difficult it is to raise capital, to archaic and absurd part 15
certification regulations, to the physical federal and state land barriers
since it's so hard to get to use them. Further, we need to address the
tools we need to truly become "ubiquitous".
The only people who care about "the number", whatever that magical number
is, are advocates of something... be it regulation, be it money spending
they want to come their way, be it governmental intervention or even
socializing the internet provision industry, or even just plain old pork
barrell spending, "the number" serves no practical purpose in advancing real
deployment and coverage.
The only way to get at the heart of the mattter, is to study the
people...find who does, who does not, and then find out WHY. Do they not
care? Maybe they don't want it. Maybe they aren't willing to pay for it.
Maybe they have no use for it! Maybe nobody will offer service. If not,
WHY NOT?
And then comprehensively address those issues of why one of us cowboys will
not go there. Because if we won't, then nobody will, unless they're
bribed with public money, to do what nobody sensible would do. There
should not be 6000 of us. Not even 12,000 of us. There should be at least
20,000 and more appropriately, 50,000 of us. We should be like the grocery
store. One or more for every town. If we do, WE WILL have the clout in DC
to get heard. But unless we defend our industry against imposed
gatekeepers, toll booths and whatever other kind of barrier to entry and
continuation, we have already lost the battle without ever having even
reached the fight.
Like it or not, WE HAVE THE ANSWERS the FCC is looking for. But we're
stuck on playing little political games. Darnit, WE ARE ALREADY THE
LEADERS, because we're going out and doin what should be done in the first
place. The fact that they are only recently aware of even our EXISTENCE,
much less the true power of free enterprise we can wield in advancing our
nation is a monument sized explanation of just how out of touch and isolated
Washington DC is from where the rubber meets the road. We should not
shrink from boldly standing up for both what is right, and PROUDLY
ADVOCATING FOR OUR BEST INTEREST. Not just "making the toll bearable" or
"trying to make sure they don't kill too many of us", not meekly going to
them, hat in hand, hoping for "status" in DC. That's not leadership.
That's followship. And it's our death if we do it.
There. I've ranted again.
Somehow, I feel like I haven't done it near enough. The definition of a
fanatic, some say, is that they not only have opinions on something, but
that they won't shut up about it. Are we fanatics for our industry and
ourselves... or just mere passive players?
Mark
----- Original Message -----
From: "Justin S. Wilson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <wireless@wispa.org>
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 5:52 AM
Subject: [WISPA] FCC Admits Mistakes In Measuring Broadband Competition
> Found this on Slashdot
>
> "For years, plenty of folks (including the Government Accountability
Office)
> have been pointing out that the way the FCC
> <http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070205/165735.shtml> measures
broadband
> competition is very flawed. It simply assumes that if a single household
in
> a zip code is offered broadband by provider A, then every household in
that
> zip code can get broadband from provider A. See the problem? For some
reason
> the FCC still hasn't changed its ways, but at least they're starting to
> realize the problem. They're now saying they need to change
> <http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2115154,00.asp> the way they
measure
> competition. Commissioner Michael Copps points out: 'Our statistical
> methodology seems almost calculated to obscure just how far
> <http://techdirt.com/articles/20070418/143208.shtml> our country is
falling
> behind many other industrialized nations in broadband availability,
> adoption, speed and price.'"
>
>
>
>
>
> --
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