OTS--- Congrats on the Lifetime Achievement of WISP, Mr. Schaffer. You most certainly deserve it!
On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 10:10 PM, Marlon K. Schafer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I happen to agree with you on this. Completely. > > I also don't think it's any business of the politicians whether or not I > were a seat belt. But I've gotten tired of paying the tickets so I wear > one. > > Vote out the incumbents until there are so many new people in office that > they spend all of their time learning how things work and don't have time > to > screw with us. > > Until that's done though, lets deal with reality. > marlon > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 1:49 PM > Subject: Re: [WISPA] FCC approves new method for tracking broadband's reach > > > > I"m going to repost a response I made privately, leaving off the other > > person... I want to be clear what's really bothering me lately. > > ========== > > > > Maybe I should be more clear. I fail to see why I should have to > conduct > > even 1 minute's free labor... The results of which are going to result > > absolutely NO benefit to me, and then we'll all get to see some > > politicians > > claim credit for the "spread of broadband", even though that "spread" has > > been solely the result of some of us working our butts off, and risking > > our > > own money and 12 hour days. > > > > I can find absolutely no reason to think that ANY of us are going to > > benefit > > from this. The only people who could possibly benefit, would be the > > Qwest's and the Clearwires of the world, who have publicly financed > > "expansion research" done for them. > > > > I doubt any of us, save a handful who cover large areas, could benefit at > > all. I know I make my expansions based on on-the-ground efforts, going > > to > > door to door and finding out who has broadband, who doesn't and then > > figuring out how to fill the gaps, some of which are as small as a > housing > > development with 10 houses in it. This will never be figured out by > the > > FCC or any "agency". I'm DOING the work that needs to be done. Why on > > earth should I do free labor while doing it? > > > > But I'll bet that on a more macro scale, all we do is provide the > > directions > > for bigger guys deciding what towns or cities to deploy in without > > spending > > a dime in research. > > > > I know I buy a lot of $140 (and climbing) tanks of diesel to find areas > > not > > covered and then cover them, and then go to door to door to sign up > > people. > > I have perhaps 20,000 people in my targeted market, which covers > > everything > > from farms and vineyards to forested mountains, and it's an hour and a > > half > > to drive across from the farthest customers now, and in a fe months it's > > going to be close to two hours. > > > > So, why on earth should I then be required to expend more time and effort > > and possibly money, just to tell someone else where to go for free? > > > > Perhaps I'm just irked because the heavy hand of both state and federal > > govenrments is coming down on a lot of what we do - I may soon need a > > contractor's license and AND hire a licensed electrician... to be a WISP, > > of > > all things. If that's the case, my customers will become "unserved". > > And > > there is NOBODY in my corner fighting this either federally or at the > > state > > level. Rather, every organization I've uncovered is just nodding and > > smiling like some lobotomized sheep. > > > > > > > > > > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > <insert witty tagline here> > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Steve Barnes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "'WISPA General List'" <[email protected]> > > Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 1:19 PM > > Subject: Re: [WISPA] FCC approves new method for tracking broadband's > > reach > > > > > >>I agree, I would also like to know the position of WISPA. It looks like > >> another great way for some company to make extra income off of my > already > >> short bottom line. The current reporting is a pain but can be completed > >> in > >> an hour or so. I am not privileged to have GIS software and data > setting > >> around for all my data to interface with. Besides in my area the census > >> track is larger then the ZIP's. So they will get less exact data. > >> > >> Steve Barnes > >> Executive Manager > >> PCS-WIN > >> RCWiFi Wireless Internet Service > >> (765)584-2288 > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > >> Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 3:00 PM > >> To: WISPA General List > >> Subject: Re: [WISPA]FCC approves new method for tracking broadband's > >> reach > >> > >> I'm curious to know WISPA's official position on this is. > >> > >> Looking back in the archives, I see little discussion about this, but > the > >> only way this information is going to be obtained, is if ISP's are > >> required > >> to determine the location of each census unit and then plot on maps of > >> the > >> census unit each customer and count them up. At this moment, I have no > >> idea what a "census unit" is, how it is determined, or even how to find > >> out > >> that information, much less plot hundreds of customers spread over > >> thousands > >> > >> of square miles. Frankly, I haven't the time. > >> > >> Unless software exists to automate this, this is going to be rather > >> man-hour > >> > >> intensive for anyone with more than 20 broadband customers. > >> > >> Is WISPA going to lobby to defend us from this big pile of free labor > the > >> FCC wants us to do so they can claim political credit, or are they going > >> to > >> sell us down the river by lobbying for it? It seemed that no organized > >> resistance existed for the first mandate to report, and unless we start > >> defending ourselves from the do-gooders in DC, we're going to end up > with > >> mountains of work and nothing but a headache and some legal papers from > >> bankruptcy court to show for it. > >> > >> Every industry I know of is VEHEMENT in telling the federal goverment to > >> back off from mandates... Why does the ISP industry just keep rolling > >> over > >> and getting reamed? > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > >> <insert witty tagline here> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Rick Harnish" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: "'WISPA General List'" <[email protected]> > >> Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2008 6:03 AM > >> Subject: [WISPA] FCC approves new method for tracking broadband's reach > >> > >> > >>> > >>> HYPERLINK "http://www.wispa.org/?p=215"FCC approves new method for > >>> tracking > >>> broadband's reach > >>> > >>> > >>> Filed under: HYPERLINK "http://www.wispa.org/?cat=1"General at 7:02 am > >>> HYPERLINK "http://www.wispa.org/?p=215#respond";(no comments) HYPERLINK > >>> "http://www.wispa.org/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=215";(e) > >>> > >>> WASHINGTON-As expected, federal regulators on Wednesday voted to > >>> overhaul > >>> the way they measure how widely broadband is available across the > United > >>> States. > >>> > >>> For years, the Federal Communications Commission has been drawing up > >>> reports > >>> on the state of U.S. Internet access availability based on methodology > >>> that > >>> considers 200 kilobits per second (Kbps) service to be "high speed"-and > >>> such > >>> access to be widely available even in ZIP codes that may, in reality, > >>> house > >>> only one connection. > >>> > >>> The decision to move away from that methodology is potentially > >>> significant. > >>> Critics, both inside and outside the agency, have charged that the > >>> inadequacy of data that the FCC collects semiannually from Internet > >>> service > >>> providers hinders both the government's ability to set smart > >>> pro-broadband > >>> policies and could slow investment on the technology side. It could > also > >>> help federal regulators determine whether HYPERLINK > >>> "http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9897103-7.html"the United States is > >>> really > >>> as far behind in broadband penetration as some international studies > >>> have > >>> suggested during the past few years. > >>> > >>> If not for good government data, "our economy would come to a > screeching > >>> halt," said Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat. For example, > >>> manufacturers depend on unemployment and gross domestic product figures > >>> to > >>> set their production targets, and schools and hospitals rely on U.S. > >>> Census > >>> numbers to project demand for their services, he said. > >>> > >>> "When companies and investors put money into e-commerce or voice over > >>> Internet Protocol or Internet video.they need to know what kind of > >>> broadband > >>> infrastructure America actually has," Copps said. > >>> > >>> Democratic Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said, "This is really the > >>> first > >>> step toward the national broadband strategy that we so desperately > >>> need." > >>> > >>> Despite his support for the new data collection method, FCC Chairman > >>> Kevin > >>> Martin said he believes the United States has made incredible strides > in > >>> broadband deployment since he joined the commission in 2001, with the > >>> number > >>> of lines growing from 9 million to more than 100 million. Still, he > >>> acknowledged, "there is certainly more work to be done." > >>> > >>> The FCC, as is typical, won't release the full text of the changes it > >>> adopted for a few weeks, but here's a rundown of major components > >>> described > >>> at Wednesday's meeting: > >>> > >>> . 200Kbps speeds are no longer considered "broadband." Until this > point, > >>> the > >>> FCC has considered any service that produces 200Kbps speeds in the > >>> upload > >>> or > >>> download direction to be "high speed." With Wednesday's vote, that > >>> methodology is no more. Now, 768Kbps, which is the entry-level speed > >>> offered > >>> by major DSL providers like Verizon, will be considered the low end of > >>> "basic broadband," a range that extends to under 1.5Mbps. > >>> . Broadband service speeds will have to be reported both for uploads > and > >>> downloads. Previously the FCC had six big categories of broadband > >>> speeds, > >>> and they effectively only tracked download speeds. Now the agency says > >>> it > >>> will require reporting on upload speeds. Pro-regulatory advocacy groups > >>> like > >>> Free Press say that's a necessary step in part because of HYPERLINK > >>> "http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9872464-38.html"Comcast's admitted > >>> throttling of peer-to-peer file-sharing uploads. > >>> . Upload and download speeds will have to be reported in a more > specific > >>> way. At the moment, the broadband speeds most commonly offered by cable > >>> and > >>> telephone companies are lumped into two major categories: those between > >>> 200Kbps and 2.5Mbps, and those between 2.5Mbps and 10Mbps. The FCC's > new > >>> rules would require them to be broken down further, in an attempt to > >>> address > >>> charges that the current buckets have the potential to overstate the > >>> number > >>> of high-end subscriptions and understate the number of low-end > >>> subscriptions. Those new tiers will be: 1) 200Kbps to 768Kbps ("first > >>> generation data"); 2) 768Kbps to 1.5Mbps ("basic broadband"); 3) > 1.5Mbps > >>> to > >>> 3Mbps; 4) 3Mbps to 6Mbps; and 5) 6Mbps and above. > >>> . ISPs will be required to report numbers of subscribers, and at the > >>> census-block level. Under the current methodology, ISPs report only the > >>> number of ZIP codes in which they have at least one subscriber, and > they > >>> report numbers of lines nationwide. Now they'll have to report the > >>> number > >>> of > >>> subscribers in each census tract they serve, broken down by speed tier. > >>> The > >>> FCC decided to use census tracts because researchers may be able to use > >>> other demographic statistics collected by the U.S. Census, such as age > >>> and > >>> income level, to gain insight about what drives broadband penetration > >>> rates. > >>> . ISPs will not have to report the prices they charge..yet. Democratic > >>> commissioners and liberal consumer advocacy groups had argued such a > >>> step > >>> is > >>> necessary to give consumers an idea of the value they're getting for > >>> their > >>> money-and to compare U.S. prices to those for comparable services > >>> abroad. > >>> Copps said on Wednesday that he continues to believe it's a "mistake" > to > >>> omit that requirement, and Adelstein also voiced concern. But a > majority > >>> of > >>> the commissioners opted to push that decision off until another time > and > >>> gather more comments. > >>> > >>> Each of the five commissioners voted in favor of adopting the order, > >>> although some attached reservations about some portions of the rules. > >>> Adelstein said he would have liked to see the commission require that > >>> ISPs > >>> distinguish between residential and business customers when doing their > >>> reporting. Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell said he was > concerned > >>> that some of the definitions contained in the rules-particularly that > of > >>> broadband-could have negative long-term effects. > >>> > >>> "Government cannot outguess the genius of free markets, nor should it > >>> try," > >>> McDowell said. > >>> > >>> Representatives from the cable and telephone industry had advised the > >>> commission against making major changes to its data collection methods. > >>> They > >>> said they would not be able to comment on the FCC's vote Wednesday > until > >>> after reviewing the full text of the order. > >>> > >>> The old method's last gasp > >>> In an ironic twist, at the same meeting, the commissioners narrowly > >>> voted > >>> to > >>> adopt the FCC's latest report about the state of American broadband > >>> deployment-except based on the old methodology that they went on to > >>> revamp. > >>> Because of that, Copps and Adelstein ripped apart the report and said > >>> they > >>> couldn't support its conclusions. (Martin, McDowell, and Republican > >>> Deborah > >>> Tate voted for adoption of the document.) > >>> > >>> The HYPERLINK > >>> "http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280906A1.pdf > "report > >>> (PDF), which covers the first half of 2007, concluded that "broadband > >>> services are currently being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable > >>> and > >>> timely fashion." > >>> > >>> High-speed lines-meaning, mind you, capable of 200Kbps or greater data > >>> transfer speeds-grew from 82 million to 100 million lines during that > >>> time, > >>> the FCC said. Its report also found that an Internet service provider > >>> reported having at least one connection in 99 percent of the country's > >>> ZIP > >>> codes, and that 99 percent of the American population lives in those > ZIP > >>> codes. > >>> > >>> Copps, for one, called the ZIP code methodology "stunningly > >>> meaningless." > >>> > >>> "I'm happy we're starting to change our benchmarks," he said, "but my > >>> goodness, how late in the day it is." > >>> > >>> The FCC's actions drew mixed reviews from groups who have been pressing > >>> for > >>> better broadband data and Net neutrality rules. > >>> > >>> Gigi Sohn, the president of Public Knowledge, one such group, commended > >>> the > >>> FCC's new data collection plan, although she said she would have > >>> preferred > >>> to see price data included and information about residential and > >>> commercial > >>> customers separated. She also deemed it a "mystery" that the FCC also > >>> chose > >>> to issue the broadband availability report "when, mere moments later, > >>> the > >>> Commission admitted the inadequacy of the information." > >>> > >>> WASHINGTON-As expected, federal regulators on Wednesday voted to > >>> overhaul > >>> the way they measure how widely broadband is available across the > United > >>> States. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> No virus found in this outgoing message. > >>> Checked by AVG. > >>> Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.10/1421 - Release Date: > >>> 5/7/2008 > >>> 5:23 PM > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> ---- > >>> WISPA Wants You! Join today! > >>> http://signup.wispa.org/ > >>> > >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> ---- > >>> > >>> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > >>> > >>> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > >>> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > >>> > >>> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > >> > >> > >> > >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> ---- > >> WISPA Wants You! Join today! > >> http://signup.wispa.org/ > >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> ---- > >> > >> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > >> > >> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > >> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > >> > >> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> WISPA Wants You! Join today! > >> http://signup.wispa.org/ > >> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > >> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > >> > >> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > >> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > >> > >> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > > http://signup.wispa.org/ > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > > > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > -- Victoria Proffer CEO St. Louis Broadband Visit us @ www.StLBroadband.com 314-974-5600 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
