In many ways this is certainly true. Look at the Roman water systems and roads.
Where are the Romans now? Oh, never mind. lol marlon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Clint Ricker" <[email protected]> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2009 8:26 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] ARTICLE - What's the U.S. Doing Wrong with Broadband ? > Want to truly take nothing? Seriously? > > The mere existence of the Internet is due to government funding. The > wires > that connect your little corner of Oregon to the great wide world? > Probably > wouldn't have happened without government subsidies. The same is true > around the world. A lot of the research that drives the technology > getting > your bits across the wire...hmmm...government funding, as well. > > You're in the wrong industry to invent a moral highroad about government > subsidisations. Telecomm is considered a utility, and utilities will > always > be subsidised by governments. Always have been, and always will be. > > > > > On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 5:29 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> The fact is, the only things we're doing wrong, is allowing too much >> subsidy, too many barriers to entry into the business, and too much tax >> money to be gobbled up. >> >> In all of these countries with so-called "great" broadband, how much is >> ACTUALLY spent by the consumers and taxpayers? Nobody knows. I will >> guarantee you it is WELL MORE than anyone pays here. No, not the price >> of >> subsidized services, the total spending divided by users and taxpayers. >> > >> What is the actual "return" on broadband? I can tell you honestly, >> that >> with the exception of a small handful of my customers, the only "return" >> is >> time saved, with no monetary returns. For a few, it does have >> financial >> implications, and they do earn or save money. I'd say it was under >> 10%. >> Now, that's RESIDENTIAL customers. Business customers have a far >> different viewpoint... And they often pay well more than residential >> service >> prices to get SLA's, etc. >> >> Subsidizing the residential users with taxpayers is both economically >> wrong, >> and just plain common sense wrong. >> >> But as far as the article goes.. We need MORE "free market" and less >> interference. Broadband would spread faster, not slower. And be more, >> not less, competitive. >> >> But we have to recognize some things... There are historically created >> monopolies, and there are current monopolies, and these monopolies exist >> due >> to force of law. If there's anything that's held up broadband, it's >> these >> monopolies. >> >> Local and state laws often create monopolies by placing huge impediments >> to >> new startups, or wireless deployments, and often absolutely and totally >> forbid WIRED competition for phone and cable operators by offering >> exclusive >> franchises. The number of competitive wired phone operators is nil, for >> all practical purposes, for a lot of reasons. Yet, we have no end in >> sight >> of the wireless phone guys competing for your dollar. >> >> In rural America, far too much land is governmentally owned, and is the >> single largest obstacle to wireless deployments. Eastern Oregon, for >> instance is hugely Federal, some state, and tiny spots of private land. >> Trying to use federal or state land is just simply not feasible, >> especially >> if you're provider #2 for a town of 2000 people and you're trying to be >> cost >> competitive. And Congress can't seem to figure out that handing out >> grants >> to people who are experts at milking the sow in DC isn't cost effective >> or >> in any other way effective. Those who can, do, those who can't, get >> grants >> or loans. Not universally, but at least around here, that's the case. >> >> Here is Eastern Oregon, we have one company that invested minimal money >> of >> their own, but bilked the state for millions, and uses state money (mine, >> no >> less) to deploy fiber to compete with non subsidized WISP's and other >> ISP's. >> And, since their contract is written in a certain way, they use the LEAST >> cost effective means of reaching people. They get paid by the state to >> waste money, IMO. And are they friendly to being cooperative iwth other >> ISP's? Hell no. >> >> Every time you offer public subsidy, you simply invite the taxpayers to >> get >> screwed endlessly. >> >> And we're ALL taxpayers. >> >> If you want to lobby DC and get my support, then the following words and >> this idea will NEVER surface in what you say... "Give us money from the >> taxpayers". If you want to talk tax breaks, if you want to talk legal >> classifications, if you want to talk about barriers to services, etc, >> etc... >> by all means, do so... but you lose me everytime you say "we need money". >> If you can't make the business case for it without subsidy or grants, IT >> SHOULD NOT BE DONE. Period. >> >> And those poor whiny souls who bellyache about "the position we hold in >> broadband penetration" can have endless bleeding ulcers over it, they >> have >> no point worth considering. >> >> As I've said before... lots of people here are arguing that "since it's >> going to be spent, get your share". NO! >> >> If it has to start somewhere, it starts with me. I take nothing. Zilch. >> Never. Ever. Just do the right thing. Eventually, doing the right >> thing >> will be popular and can be sold to the saps in DC. But it has to start >> somewhere. Even if it starts AND ENDS with me... I'm doing the right >> thing, period. >> >> >> >> >> >> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >> <insert witty tagline here> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Jack Unger" <[email protected]> >> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> >> Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 2:19 PM >> Subject: [WISPA] ARTICLE - What's the U.S. Doing Wrong with Broadband ? >> >> >> > >> > >> http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Whats-The-US-Doing-Wrong-With-Broadband-101328 >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> > 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! 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