This is kinda what I felt like after going to a info seminar RUS put on a couple years ago for the Maine ISPs. The headache wasnt worth the interest savings. Thanks for the update.
On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 08:51:46AM -0400, Kurt Fankhauser wrote: > Yesterday there was a broadband stimulus seminar in Columbus, OH featuring > Senator Sherrod Brown, ConnectOhio.org, USDA Rural Development. I went with > an open mind and left not wanting anything to do with this "free money" to > be had. > > > > The government is trying to get as much control out of the ISP's that take > this money as they possibly can. The reporting requirements for ISP's that > take this money is a huge burden. This makes FCC Form 477 look like a walk > in the park compared to what they want to know. There are about 30-50 things > that they want you to report on and some of it is just crazy. I can't list > it all but they basically want to know what brand of toilet paper and how > much of it you use per customer.. And this will apply to your entire > existing infrastructure that was in place before you took the money. > > > > They can come in and look at all your confidential records anytime they > want. They can even change the rules years down the road and possibly tell > you what to charge your customer per month to what they think is fair. They > can also tell you how to do your QoS and what you can and can not block. > > > > This sounds like the same deal with the bank bailouts from last year that > once they took the money and found out what role the government wanted to do > with them that they wanted to give it all back but wasn't allowed. The > majority of the attendees once we got into the workshops and started talking > among each other was that they don't want anything to do with this money at > all either once they found out all the hidden strings attached to it. > > > > They are encouraging few larger projects than many smaller ones. I asked > them what about the area that already has 2-3 fixed wireless ISP's and if > they give the money to a very large outfit that comes into the area and > undercuts the smaller guys by $5/month and runs them out of business if that > could happen and they said it probably would. I said well you just killed 3 > small businesses to create a larger one what the heck did you just > accomplish that for and they just gave me a blank stare like I was crazy. > > > > This is not about getting broadband internet to un-served/underserved > area's, this entire stimulus is about the government trying to gain as much > control as they possibly can into the ISP business.. > > > > I'm going to start running ads saying "go with us, we refused to take the > stimulus money." > > > > > > > > > > Kurt Fankhauser > WAVELINC > P.O. Box 126 > Bucyrus, OH 44820 > 419-562-6405 > www.wavelinc.com > > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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/ -- /* Jason Philbrook | Midcoast Internet Solutions - Wireless and DSL KB1IOJ | Broadband Internet Access, Dialup, and Hosting http://f64.nu/ | for Midcoast Maine http://www.midcoast.com/ */ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
