But a lot of these companies are government regulated already and have to abide by certain amounts of transparency due to various regulations and agreements. Some have even gone TOO far in doing as they are told, i.e. the 911 wiretaps. Just an extreme example. But I know what you're saying. I don't imagine some big company grabbing the cash and swooping in and taking us all over. But the spirit of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 this isn't. The idea is to provide broadband access to every corner of the U.S. In 1936 they had co-ops formed who all worked together for the common goal. The only people I have had contact me have been the "Connect Ohio" bunch who do the same meetings in the other states and from whom I receive a monthly newsletter with pictures of them with various politicians and representatives from the major telecoms and not much info on how to get this goal accomplished.
A few years ago I lived in Niagara Falls New York. The economy there absolutely sucks so the county was awarding a grant to some unknown company to come in and provide wireless internet to the entire county. I don't remember the dollar amount but it was HUGE. The local WISP, yes, there was already a company who was providing the larger populated areas with wireless, he was never considered. The county supposedly thought that some bigger outfit from out of the area would do a better job. The local guy, I believe, was quoted as saying he could cover the entire county for 10 grand or less in equipment and he already had the basic setup, he just had to extend out further. But no, they threw tens of thousands of dollars to someone outside of the area to do the same as this guy was doing. I think that's where most of my frustration comes from. I never had dollar signs in my eyes from this, only as maybe a means to achieve a few goals a bit quicker. But no big deal. It's how it's tossed up and celebrated by these big shot government types and turns out to be a bunch of hype that is a big waste of my time. Kinda like when your brother in law offers to come help work on your truck. Yeah, he comes over and yeah he'll be in the garage. But how much quicker could you have got the job done without his help??? ;) Most of us would do it quicker and cheaper and with better quality than any big company because we have to. I'm now sitting down and shutting up. :) -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Charles Wyble Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 3:32 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: Re: [WISPA] just attended broadband stimulus seminar and WOW..... What you all seem to have forgotten..... the big companies don't want the stimulus money. It requires them to open themselves up to the SAME level of INSANE TRANSPARENCY that any other grant applicant would have. They reject the money for the same exact reasons you all are. Therefore.... please .... sit down and shut up :) Robert West wrote: > AT&T was just an example. I'm sure someone will be purchased but if > anything I see it as one company buying up and consolidating smaller > companies to make one big network. But even with that, I still see the > cellular companies trumping it all. They already have the basic > infrastructure, the financing, the political muscle and even the > frequencies. I'm not saying to jump ship, it's just good to keep an eye out > and play "what if" in order to survive. For me anyway. If they erode the > market, we just have to come up with other products and more innovative > things to offer that they can't. :) > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Tom DeReggi > Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 3:10 PM > To: WISPA General List > Subject: Re: [WISPA] just attended broadband stimulus seminar and WOW..... > > Who said the buyer had to be ATT? By the way, ATT bought Wayport, a wifi > company. It didn;t make sense for ATT to upgrade infrastruvcture and take > Wayport's market, when all they had to do is inject investment into the > engine and share in the profits. Allthoguh Wayport was more of a LAN than a > > WAN company, it does show private wireless companies can be attractive to > RBOC. > > > > > Tom DeReggi > RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc > IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Robert West" <[email protected]> > To: "'WISPA General List'" <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 1:07 PM > Subject: Re: [WISPA] just attended broadband stimulus seminar and WOW..... > > >> But I don't really envision AT&T coming to me and cashing me out. What I >> see is them upgrading their infrastructure and taking the market. They >> already have presence in our areas with cellular. I don't see think they >> will care one bit about most of us small time operators. If we had a much >> bigger presence and were able to compete on the same national level that >> they can, maybe. But as it is, we're just the small time pizza joint down >> the street that Pizza Hut opened across from offering items at half price. >> Well, until the small time joint closes. Then it's full price from then >> on.............. >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On >> Behalf Of David E. Smith >> Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 12:23 PM >> To: WISPA General List >> Subject: Re: [WISPA] just attended broadband stimulus seminar and WOW..... >> >> Robert West wrote: >>> Why should [big companies] invest >>> their cash in building a market when we can do it for them and once it's >>> about ripe, they can just walk in and pick it? We need to do what we can >> to >>> protect our little piece of the pie somehow. >> A small entrepreneur sees an opportunity, builds something that lots of >> people want, makes some money from it, then a larger company buys it and >> makes said entrepreneur filthy rich (or at least better-off than he >> was). The customers win (they get the benefit of the new network >> regardless of who built it), the guy that just cashed out wins, the >> bigger company that buys the network wins (they presumably see profit >> potential or else they wouldn't buy). I thought this sort of >> sweat-equity-for-cash tradeoff was basically the American dream. >> >> I don't see this being a bad thing for anyone involved. >> >> David Smith >> MVN.net >> >> >> >> >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> ---- >> WISPA Wants You! 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