> Those companies you fear have always had more money than our ISPs. It's > about customer service and adopting technology, that we survive, not by > financial superiority.
I only partially agree. The facts are, people with funding can build faster than those that dont and have to fund their expansion through cash flow as they earn it. Its not about being able to compete with them, its about them getting there first. Once someone has service, that is fast and inexpensive, its tough to lewer them away afterwords. I can give an example of today... A fiber provider just tried to steal one of my customers, by undercutting me by 400% on dollars and increasing the speed by factor of 10. My customer called me, to negotiate because they valued my customer service. But none the less it was an offer they could not ignore, no matter how good my custoemr service. I kept the customer, but at the end of the day, I had to match the price. I cant afford to do that with everyone, but they could. Financial superiority does have a lot to do with it. > That's a lot of assumptions. > Let me rephrase my statement. The issue of "rurality" regarding "home density per Sq mile" (aka population) is not enough to justify the opinion that a monopoly is needed for operations to be profitable and sustainable. That was my point. Environmental Barriers on the other hand may. Non-Line-of-Site, whether Dense Foliage or hilly terrain is a wireless business plan killer. And fiber's higher cost or cost of wireless models to get around those challenges, can be financially difficult. In those cases, subsidees may be required, I fully agree. Tom DeReggi RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband ----- Original Message ----- From: "jp" <[email protected]> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 5:20 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] How the FCC Proposes the Regulate Broadband > On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 11:15:08AM -0400, Tom DeReggi wrote: >> I've always been pro-tax credit, based on my personal agenda. >> I think it incourages investment, not only helps reduce an ISP's tax >> burden. >> >> However, from my experience debating ARRA, I learned there can be some >> disadvantages of Tax Credits. >> The BIG disadvantage for WISPs is that it helps Large Telcos and Cable >> Cos >> and large scale VC backed companies the most. They have tons of income >> they'd love to have tax relief from. They also have tons of money to >> invest, WISPs may have less comparatively. Probaly the best way to get >> FIOS >> built out to your community, to put the local WISP out of business, is to >> give Verizon a healthy Tax credit to Invest there. > > Those companies you fear have always had more money than our ISPs. It's > about customer service and adopting technology, that we survive, not by > financial superiority. > >> If the goal is to help more American get faster broadband sooner, Tax >> Credits is a great idea. But if the goal is to help make sure WISPs >> becomes >> a larger part of that solution, I'm not so sure it helps us. >> Strategically, >> it would benefit WISPs if we could discourage investment from large >> carriers. > > That first goal is one that would be supported and we should be able to > say our goal is not contrary to that. > >> The other thing is that Tax Credits equally rewards all spending whether >> it >> is efficent or wasteful spending. Dont we want policy that focuses >> rewards >> to those that spent more efficiently? WISP's advantage is that they have >> more affordable cost of deployment. >> >> One of the things I challenge today is where there is any place left on >> teh >> planet in rural America that is not cost effective to serve with >> wireless? >> With the exception of Tower costs. If line of sight can be acheived, and >> twoers are needed, the cost to deploy an area can skyrocket. But >> otherwise, >> even rural areas of 1 home per square mile can be afforded with Fixed >> Wireless. HAving a low dnsity is actually preferred. When a 2.4Ghz AP >> can >> extend 20 miles, and can only support about 20-50 homes per AP, its a >> perfect match for low density rural terrain. > > That's a lot of assumptions. > > http://www.f64.nu/photo/tmp/jeffersonsouth/ > > Here's an IR panorama from a tower we just put up last year in one of > the best locations in our service area. You can see a few houses around > the tower/hill site, but otherwise as far as you can see it's trees and > 90%+ of customers require NLOS solutions due to trees. This was not cost > effective to serve without a state grant. Not only did we need 900 > instead of 2.4, we needed multiple APs and sectors with downtilt, as > 900mhz interference comes in from afar when you have a tower atop a nice > hill. > > >> >> I also have no patience for thoise that say a small rurla town can >> survive >> without being a monopoly. I live in a farm town with 300 homes, 25 acre >> zoning minimum, most have much more land per farm.. And here are 4 WISPs >> in >> this town, and there is enough revenue for each of us, for each of us to >> justify keeping up operations. What it means is that we dont put all our >> eggs in one town. Having 25% of the market in 4 towns, is equivellent to >> 100% of the market to serve one. I only need 5 customers in a town for it >> to >> be profitable to serve. (again, there are exceptions to that based on >> tower >> requirements). But the answer is just to spread out farther, so one towns >> infrastructure can subsidize the next's. Sometimes it means diversity, >> where a provider might need to offer otehr services like Compueter repir >> or >> traininf along side their Broadband opperations. But that has often been >> the >> way it is in small towns, where businesses serve more than one function >> for >> its community, than its core competency. >> What people really mean is that Fiber is more cost effective to deploy as >> a >> monopoly. >> >> Isn't what we really need is continued awareness building that Wireless >> delivers what people need, and what is needed is investment in Wireless. >> Like the Rolling Stones said, "You cant always get what you want, but if >> you >> try sometimes, you can get what you need". >> >> The other thing is that a tax credit will decrease the fed government >> revenue earned from larger telcos (our competitirs), which is a huge sum >> of >> money. Wouldn't it be better if that revenue was kept, and reused for >> broadband programs that would help smaller providers and competitive >> providers? Killing off USF and giving tax credits in combined would >> benefit >> wealthy urban/suburban RBOCs and Cable Cos the most. One price >> advantage >> that WISPs have today, is that we dont have to impose that 6% USF tax >> today >> on our subscribers. Its one of the hidden charges on teh telco bill, that >> helps reduce how much RBOCS out price us. How many WISPs advertise, "no >> hidden charges"? >> >> >> Tom DeReggi >> RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc >> IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "MDK" <[email protected]> >> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> >> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 1:09 AM >> Subject: Re: [WISPA] How the FCC Proposes the Regulate Broadband >> >> >> > Please note that I said "refundable" tax credits. That is, if your >> > credits >> > are more than your taxes, you get a check back. >> > >> > This could be done so that your refunds would be quarterly. >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >> > Neofast, Inc, Making internet easy >> > 541-969-8200 509-386-4589 >> > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >> > >> > -------------------------------------------------- >> > From: "Scottie Arnett" <[email protected]> >> > Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 8:24 PM >> > To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> >> > Subject: Re: [WISPA] How the FCC Proposes the Regulate Broadband >> > >> >> >> >> Considering past tax rebates, or credits, to take full advantage would >> >> require that you are way in the black. This would help newer WISP >> >> somewhat, but most are in the red from the beginning. It would >> >> definitely >> >> help sustained WISP's that have been at it for a few years. >> >> >> >> Scottie >> >> >> >>> -- >> >>> /* >> >>> 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/ >> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> 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/ > > -- > /* > 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/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
