Hi All, I've been reading the USF proceeding that the FCC is working on. It's LONG and boring.
I've pretty much given up though. I'm disheartened and disgusted. In the proceeding they give example after example of the abuse that's taking place within USF and it's cousin programs. Yet the focus is in how to change the rules so that the abuse stops. How in the world are they going to get dishonest operators to stop being dishonest just by changing the rules? And all of the talk that I've read so far centers around how to revise the programs so that the same ol' people will somehow magically start behaving nicely and putting the funds into the customers instead of buying out their competition, bonus' or whatever. It sure looks like the fix is already in. Lots of work, lots of talk, etc. But at the end of the day it'll be just like the stimulus programs, most of the money will go to the people that are largely responsible for the mess in the first place! Anyone else have a different take on this? The NPRM is here: http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2011/db0209/FCC-11-13A1.pdf More info here (commissioner comments etc.): http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/Query.do?numberFld=&numberFld2=&docket=10-90&dateFld=&docTitleDesc= If I'm reading this correctly, comments are due April 1st. We still don't have a stance on much of what we think USF should be! My thought is that they should get rid of USF completely. I don't care if you call it USF, CAF, e-rate or anything else, let the market handle this chore. But they won't do that. So my next thought is that they should just expand the program, as is, to include the existing broadband players in the market and put a 10 year sunset on the program, after that, only the strong shall survive. But they won't do that either. So how do we make it so that companies like Century Tel that have managed to leave wire laying across the ditch for YEARS out here because there is no budget to fix things, can't then turn around and buy out their larger competitors for billions of dollars? thoughts? marlon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
