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Verizon Permitted to Default on PA Broadband Deal

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the why-johnny-can't-speed dept.

Rich writes "This is simply amazing to me. Broadband Reports has the latest chapter concerning Verizon's con of Pennsylvania unearthed by telco-critic Bruce Kushnick last February. A 1994 agreement between Verizon and the state of Pennsylvania paid dividends to Verizon in excess of $2.1 Billion in tax cuts and other deregulatory goodies over the years. Verizon's part of that deal was to deploy 45Mbps symmetrical fiber service fiber to PA homes and residents by 2015 (something they knew would never happen). This week the well-lobbied state has apparently voted to totally ignore the 1995 agreement, after Verizon's already walked away with the cash, leaving PA residents (who are already pretty low on the broadband food chain according to a new report) high and dry."

11 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. Follow the money... by heironymouscoward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The unsurprising truth about most such affairs is that governments rarely spend money because it benefits their constituents, they generally spend it because it benefits their friends, and themselves. How much of Verizon's money went straight back to the people making the decision? 10%? 15%? 20%?

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature
    1. Re:Follow the money... by espo812 · · Score: 3, Insightful
      The unsurprising truth about most such affairs is that governments rarely spend money because it benefits their constituents, they generally spend it because it benefits their friends, and themselves.
      I see the argument made time after time, so I will try and make a counterpoint. I will grant you that the vast majority of people (and politicians are mere people, keep this in mind) want to have money and power - and the more of both the better. So how does a politician gain power? By either getting elected to higher and higher offices (in the US from say city government to state government, maybe up to governor and senator, etc.) or by gaining favor with the national parties (the RNC or the DNC) either by helping others run successful campaigns or having the money to influence and power in some other respect (say big buisness.)

      Stay with me. The lynchpin here is that gaining power involves being elected to a high office or being appointed to a major position (cabinet, head of an agency, etc) by someone who is, once again, elected to a high position.

      So - how do politicians get elected (and returning to the argument about money and politics)? Well - the people, and that means you and me, have to give him votes. I hear you saying "no - it's cause they have money!" but that is simply not true. Ballot boxes (or electronic voting machines these days) don't get stuffed with money. I've yet to see dollar ammounts on the ballot to vote for (you do vote, right?) Just having tons of money does not equal getting elected. A politician has to actually get votes by constituents. Big businesses (or small buisnesses, or cats, or dogs) cannot vote.

      That is key. You the voter has infinately more power in the political process than any buisness because only you can vote, and only votes get a person elected to office.

      In summary: if you don't like your politicians getting tons of money (kickbacks, or just campaign funds) then stop voting for them. Money does not an election victory make - votes are what count.

      Discuss.
      --

      espo
    2. Re:Follow the money... by phurley · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't vote for them, I generally vote for a third party, that I feel better represents me; however, if I feel well represented by a Dem or Rep, I will vote for them as well.

      That having been said, beyond the local level votes and (favorable) media exposure are strongly corralated. And you buy media exposure. You can also buy handy techniques like polling for ambivalent voters and then reminding them about your canidate on voting day.

      There is a viscous circle of money and power. We will probably not get a govt that would do us physical harm or cross any "red lines" that would result in enraging the general population. But we will continue to bleed our money and freedoms to the rich and powerful a nick at a time.

      --
      Home Automation & Linux -- now I know I'm a geek
    3. Re:Follow the money... by dissy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      > In summary: if you don't like your politicians getting tons of money (kickbacks,
      > or just campaign funds) then stop voting for them.

      This has already happened.
      Did you notice that only 40% of the able-to-vote population voted in the last election?

      All of the politicians on the ballot are trying ot get in to give kickbacks to themselfs and large companys. Not a single one wasnt.
      So if you dont vote for the politicians you dont want, you end up not voting for anyone at all.

      I am sorry to say you are wrong, this is obviously not the solution.
      Unlike as you suggest, we need to keep voting. But to fix the problem, we need politicians to vote for that will be on our side and not sell our rights away out from under us.

  2. It's gonna be a bad year... by LinuxGeek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    to be a Pennsylvanian state legislator when the tax payers find out about all this. Too bad that the real bastards ( at Verizon) won't pay as high a price. Plus most of the legislators that made the original deal in 1994 probably aren't in office anymore. It dosen't sound like they put many checks or penalties into the agreement.

    --

    Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. - Mark Twain
  3. Unanswered, what are the other parts of the deal by MyNameIsFred · · Score: 4, Insightful
    As part of that agreement, Bell Atlantic agreed to have 20% of the state broadband wired by 1998, and 50% by 2004
    I would not be surprised to find out there is hanky-panky going on here. However, before I condemn Verizon, I have some questions -- primarily what were the other parts of the agreement alluded to in the article? Were there other requirements besides providing broadband support? Were those other requirements met? Did Verizon receive all the tax breaks negotiated, or just a portion because they didn't do everything?

    I know this is slashdot, but before I condemn "the capitalist pigs and their puppets in the government," I would like to know the whole story.

  4. People need to get a clue by release7 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Gotta love the "what cares" attitude of some of the comments here. Don't the posters understand they are part of problem? That the powerful and well-heeled will continue to rip us off as long as they can get away with it?

    Poor people incurred frothing, hateful wrath of the middle class for getting money for food and rent. Yet these large, powerful corporations walk away with bagfuls of money every day and it's "ho-hum, what else is new?" How bad is it going to have to get before you get angry enough to do something?

    --

    <a href="http://www.joblessjimmy.com">Work is dumb and so is Jobless Jimmy.</a>

  5. Re:Cable by reboot246 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It happened like that here in Alabama. Before I could get either DSL or cable, I told them whoever was first would get my business. Cable beat DSL by 2 1/2 years. Now BellSouth is calling begging for me to change over. One woman said that my cable would slow down the more of my neighbors got on it. I said, good, sell them DSL , but leave me the hell alone.

    Where were you when I wanted you. Where were you when I needed you...

  6. why would 45Mb/s be impossible by 2015? by itsme · · Score: 3, Insightful

    12 years ago I had a 2400 baud modem on a telephone line I shared with 7 others in a student home. these days most rooms in student housing have free 100Mbit in each room. and (no longer a student) I have 2048/512 adsl for 65 euro/month in my own apartment.
    In another 12 years I would expect at least another factor of 1000 increase in easily available bandwitdh.

    this is in the netherlands, ( which is probably different from Pennsylvania ), but still.

    willem

  7. From PA with Verizon DSL by DukeLinux · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Verizon, PECo (now Exelon) all own our politicians lock stock and barrel. It's not right, but that is how it's done in PA. Anyway, I have Verizon DSL and it works quite well. I don't have down-time more than maybe a couple times a year - usually due to heavy storm activity. I wish it was cheaper but the cable company is a monopoly too and will rip me off just the same. PA does not like competition - it stifles political graft.

  8. Re:I think you missed the point by nagora · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I didn't overlook money. I specifically addressed it.

    Actually, I agree with the second poster: you overlooked money. You did address it but you utterly failed to address why it's important. Basically, an uninformed or misinformed electorate is not able to participate in a democracy properly. Money is used to create and perpetuate the state where the mass of the electorate cast their votes under totally false beliefs. In that sense, money does equal votes.

    Some of us do make the effort to go beyond CNN/Fox/<insert vast faceless corporate newsmachine here> but it takes time and a lot of effort which most people don't have. So, when they vote, the vote the way the money has told them to.

    TWW

    --
    "Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"