Slashdot Mirror


Wisconsin Public Internet Struggles Against Telecom, Legislature

An anonymous reader writes with this snippet from Ars Technica: "The University of Wisconsin's Internet technology division and a crucial provider of 'Net access for Wisconsin's educational system are under attack from that state's legislature and from a local telecommunications association. At issue is the WiscNet educational cooperative. The non-profit provides affordable network access to the state's schools and libraries, although its useful days may be numbered unless the picture changes soon. Under a proposed new law, the University of Wisconsin system could be forced to return millions of dollars in federal broadband grants that it has already won, spend far more money on network services, and perhaps even withdraw from the Internet2 project."

5 of 259 comments (clear)

  1. Re:An unfortunate glimpse of what's to come by Biggseye · · Score: -1, Troll

    actually this should have happened years ago. WiscNet and the like are nothing but socialist organizations living off the taxpayers. It is about time that they join the real world and face the financial realities of real life. Possible the cry babies here should realize that public employees of all types, but exspecially teachers are overpaid and under worked. They work in a socialist cocoon where they never have to compete for jobs and have come to think of their special perks as mandatory. It is time to get the educations systems hand out of the tax payers pocket as much as possible. live in the real world. to paraphrase your last comment, "hey socialist, go to hell and get your hand out of my pocket".

  2. Re:So when are the ISPs going to pay up? by Biggseye · · Score: -1, Troll

    well the telecoms actually add jobs to the community. They may get some subsides and tax cuts ( both of which I hate and would like to eliminate), but they do not live off the tax payers pocketbook. they compete unlike these socialist organizations we call public institutions. Not one of them should get any form of the Feds. Live in the real world, get off the public dime and compete. purchase goods and services at fair market prices like every one else does.

  3. Re:Presidential Posturing from Wisconsin Gov ... by scamper_22 · · Score: -1, Troll

    yes... put money in the hands of poor people. What a radical concept.

    Instead of funneling money into a public sector monopoly that primarily benefits those employed by the public sector monopoly... just like public education mainly benefits teachers and administrator and the war on drugs mainly benefits the police and lawyers and prison guards.

    There is no such thing as the 'public interest.' I hear that term... all I see is a gang of public sector workers walking away with a big bag of money.

    No different than corporate interests these unions be.

    Indeed, giving vouchers to the poor for everything is about as good a system as you can get.

    If mass transit can be provided by non-profits or by a business... more power to them. But they'll have to get every single penny from the people giving their cash or using their vouchers.

  4. Re:Just like Abraham said by Biggseye · · Score: 0, Troll

    as opposed to government for the lazy, living off the taxpayers pocketbook, producing unusable, poorly trained garbage that can not compete in the real world. What you want is a free ride. Corporations, large and small, employee people in a competitive environment. It amazes me that you live in the country created by capitalism, using an internet that was build but those corporations you so greatly hate, yet wish them not to be there. like the people that hate Bill Gates, you loath that which allows you to do what you can do, yet you would be by far worse off without them. Who owns the phone lines, who owns the cable lines? Not you. It is called private property. you do not like it, fine build your own. compete, stop using the government to give you what you want. You forget that corporation are businesses, and like all business, they are owned by people. people that have the right to strive, to compete, to gain wealth. unlike all governmental organizations, that are nothing but a drain on the tax payers pockets. Some are necessary, some are not. but all are socialistic in the sense that they do not face real world competition. Viva the Corporation, for with out them, you would not have that computer you are working on, would be unable to communicate anywhere in the world. you would walk, and live to be about 40, if you were lucky.

  5. Re:Presidential Posturing from Wisconsin Gov ... by fnj · · Score: -1, Troll

    You opt not to drive, you are opting to figure out what to do to get around. It's not up to other citizens to solve your problem.