UNIVERSAL SERVICE is the goal! Back in 1936 the government mandated a "natural monopoly" status for the Bell System - it made no sense for competing companies to glut rights-of-way with separate delivery systems and delay telecommunications advances that could only stem from standardizing the plant. The result was NOT short term. It created a wired society that lasted until 1984 when the "system" was broken up to allow competition.
Our telecommunication system was the envy of the world until divestiture. Now, to cite an example, we are the laughing stock of the world in the delivery of a consistent standards-based mobile system because we allowed Big Business to waste consumer-delivered revenue to prevent leveling of the playing field.
This may not be a totally fair comparison, but I ask you: Since 1984 do you have cheaper phone service? Is it higher quality? Do your phone company service reps speak English as a first language? Are there more choices? Can you subscribe to "naked DSL" and not subscribe to phone service and/or cable?
The People (remember them? that's everyone) have a right to collectively establish and regulate essential services. The People are deciding, all across America, that the "digital divide" is unpalatable. Save your whining about good corporate citizens not infusing wealth into the community, including taxes, and leaving town - it's a hollow threat to scare you into relinquishing control to big business.
It's not about "Free" anyway - it's about accellerating the delivery of basic infrastructure so that a community can ensure service availability, and thus reap the rewards of the technology.
After all, how long do you think 802.11whatever is actually going to be useful before something better comes along?
Big Business will only provide what is absolutely required to generate revenue and prevent competition. So why not regulate them or give them an honest run for their money?
I grow weary of the argument that somehow the Free Market (read: businesses with power) supercedes the will of the people.
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UNIVERSAL SERVICE is the goal! Back in 1936 the government mandated a "natural monopoly" status for the Bell System - it made no sense for competing companies to glut rights-of-way with separate delivery systems and delay telecommunications advances that could only stem from standardizing the plant. The result was NOT short term. It created a wired society that lasted until 1984 when the "system" was broken up to allow competition.
Our telecommunication system was the envy of the world until divestiture. Now, to cite an example, we are the laughing stock of the world in the delivery of a consistent standards-based mobile system because we allowed Big Business to waste consumer-delivered revenue to prevent leveling of the playing field.
This may not be a totally fair comparison, but I ask you: Since 1984 do you have cheaper phone service? Is it higher quality? Do your phone company service reps speak English as a first language? Are there more choices? Can you subscribe to "naked DSL" and not subscribe to phone service and/or cable?
The People (remember them? that's everyone) have a right to collectively establish and regulate essential services. The People are deciding, all across America, that the "digital divide" is unpalatable. Save your whining about good corporate citizens not infusing wealth into the community, including taxes, and leaving town - it's a hollow threat to scare you into relinquishing control to big business.
It's not about "Free" anyway - it's about accellerating the delivery of basic infrastructure so that a community can ensure service availability, and thus reap the rewards of the technology.
After all, how long do you think 802.11whatever is actually going to be useful before something better comes along?
Big Business will only provide what is absolutely required to generate revenue and prevent competition. So why not regulate them or give them an honest run for their money?
I grow weary of the argument that somehow the Free Market (read: businesses with power) supercedes the will of the people.