Da-Chief
07-17-2008, 16:45
http://i.dslr.net/urls/12/3312.gif (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Nations-Largest-ISPs-Crafting-Fake-National-Broadband-Policy-96192)
It's generally agreed upon that this nation has no broadband policy whatsoever. We can probably all also agree that actually changing this might be a good idea. Of course the growing chorus has the nation's largest ISPs concerned that such a solution could hit them in the pocketbook. The solution? Create something that vaguely looks like a national broadband strategy, but exists solely to protect the interests of the incumbent cable and phone companies.
http://www.corpsman.com/quote_left_white.gif...in order to pre-empt any real national broadband policy from taking shape, the nation's largest broadband companies are crafting their own "national broadband policy," and pushing it through Congress as a cure-all while consumers nap.http://www.corpsman.com/quote_right_white.gif
Last week AT&T, Verizon, VComcast and a handful of other tiny companies sent a letter to Congress (http://files.cwa-union.org/speedmatters/20080711_JointLetterBroadbandLegislation.pdf) asking them to embrace a "national broadband policy." In it, the traditionally regulation-petrified ISPs suddenly embrace two new laws, both of which embrace group named Connected Nation (http://www.connectednation.org/) as a broadband panacea. The letter cites a dubious study (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/92074) by this same group issued earlier this year, which claims their particular plan would give a $134 billion infusion to the economy.We cannot afford to let another year go by without adopting policies that will stimulate the economy in such ways, while expanding use of the networks that are already deployed and providing broadband in previously under served areas. That is why we urge you to work in a bipartisan, bicameral way to enact federal legislation this year.
Sounds great! But wait. These are the same companies that have fought accurate broadband penetration mapping (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/91641) tooth and nail in court, have sued cities and towns for wiring themselves with broadband, and have absolutely no interest in deploying broadband into less profitable areas. Any reasonable skeptic has to smell something funny in the water. That something funny is this: in order to pre-empt any real national broadband policy from taking shape, the nation's largest broadband companies are crafting their own "national broadband policy," and pushing it through Congress as a cure-all while consumers nap.
Their motivation is obvious. Were a real, substantive national broadband plan crafted, it would include input from consumer advocates, respected Internet visionaries and involve objective (not farmed think tank) science. It would involve high standards, high-quality mapping and significant subsidized deployment, but it would also hold these companies accountable for how subsidies are spent. If done right, it would be everything the USF isn't (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/96079). That's a nightmare for any investor-driven incumbent operator, who like their taxpayer handouts with no accountability.
So instead, they've cooked up a dog and pony show starring a group called Connected Nation, which has been criticized in our forums (http://www.corpsman.com/forum/r18478597-Connect-Kentucky-is-fooling-everybody) for being little more than a lobbying and policy vehicle for incumbent ISPs. In a report last January (http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1334), Art Brodsky of consumer advocacy outfit Public Knowledge had this to say about Connected Nation:(The judgment of independent ISPs who've worked with them) is that Connect Kentucky is nothing more than a sales force and front group for AT&T paid for by the telecommunications industry and by state and federal governments that has achieved far more in publicity than it has in actual accomplishment. Connect helps to promote AT&T services, while lobbying at the state capitol for the deregulation legislation the telephone company wants.
So what is Connected Nation's ingenious national broadband plan? It involves taking state and federal funds to map broadband penetration, returning with a rosy progress report (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/95253) nobody can independently confirm because the FCC's broadband penetration mapping stinks. Connected Nation then sends out teams into under-served communities, promoting the joys of broadband (and incumbent services) while acting as "trusted advisers."
Those advisers act to funnel local business primarily to incumbents, promote incumbent-supported policies, and wow lawmakers with increasingly rosy (likely inaccurate) statistics. In the end, your taxpayer dollars would go toward a "national broadband plan" that's little more than a very sophisticated lobbying and sales front. It actually could be worse than having no national policy at all, as the plan could act to mask the nation's broadband shortcomings.
In this multi-billion dollar industry, where every policy decision has a massive impact on finances, the phone and cable companies have shown there's no limit to what they'll go to in order to get what they want in Washington -- including the creation of completely artificial consumer advocacy organizations (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/70906). The idea that these companies would create an equally disingenuous organization tasked with crafting a wimpy, subsidized-laden national broadband policy is not much of an imaginative stretch.
http://www.corpsman.com/quote_left_white.gifThe nation's incumbent operators "want to slow down the effort to get broadband to the remaining 6-9 million U.S. homes that can't be served, putting 6-18 months of red tape in front of getting anything donehttp://www.corpsman.com/quote_right_white.gif
-Dave Burstein
The nation's incumbent operators "want to slow down the effort to get broadband to the remaining 6-9 million U.S. homes that can't be served, putting 6-18 months of red tape in front of getting anything done," says respected industry analyst Dave Burstein. Burstein notes that of the 24 signers to last week's letter, only two are legitimate non-profit groups who "presumably didn't understand the agenda they were signing on to."
But as I've documented (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/82501), not only are these companies willing to create completely artificial consumer groups to get what they want, they often pay existing minority or disability groups to parrot (http://www.nad.org/site/pp.asp?c=foINKQMBF&b=273994) phone or cable company positions. These positions very frequently run completely opposite to constituent best interests, but are often necessary if they want money for that shiny new events center. Support from both fake and co-opted advocacy groups create the illusion of broad support for anti-consumer policies, which is how Uncle Sam often justifies passing idiotic telecom laws.
"The giveaway was seeing APT (http://www.apt.org/) on the list, Sam Simon's front," says Burstein. Sam Simon runs a PR firm named Issue Dynamics (http://www.idi.net/about/), hired by the baby bells to engage in convincing lawmakers and the public that bad ideas really are good for them. Burstein's conclusion? "Some very well paid lobbyists are trying to take over (the idea of a national broadband plan) and raid the U.S. Treasury."
Whether they succeed will depend on whether the media, consumers and lawmakers let them.
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Nations-Largest-ISPs-Crafting-Fake-National-Broadband-Policy-96192)
More...
It's generally agreed upon that this nation has no broadband policy whatsoever. We can probably all also agree that actually changing this might be a good idea. Of course the growing chorus has the nation's largest ISPs concerned that such a solution could hit them in the pocketbook. The solution? Create something that vaguely looks like a national broadband strategy, but exists solely to protect the interests of the incumbent cable and phone companies.
http://www.corpsman.com/quote_left_white.gif...in order to pre-empt any real national broadband policy from taking shape, the nation's largest broadband companies are crafting their own "national broadband policy," and pushing it through Congress as a cure-all while consumers nap.http://www.corpsman.com/quote_right_white.gif
Last week AT&T, Verizon, VComcast and a handful of other tiny companies sent a letter to Congress (http://files.cwa-union.org/speedmatters/20080711_JointLetterBroadbandLegislation.pdf) asking them to embrace a "national broadband policy." In it, the traditionally regulation-petrified ISPs suddenly embrace two new laws, both of which embrace group named Connected Nation (http://www.connectednation.org/) as a broadband panacea. The letter cites a dubious study (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/92074) by this same group issued earlier this year, which claims their particular plan would give a $134 billion infusion to the economy.We cannot afford to let another year go by without adopting policies that will stimulate the economy in such ways, while expanding use of the networks that are already deployed and providing broadband in previously under served areas. That is why we urge you to work in a bipartisan, bicameral way to enact federal legislation this year.
Sounds great! But wait. These are the same companies that have fought accurate broadband penetration mapping (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/91641) tooth and nail in court, have sued cities and towns for wiring themselves with broadband, and have absolutely no interest in deploying broadband into less profitable areas. Any reasonable skeptic has to smell something funny in the water. That something funny is this: in order to pre-empt any real national broadband policy from taking shape, the nation's largest broadband companies are crafting their own "national broadband policy," and pushing it through Congress as a cure-all while consumers nap.
Their motivation is obvious. Were a real, substantive national broadband plan crafted, it would include input from consumer advocates, respected Internet visionaries and involve objective (not farmed think tank) science. It would involve high standards, high-quality mapping and significant subsidized deployment, but it would also hold these companies accountable for how subsidies are spent. If done right, it would be everything the USF isn't (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/96079). That's a nightmare for any investor-driven incumbent operator, who like their taxpayer handouts with no accountability.
So instead, they've cooked up a dog and pony show starring a group called Connected Nation, which has been criticized in our forums (http://www.corpsman.com/forum/r18478597-Connect-Kentucky-is-fooling-everybody) for being little more than a lobbying and policy vehicle for incumbent ISPs. In a report last January (http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1334), Art Brodsky of consumer advocacy outfit Public Knowledge had this to say about Connected Nation:(The judgment of independent ISPs who've worked with them) is that Connect Kentucky is nothing more than a sales force and front group for AT&T paid for by the telecommunications industry and by state and federal governments that has achieved far more in publicity than it has in actual accomplishment. Connect helps to promote AT&T services, while lobbying at the state capitol for the deregulation legislation the telephone company wants.
So what is Connected Nation's ingenious national broadband plan? It involves taking state and federal funds to map broadband penetration, returning with a rosy progress report (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/95253) nobody can independently confirm because the FCC's broadband penetration mapping stinks. Connected Nation then sends out teams into under-served communities, promoting the joys of broadband (and incumbent services) while acting as "trusted advisers."
Those advisers act to funnel local business primarily to incumbents, promote incumbent-supported policies, and wow lawmakers with increasingly rosy (likely inaccurate) statistics. In the end, your taxpayer dollars would go toward a "national broadband plan" that's little more than a very sophisticated lobbying and sales front. It actually could be worse than having no national policy at all, as the plan could act to mask the nation's broadband shortcomings.
In this multi-billion dollar industry, where every policy decision has a massive impact on finances, the phone and cable companies have shown there's no limit to what they'll go to in order to get what they want in Washington -- including the creation of completely artificial consumer advocacy organizations (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/70906). The idea that these companies would create an equally disingenuous organization tasked with crafting a wimpy, subsidized-laden national broadband policy is not much of an imaginative stretch.
http://www.corpsman.com/quote_left_white.gifThe nation's incumbent operators "want to slow down the effort to get broadband to the remaining 6-9 million U.S. homes that can't be served, putting 6-18 months of red tape in front of getting anything donehttp://www.corpsman.com/quote_right_white.gif
-Dave Burstein
The nation's incumbent operators "want to slow down the effort to get broadband to the remaining 6-9 million U.S. homes that can't be served, putting 6-18 months of red tape in front of getting anything done," says respected industry analyst Dave Burstein. Burstein notes that of the 24 signers to last week's letter, only two are legitimate non-profit groups who "presumably didn't understand the agenda they were signing on to."
But as I've documented (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/82501), not only are these companies willing to create completely artificial consumer groups to get what they want, they often pay existing minority or disability groups to parrot (http://www.nad.org/site/pp.asp?c=foINKQMBF&b=273994) phone or cable company positions. These positions very frequently run completely opposite to constituent best interests, but are often necessary if they want money for that shiny new events center. Support from both fake and co-opted advocacy groups create the illusion of broad support for anti-consumer policies, which is how Uncle Sam often justifies passing idiotic telecom laws.
"The giveaway was seeing APT (http://www.apt.org/) on the list, Sam Simon's front," says Burstein. Sam Simon runs a PR firm named Issue Dynamics (http://www.idi.net/about/), hired by the baby bells to engage in convincing lawmakers and the public that bad ideas really are good for them. Burstein's conclusion? "Some very well paid lobbyists are trying to take over (the idea of a national broadband plan) and raid the U.S. Treasury."
Whether they succeed will depend on whether the media, consumers and lawmakers let them.
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Nations-Largest-ISPs-Crafting-Fake-National-Broadband-Policy-96192)
More...