U.S. almost gets serious about broadband buildout

[dfergie]

On Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama will sign an order to make the approval process for broadband network buildout on roads and federal property smoother, easier and simpler.

It’s about time: U.S. almost gets serious about broadband buildout — Broadband News and Analysis

 

[navychop]

Dig once sounds great. Let's hope it really works. The devil is in the details. I can see them putting conduits everywhere, driving up costs, and using very little of it.

 

[mperdue]

This law will end up requiring conduits to be installed along all the federally owned highways where fibre isn't really needed. However, the conduit manufacturers who own our representatives will benefit from it even if none of the rest of us do.

 

[truckracer]

the gov turns most everything they touch to crap. they are not good business men. they need to stay out of it period and let natural demand and free market decide where broadband needs to go.

 

[navychop]

This law will end up requiring conduits to be installed along all the federally owned highways where fibre isn't really needed. However, the conduit manufacturers who own our representatives will benefit from it even if none of the rest of us do.

What a terrible accusation. They don't own them.

They rent them. MUCH cheaper.

 

[Stargazer]

I can see a lot of them never getting used but it's also a lot cheaper to bury it when the machines are already there to do it while they are constructing the roads than it is to have to go out and do it any other time.

 

[mperdue]

I can see a lot of them never getting used but it's also a lot cheaper to bury it when the machines are already there to do it while they are constructing the roads than it is to have to go out and do it any other time.

It would also be cheaper to bury gold under the road surface when the machines are there to construct the roads - that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

 

[JimK2]

the gov turns most everything they touch to crap. they are not good business men. they need to stay out of it period and let natural demand and free market decide where broadband needs to go.

Big business trumps the free markets everytime.

When was the last time someone offered to sell you Broadband over Power Line (BPL)? BPL was one of the FCC’s five “modes” of competitive access, and the FCC traded this flawed concept of “intermodal” competition for true open market competition.

In 1996, Congress passed The Telecom Act, a major update to the previous 1934 telecommunications law. The updated Act set out to foster true competition in local communication services, and, by extension, broadband. And, it almost worked.

In 2001, with the appointment of FCC Chairman Michael Powell, and lobbying by incumbents, a new theory was born: Intermodal competition was better than true open competition. The modes: Cable, Telco, Power Line, Satellite and Wireless. Each, an effective state-created monopoly. This was done under the banner of the free market, a topsy-turvy way to look at the elimination of actual competition.
Sonic.net CEO Blog » Blog Archive » America’s Intentional Broadband Duopoly


Why U.S. Broadband is So Slow

In 1996, the US Congress kicked off the broadband revolution when it passed the Telecom Act. The 1996 Act created a level playing field for competitive carriers, and brought about widespread deployment of DSL and other broadband technologies.

Then in 2003 and 2004, the then Republican led FCC reversed course, removing shared access to essential fiber infrastructure for competitive carriers and codifying instead a policy of exclusive use and “multi-modal competition”.

This concreted our unique US duopoly: cable versus telco, the two broadband choices that most Americans have today.
Sonic.net CEO Blog » Blog Archive » Why U.S. Broadband is So Slow