Re: HR 1542

[Steve Sobol <sjsobol () NorthShoreTechnologies net>]

Jeff Mcadams wrote:

> Look at the history of computing and computer networking...the more open
> solution wins, almost without fail.  Open up the telco networks, and the
> cable networks will loose out and will cease to be relevent.
>
> The RBOCs seem to think, however, that two wrongs make a right.  The
> prevailing thought being something like, "Sure, openness is good, but if
> the cablecos aren't going to be open, then its bad for us to be open."
>
> Uh...huh?

You've got it wrong. It's "They don't have to do it; why should we?"

> So, in summary, I agree with you that cable networks should be open as
> well.  The bad news is that its a fight that we (independent ISPs) won't
> win because we don't have legal and regulatory leverage.

But it's a fight that others can fight too. Big guys. AOL probably won't
(AOL==Time Warner, remember), but Earthlink and MSN might.

EarthlinkMindspringOneMainSprint of BORG *is* aligned with Sprint,
but Sprint isn't an ILEC in the vast majority of towns across the USA.

Everyone should be fighting for this, IMHO. Little ISPs, big-name nationwide

retail providers, and backbones that aren't associated with an ILEC. That
means
UUNet and Intermedia, for example. MCI isn't an ILEC in most places that I
know of, either.

So why aren't we fighting?

> The good news
> is that we *can* win the fight for real open access on telco networks if
> we organize and fight.

Yup!


> > And I don't understand why every single ISP (regardless of size) isn't
> > doing more to stand up for open access. Ultimately, it will become an
> > issue of survival.
>
> Check out http://war.iglou.com
>
> Join or start your state ISP Association or one of the national ones
> like The American ISP Association (http://www.aispa.org).

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