Re: Muni Fiber and Politics

[Jay Ashworth <jra () baylink com>]

Is anyone else cynical enough to say FiOS going symmetrical is an attempt to blunt the pro-NetFlix argument on that 
point?
- jra


On July 21, 2014 12:46:27 PM EDT, Jason Iannone <jason.iannone () gmail com> wrote:
> There was a muni case in my neck of the woods a couple of years ago.
> Comcast spent an order of magnitude more than the municipality but
> still lost.
>
> Anyway, follow the money.  "Blackburn’s largest career donors are ..
> PACs affiliated with AT&T ... ($66,750) and Comcast ... ($36,600). ...
> Blackburn has also taken $56,000 from the National Cable &
> Telecommunications Association."
>
> http://www.muninetworks.org/content/media-roundup-blackburn-amendment-lights-newswires
>
> In other news, FIOS has gone symmetrical.
> http://newscenter.verizon.com/corporate/news-articles/2014/07-21-fios-upload-speed-upgrade/
>
> On Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 8:20 AM, Jay Ashworth <jra () baylink com> wrote:
> > Over the last decade, 19 states have made it illegal for
> municipalities
> > to own fiber networks -- encouraged largely, I am told, by Verizon
> and
> > other cable companies/MSOs[1].
> >
> > Verizon, of course, isn't doing any new FiOS deployments, per a 2010
> > press release[2].
> >
> > FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has been making noises lately that he wants the
> FCC
> > to preempt the field on this topic, making such deployments legal.
> >
> > Congressional Republicans think that's a bad idea:
> http://www.vox.com/2014/7/20/5913363/house-republicans-and-obamas-fcc-are-at-war-over-city-owned-internet
> > [ and here's the backgrounder on the amendment:
> http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/blackburn-bill-would-block-fcc-preemption/132468
> ]
> > While I generally try to avoid bringing up topics on NANOG that are
> political;
> > this one seems to be directly in our wheelhouse, and unavoidably
> political.
> > My apologies in advance; let's all try to be grownups, shall we?
> >
> > Cheers,
> > -- jra
> >
> > [1]
> http://motherboard.vice.com/read/hundreds-of-cities-are-wired-with-fiberbut-telecom-lobbying-keeps-it-unused
> > [2]
> https://secure.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Again-Confirms-FiOS-Expansion-is-Over-118949
> > --
> > Jay R. Ashworth                  Baylink                      
> jra () baylink com
> > Designer                     The Things I Think                      
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