Outsourcing privacy, broadband subsidies for the rich + death of competition

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Adam Peake <ajp () glocom ac jp>
Date: October 17, 2004 12:24:17 PM GMT+01:00
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Outsourcing privacy, broadband subsidies for the rich + death  
of competition

Three summaries from Broadband Reports


Outsourcing your privacy  
<http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/55632 >
Global Information Group Ltd.
Washington Post reports on a new company headed by the man touched by  
the Bush administration to Data Mine for the feds. Since the taxpayer  
funded onshore system has not gone live due to concerns from civil  
liberties advocates, Ben H. Bell III has taken his knowledge and set up  
an offshore system where he presumably he feels he can do the same job,  
and make a profit selling the data, without having to worry about pesky  
lawmakers.

complete story at:
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36853-2004Oct15.html>
or
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1804&e=1&u=/washpost/ 
a36853_2004oct15>

   and


Rural Broadband Funds Sidetracked  
<http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/55586>
Affluent Texas homes get earmarked funds
Nearly $23 million earmarked to bring broadband to rural America will  
instead be loaned  
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1896&e=9&u=/nm/ 
congress_delay_dc> to ETS Telephone & Subsidiaries, a Texas telecom  
firm that offers service to affluent Houston suburbs represented by  
House Republican Leader Tom DeLay. Noting that farmers near the upscale  
complexes wouldn't see service, the National Farmers Union issued a  
statement saying "It doesn't seem ... bedroom communities would be the  
highest priority". As we've mentioned in the past, many of these loans  
to wire America had been targeted by the Bush administration as  
budgetary fat <http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/41407>.

   and

The Death of Competition  
<http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/55595>
A step closer to 'two company domination'
The Consumer's Federation of America isn't impressed with the FCC's  
decision yesterday to keep competitors off telco next-generation fiber  
networks.  "The FCC today took our country one giant step closer toward  
solidifying a two-company domination ­ the local cable and telephone  
providers -- over the consumer Internet market," said Gene Kimmelman,  
Senior Policy Director for Consumers Union in a prepared statement(pdf)  
<http://www.consumerfed.org/ 
Consumers_Face_Higher_Internet_Prices_10.14.pdf>. "As both industries  
tighten their hold on high-speed Internet (broadband) access, consumers  
will see their choices diminish and their bills skyrocket."




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