Re: WORTH READING Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure Bailout of $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that Failedto Build Out Their Networks]

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: December 31, 2008 12:00:19 PM EST
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: [IP] WORTH READING    Free Press Proposes Broadband  
Infrastructure Bailout of $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy  
Companies that Failedto Build Out Their Networks]


Dave,

You, me, and many others have made this point over and over again.
A key reason that there's so much skepticism about ISP deployment
promises is that we've been screwed on this score repeatedly.  Unless
there are ironclad requirements for truly neutral, open access
deployments, there's no good reason to assume that ISPs will behave
any differently than they have in the past.  To wit: cherry-picking
locations, giving themselves the lion's share of bandwidth for their
own content, blocking ports, arbitrarily prohibiting servers and other
applications, and nowadays even modifying user data, spying on user
data, trying to charge unaffiliated Web services for access to
customers, and of course implementing arbitrary and anticompetitive
bandwidth caps.

Any new public funding/tax incentives for ISP broadband deployment
should be predicated on a reasonable regulatory approach, including
disclosure, transparency, neutrality, and an understanding that we're
not going to throw money at the ISPs the way we just did with the
financial services sector.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
  - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
  - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com

- - -

On 12/31 10:12, David Farber wrote:
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: "Bruce Kushnick" <bruce () newnetworks com>
> Date: December 30, 2008 7:42:04 PM EST
> To: <dave () farber net>
> Subject: RE: [IP] Re:   Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure
> Bailout of $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that
> Failedto Build Out Their Networks]
>
>
> I don't think most people understand just how we got played about
> broadband
> deployment and now just want to raise taxes to give companies that
> failed
> us.
>
> Dave wrote:
> > 2. promises will be made that will not be kept ( remember the  
> > promises
> .made in Pennsylvania and not kept)
>
> Here's a 1996 press release from Verizon --- About PA and the rest of
> their
> territories...
>
> http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/bell-atlantic/1996/page.jsp?ite
> mID=29607541
>
> > Bell Atlantic plans to begin its network upgrade in Philadelphia and
> > southeastern Pennsylvania later this year. The company plans to  
> > expand
> > this
> > Full Service Network deployment to other key markets over the next
> > three
> > years. Ultimately, Bell Atlantic expects to serve most of the 12
> > million
> > homes and small businesses across the mid-Atlantic region with
> > switched
> > broadband networks.
>
> Each state was given
> a) massive tax deductions - billions per state --- and changes to
> depreciation so they could write off the copper plant -- which was  
> never
> replaced.
> b) the removal of regulation on profits, so that the profits went from
> 12-14% to 29% ---
> c) No regulator went back and got the money, which is still being
> collected
> today in virtually every Verizon state.
>
> And in the rural areas, most of the rural carriers have received  
> massive
> financial help from the USF fund -- and many have obscene profit  
> margins
> because of it.
>
> The reason we don't have broadband is because these companies can say
> anything, then not do anything... giving them more money is simply
> throwing
> it away. It will not increase broadband deployment as there will be no
> mechanism to compel them once they got the money and no regulator with
> enough moxey to do anything about it...
>
> History, not hope, is what we should be examining...
>
> Bruce Kushnick.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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