Interesting People mailing list archives
Re: Why Helio Didn't Connect
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 16:55:37 -0700
________________________________________ From: Brett Glass [brett () lariat net] Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 6:29 PM To: David Farber; ip Subject: Re: [IP] Why Helio Didn't Connect At 04:20 AM 7/3/2008, Robert J. Berger wrote:
The "money" quote: "If you look at wireless as a whole, it's represented a net destruction of capital for venture capitalists," grumbles William Frezza, a general partner at the Boston venture capital firm Adams Capital Management.
This is because the VC's typical style of investment and management -- going for big, short term gains and then selling out -- doesn't work in industries where one must patiently and gradually build infrastructure, trust, and customer loyalty. Our wireless ISP has been in business for 15 years, and has been building out infrastructure slowly for that entire time. We've faced huge hurdles -- including anticompetitive practices which are yet unchecked (e.g. denial of direct wholesale services by the major backbone providers and price squeezing on backhaul -- an issue which now goes before the Supreme Court). We've also faced an inability to obtain licensed spectrum due to poor regulatory policy, even though fixed wireless broadband is our country's only hope of avoiding a broadband duopoly and also the only way we can roll broadband out to all citizens. Our company is persisting, stubbornly. And we are making a profit, though not the ROI which a VC would demand. But ours is a long term strategy rather than one which relies upon cashing out in a few years. This is why ventures like DigitalBridge and the "new" Clearwire will likely fall by the wayside while we muddle through. We're in it for the long haul, we're innovating, and we're not burning through a VC's money at a breakneck pace. In my opinion, America needs, wants, and should foster the development of more small, local broadband providers -- not large ventures that have, again and again, crashed and burn. --Brett Glass ------------------------------------------- Archives: http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now RSS Feed: http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/ Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
Current thread:
- Why Helio Didn't Connect David Farber (Jul 03)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: Why Helio Didn't Connect David Farber (Jul 03)
- Re: Why Helio Didn't Connect David Farber (Jul 03)
- Re: Why Helio Didn't Connect David Farber (Jul 07)
- Re: Why Helio Didn't Connect David Farber (Jul 07)
- Why Helio Didn't Connect David Farber (Jul 07)