Re: FCC Hires Industry Shill to Develop US National Broadband Plan

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Bruce Kushnick" <bruce () newnetworks com>
Date: August 30, 2009 3:21:00 AM EDT
To: <dave () farber net>
Subject: RE: [IP] Re: FCC Hires Industry Shill to Develop US National  
Broadband Plan


> Richard Bennett
> Research Fellow
> Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Washington, DC

Excuse me, but who funds ITIF? The position of ITIF has been
corporate-friendly and ITIF doesn't disclose its funding sources --  
though
most believe it is the telcos.

Please post a list of your funding sources.

"Broadband is a natural duopoly," counters Robert D. Atkinson,  
president of
the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan think
tank. Proposals to create a third competitor to take on the telecom and
cable companies in most markets, he says, are "misguided."

Excuse me, but the 'natural duopoly' was created through the misguided
decisions of the Powell-Martin FCC. It has nothing to do with the  
building
out the networks.

In fact, there is now ample proof that it was the independent ISPs and  
CLECs
who brought the Internet boom and the largest growth in telecom history.
Neither Verizon nor now-AT&T were even in the top 10 of ISPs in 2000.  
DSL
was first brought out by the competitors, like Covad and Northpoint.  
Telecom
has the largest growth in its history because independent ISPS and CLECs
sold lines, especially second lines.

Then in the 'intermodal era', there was an attack on competitors, from
offering them predatory pricing, sub-standard customers services, and
finally eliminating their ability to use the networks for internet or  
even
voice competition -- a telecom crash ensued.

Or "ITIF comments discussing the economic and technological benefits  
that
would result from the BellSouth-AT&T merger." === guess that didn't  
work out
as planned.  http://www.itif.org/index.php?id=96

I like what Free Press wrote:
"It's hard to tell from ITIF's Web site or the group's financial  
disclosures
exactly who's funding this operation. Whether Atkinson, Ph.D., is  
already on
the industry payroll -- or just auditioning for the gig -- the  
beneficiaries
of his efforts will undoubtedly be the biggest phone and cable  
companies."

Who Funds ITIF?

Who funds Teletruth? Teletruth is a for-profit advocacy group that loses
money. The main income is from New Networks research and consulting --  
there
has been a grant from the California Consumer Protection Board to study
phone bills, we perform phone bill auditing of small businesses where  
we get
back monies because of telco mistakes, and class action suit settlements
where we helped to create the cases and act as experts. ---Did you  
know that
10% of the special access lines customers are paying for are missing  
or that
Verizon forgot to give discounts to 40% of small businesses in New  
Jersey?
We take no money from corporations unless disclosed, and we are  
politically
neutral as Tom Allibone, the main auditor, is a conservative republican.

Who funds ITIF?

Bruce Kushnick.





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