Re: HR 1542

[Jeff Mcadams <jeffm () iglou com>]

Also sprach Steve Sobol
> Jeff Mcadams wrote:

> > Look at the history of computing and computer networking...the more
> > open solution wins, almost without fail.  Open up the telco networks,
> > and the cable networks will loose out and will cease to be relevent.

> > The RBOCs seem to think, however, that two wrongs make a right.  The
> > prevailing thought being something like, "Sure, openness is good, but
> > if the cablecos aren't going to be open, then its bad for us to be
> > open."

> > Uh...huh?

> You've got it wrong. It's "They don't have to do it; why should we?"

But they'll give lip service that open networks are good...so the two
arguments that we're attributing to RBOCs boil down to be the same
thing...just stated differently.

> But it's a fight that others can fight too. Big guys. AOL probably
> won't (AOL==Time Warner, remember), but Earthlink and MSN might.

> EarthlinkMindspringOneMainSprint of BORG *is* aligned with Sprint, but
> Sprint isn't an ILEC in the vast majority of towns across the USA.

> Everyone should be fighting for this, IMHO. Little ISPs, big-name
> nationwide

> retail providers, and backbones that aren't associated with an ILEC.
> That means UUNet and Intermedia, for example. MCI isn't an ILEC in most
> places that I know of, either.

> So why aren't we fighting?

We are...though its kinda low grade since the bigger current fight is to
maintain the current openness on the RBOC networks since they seem to
have the FCC and at least some Representatives pretty much on their
payroll, and are doing their best to embrace and extend their monopoly
out into broadband.  My experiences are in dealing with BellSouth, and
to be quite blunt, I can't see why anyone would want to acknowledge
working for such a completely unethical company.
-- 
Jeff McAdams                            Email: jeffm () iglou com
Head Network Administrator              Voice: (502) 966-3848
IgLou Internet Services                        (800) 436-4456