FC: A Canadian view on tech firms, broadband, and corporate pork

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Perhaps Cisco has a point. I believe that not only is universal broadband 
access required to usher in the New Economy and spark the next stock market 
rally and maintain America's competitiveness -- but so is access to 
adequate news and information services. They are, of course, modern 
society's lifeblood. My modest proposal is that Congress subsidize access 
to tech-politics news services. Coincidentally, Politech will now be 
subscription-based and your humble editor will soon be relocating to his 
new yacht on St. Martin. God bless Congress! --Declan]

---

Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 23:26:38 -0400
Subject: Re: FC: The new pork: Tech firms ask Feds to pay billions for
        broadband
From: David Akin <dakin () nationalpost com>
To: <declan () well com>
In-Reply-To: <20010626100601.B24277 () cluebot com>

on 6/26/01 10:06 AM, Declan McCullagh at declan () well com wrote:


>>
> [Where's John McCain when you need him? --DBM]
>
>
> http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB993418457489449631.htm
> #
> #    Tech Industry Seeks Its Salvation         June 25, 2001
> #    In High-Speed Internet Connections
> #
> #    By SCOTT THURM and GLENN R. SIMPSON
> #    Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Hey Declan --

Of course, US lawmakes could look north of the border where, last week, the
Cdn Govt released its Broadbank Task Force report, a report which could lay
the political foundation for the federal government in Canada to spend
CDN$1-billion or more to pull 1.5 Mbps lines to every community in Canada.
Total cost to run 1.5 Mbps lines by every Canadian home: CDN$4-billion.
Personally, I think that's pretty cheap but all experts say that that
estimate is more or less pulled out of a hat.

11 of the 35 members of the task force -- a sort of advisory body to
Canada's Industry Minister -- represent incumbent telcos or cablecos.

Canada's Broadband Task Force report/rationale/estimates at
http://broadband.gc.ca

News coverage:

Report kicks off debate on who picks up the bill for broadband
Telecoms look to Ottawa to pay bulk of costs
OTTAWA - The heavy negotiating over who will foot the $4-billion bill for
the federal government's Canada-wide broadband network begins in earnest
today when Ottawa releases its long-awaited report of the National Broadband
Task Force.
The report will help the government decide how to coerce telecommunications
companies such as AT&T Canada, BCE Inc., and Rogers Communications Inc. to
help finance a project to provide every community in Canada with a
high-speed Internet connection.
[Full story at:
http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20010618/reportkick
s.html&qs=broadband%20task]

ALSO:

Review urged for telco
Tobin promises early review to broaden Internet access

OTTAWA - The federal Cabinet will consider changes to foreign ownership
limits in the telecommunications industry as early as this autumn, Brian
Tobin, the Minister of Trade, said yesterday after receiving a report that
recommends an urgent review of the issue.
The National Broadband Task Force said the 47.6% cap on foreign ownership
may block the industry from getting the large amount of capital needed to
fulfill the government's goal of high-speed Internet access in every
community by 2004.
[Full story at:
http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20010619/reviewurge
d.html&qs=broadband%20task

ALSO:

Task force misses the mark on investment, technological issues
Observers doubt penetration goals can be realized
Linking all Canadians to a high-speed Internet connection is an important
and laudable objective, but observers say an Industry Canada report released
yesterday that makes broad recommendations toward that policy goal misses
key assumptions.
A key recommendation calls for the federal government to review regulations
that restrict the ownership of telecommunications assets to Canadian firms .
. .
[Full story at:
http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20010619/taskforce.
html&qs=broadband%20task ]


David Akin / Senior technology reporter
National Post / http://www.nationalpost.com
300-1450 Don Mills Road, Don Mills, Ontario
CANADA / M3B 3R5
VOX: 416.383.2372 FAX: 416.383.2443
dakin () nationalpost com / AIM: DavidAkin

Click to add my contact info to your organizer:
http://my.infotriever.com/DavidAkin 




-------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list
You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice.
To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------