Comments on: Cities brace for broadband war

Across the U.S., cities are planning tax-funded broadband networks. But they face fierce resistance from Bells and cable operators.

[GymW]

What about BPL?

The article fails to mention Broadband over Power Line technology
- i.e. internet access via your power outlet on your wall. It is
currently implemented and being tested in several cities, Menlo
Park, CA being one of them. Why was BPL left out?

[laurabill]

Many co-ops REFUSE to offer it

Mine flat-out refuses due to threats from Comcast. I e-mailed a VP at my co-op, who gave me the run-around about "not competing with local businesses." He was wrong on two counts - Comcast isn't local. Philly is 120 miles from where I live. And Comcast isn't offering me service - that's why I asked about BPL to begin with. Plus a lot of technical double-talk about how their system would have to be retorfitted to handle the bandwidth, yada yada yada... Basically, Comcast has co-ops running scared of litigation. Remember Comcast = EVIL.

[NWLB]

Matters getting out of hand in a bad way.

Internet access is the new public utility. It may not be literally vital to life, but in the way phone, video, and data services are becoming integrated into day-to-day life, I can?t see how it isn?t going to be. This skirts a few lines in terms of political ideology.

We lag behind the world in getting the technology out to the public. Communication companies aren?t happy about local and other levels of government getting into what is seen by them as strictly business. Yet they treat the technology not as something vital to the long-term interests of the country, or a utility, but as just another means to squeeze money out of people. I think the argument can be sufficiently made that it is first a matter of local right and choice to offer whatever services a municipality wants. After that is done, if the communications companies don?t like it, tough. They will fight to keep competition off their networks, from duplicating services using different technology, and then take advantage of near monopolies to raise prices. Yet if somebody suggests an even playing field they freak out.

Creating Shareholder Value, is allowing the rest of the world to shoot the moon, while we remain in the stone age. And I?m the last person that argues against corporate rights.

NWLB
http://www.Bloggercist.com

Confirmation

Confirmation

wireless acess

Why do not individuals (voters) have some say in how states go
on the matter of municipal (including states)involvement of
wireless networks for municipalities (including states).