Some truth about Comcast - WikiLeaks style

Tue Dec 21 15:49:34 UTC 2010

On Dec 21, 2010, at 2:42 AM, Tim Franklin wrote:

> 
> ----- "Owen DeLong" <owen at delong.com> wrote:
> 
>> Personally, I think that enforced UNE is the right model. If you sell
>> higher level services, you should not be allowed to operate the physical
>> plant.  The physical plant operating companies should sell access to the
>> physical plant to higher level service providers on an equal footing.
> 
> To all intents and purposes what we have in the UK.  BT, the old, formally government-owned, then privatised, effective last-mile monopoly, was split up.  (I believe in return for some more government cash to build infrastructure, but I could be wrong on the order of events).
> 
> BT OpenReach is now responsible for wires on poles / in the ground, CO space etc, and has to sell access to these to other divisions of BT (Wholesale, Residential) in the same arms-length way they sell them to other ISPs.  It doesn't always work *quite* like that, especially in respect of actually getting space and power in COs, but the framework is there...
> 
> Regards,
> Tim.

Yeah... I'd rather see it done in such a way that there is a prohibition of common ownership
or management. Essentially, require that the stock be split and each current owner receives
one share in each company with any shareholders who own more than 3% of the companies
having 180 days to divest from one company or the other, or, reduce their total investment in
both below 3% with a requirement that the infrastructure provider not retain any portion
of the name of the original company and no relationship other than supplier to the service
provider company.

Obviously, this probably won't happen. The Telcos in the US have far too powerful a
lobbying force, but, I think that would be the best thing for the consumers.

Owen