Muni Fiber and Politics

Mon Jul 21 17:13:45 UTC 2014

Is anyone else cynical enough to say FiOS going symmetrical is an attempt to blunt the pro-NetFlix argument on that point?
- jra


On July 21, 2014 12:46:27 PM EDT, Jason Iannone <jason.iannone at gmail.com> wrote:
>There was a muni case in my neck of the woods a couple of years ago.
>Comcast spent an order of magnitude more than the municipality but
>still lost.
>
>Anyway, follow the money.  "Blackburn’s largest career donors are ..
>PACs affiliated with AT&T ... ($66,750) and Comcast ... ($36,600). ...
>Blackburn has also taken $56,000 from the National Cable &
>Telecommunications Association."
>
>http://www.muninetworks.org/content/media-roundup-blackburn-amendment-lights-newswires
>
>In other news, FIOS has gone symmetrical.
>http://newscenter.verizon.com/corporate/news-articles/2014/07-21-fios-upload-speed-upgrade/
>
>On Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 8:20 AM, Jay Ashworth <jra at baylink.com> wrote:
>> Over the last decade, 19 states have made it illegal for
>municipalities
>> to own fiber networks -- encouraged largely, I am told, by Verizon
>and
>> other cable companies/MSOs[1].
>>
>> Verizon, of course, isn't doing any new FiOS deployments, per a 2010
>> press release[2].
>>
>> FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has been making noises lately that he wants the
>FCC
>> to preempt the field on this topic, making such deployments legal.
>>
>> Congressional Republicans think that's a bad idea:
>>
>>
>http://www.vox.com/2014/7/20/5913363/house-republicans-and-obamas-fcc-are-at-war-over-city-owned-internet
>>
>> [ and here's the backgrounder on the amendment:
>>
>>
>http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/blackburn-bill-would-block-fcc-preemption/132468
>]
>>
>> While I generally try to avoid bringing up topics on NANOG that are
>political;
>> this one seems to be directly in our wheelhouse, and unavoidably
>political.
>> My apologies in advance; let's all try to be grownups, shall we?
>>
>> Cheers,
>> -- jra
>>
>> [1]
>http://motherboard.vice.com/read/hundreds-of-cities-are-wired-with-fiberbut-telecom-lobbying-keeps-it-unused
>> [2]
>https://secure.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Again-Confirms-FiOS-Expansion-is-Over-118949
>> --
>> Jay R. Ashworth                  Baylink                      
>jra at baylink.com
>> Designer                     The Things I Think                      
>RFC 2100
>> Ashworth & Associates       http://www.bcp38.info          2000 Land
>Rover DII
>> St Petersburg FL USA      BCP38: Ask For It By Name!           +1 727
>647 1274

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