Net Neutrality...

Wed Jul 16 01:56:45 UTC 2014

Any ISP can tap into Erate funding.  We are a WISP and lots of our 
school customers get Erate funding/discounts.

On 7/15/2014 8:53 PM, Bob Evans wrote:
> I think your point needs to be explained. Because anything gnment is
> riddled will large carrier benefiting. Look at the school discounts for
> internet services...pretty much just for LECs.
> Thank You
> Bob Evans
> CTO
>
>
>
>
>> I have stayed out of much of this, but can't help myself.   Along with
>> everything else, you are seriously misinformed about the process of
>> becoming an ETC.   It is not onerous.   Please stop.   You are giving
>> rural
>> ISPs a bad reputation.
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 7:57 PM, Brett Glass <nanog at brettglass.com> wrote:
>>
>>> At 05:06 PM 7/15/2014, Rubens Kuhl wrote:
>>>
>>>   Do you see Connect America Fund, the successor to Universal Service
>>> Fund,
>>>> as a threat to US rural WISPs or as the possible solution for them ?
>>>>
>>> It's a major threat to rural WISPs and all competitive ISPs. Here's why.
>>> The FCC is demanding that ISPs become "Eligible Telecommunications
>>> Carriers," or ETCs, before they can receive money from it. An ETC is a
>>> telephone company which is regulated under the mountain of regulations,
>>> requirements, and red tape of Title II of the Telecomm Act. It has to
>>> report to both state regulatory agencies AND the FCC. It's a
>>> classification
>>> that doesn't fit ISPs at all, but they would have to subject themselves
>>> to
>>> this heavy-handed regulation before they could get a dime from the fund.
>>>
>>> The FCC just announced a "rural broadband experiment" in which it will
>>> fund ETCs, but not pure-play ISPs, to build out rural broadband; see
>>>
>>> http://www.fcc.gov/document/rural-broadband-experiments-order
>>>
>>> As part of this experiment, the FCC will pay telephone companies to
>>> overbuild us, even though the residents of the areas in question already
>>> have service. This is because, as far as the regulators are concerned,
>>> if
>>> they do not have their regulatory hooks in us, we don't exist and any
>>> service we provide does not count. The "experiment" also requires
>>> participants to tie up large amounts of money in escrow accounts so that
>>> they can obtain "letters of credit" guaranteeing performance.
>>>
>>> All of this is, alas, the regulators' way of attempting to destroy those
>>> whom they cannot regulate.
>>>
>>> IMHO, the USF is outmoded and should be disbanded.
>>>
>>> --Brett Glass
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Fletcher Kittredge
>> GWI
>> 8 Pomerleau Street
>> Biddeford, ME 04005-9457
>> 207-602-1134
>>
>