Net Neutrality...

Wed Jul 16 13:44:21 UTC 2014

ETCs aside for a moment, the NTIA used to give out an awful lot of money 
for rural electrification, then for telecom - a lot of it going to small 
players, coops, and municipalities.  A Probably still does - though I 
haven't followed the program in recent years.  Yes, writing and selling 
a grant proposal can be tedious, but then again, so is a venture capital 
proposal, or dealing with banks.  Or, for that matter, selling to large 
customers public or private.

Miles Fidelman

On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:53 PM, Bob Evans <bob at fiberinternetcenter.com> 
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
>>>
>>
>>

-- 
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.   .... Yogi Berra