What's to Come

Broadband Before Its Time

Why not have the service providers divest their outside plant and local switches? Local or regional authorities could regulate them and, perish the thought, really do the job. Let's say that it is in the national interest and a right for everyone in this country to have universal, nondiscriminatory access to broadband at reasonable rates. Let's force that broadband utility to use its revenues to provide the broadband facilities we need to flourish as a country, including ubiquitous local wireless access. Let's close the broadband deployment gap that exists between the U.S. and the rest of the developed world. If this is not a great argument on the basis of economic efficiency, it is certainly a great one for fairness and economic development.

From Peter Bernstein's column in the 10/8/07 edition of Telephony Broadband before its time

Here's what I like about his viewpoint in the article.

• It removes "billions in needless expenses for duplicative plant construction, management and upgrades"
  
• It recognizes broadband as a utility
• It recognizes the economic competitiveness gain for the United States of having "universal, nondiscriminatory access to broadband at reasonable rates"

posted by Andy Huckaba @ 8:56 AM