[37227] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: HR 1542 [OT, anti-BS attempt, US]
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Miles Fidelman)
Mon May 7 18:27:51 2001
Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 16:55:35 -0400 (EDT)
From: Miles Fidelman <mfidelman@civicnet.org>
To: Fletcher E Kittredge <fkittred@dargo.gwi.net>
Cc: Miles Fidelman <mfidelman@civicnet.org>, nanog@merit.edu
In-Reply-To: <200105072028.f47KSqp16374@smtp.gwi.net>
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On Mon, 7 May 2001, Fletcher E Kittredge wrote:
> > > BTW, if you spend much time with regulators and lawyers, you will be
> > > aware that there is a major difference between the cable network and
> > > the PSTN. After the mid-1930's, the PSTN was built by a company which
> > > was guaranteed a specific, profitable rate of return. The cable
> > > network was built by many small entrepreneurs who were not guaranteed
> > > a profit nor even solvency. For that reason, the PSTN is more
> > > arguably a public resource.
> >
> > Except that most of today's cable systems were built while municipalities
> > could, and did, grant exclusive franchises. Overbuilding an incumbant
> > cable operator is as expensive and risky as becoming a CLEC - probably the
> > reason that neither CLECs nor cable overbuilders are showing much
> > commercial success.
>
> If you can't tell the legal difference between the above cases, I
> recommend you stay out of this discussion.
The legal differences quite clear - very different regulatory regimes
enforced by different levels of government.
The ethical differences are less clear - both ILECs and cable companies
grew under monopoly regimes, making use of public rights-of-way. The
current, "de-regulatory" environment gives both ILECs and incumbent cable
carriers a very unfair advantage over new entrants.
> > call AT&T/MediaOne/TCI, AOL/Time Warner, Adelphia, or Charter "small
> > entrepreneurs." These guys engage in monopoly tactics that rank right up
> > there with those of the ILECs.
>
> 1) You quoted me out of context. 2) Do you have a point? Obviously the
> above are not small entrepreneurs. But then, I never said they were.
A very simple one: we are not seeing much in the way of serious
competition, and HR1542 will simply make things worse.
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The Center for Civic Networking PO Box 600618
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Director, Municipal Telecommunications
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mfidelman@civicnet.org http://civic.net/ccn.html
Information Infrastructure: Public Spaces for the 21st Century
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