[PLUG] The Future of Broadband in Portland (was: Community owned broadband in 133 US Cities)

Russell Senior russell at personaltelco.net
Thu Mar 31 18:40:30 UTC 2011


>>>>> "Michael" == Michael  <michael at jamhome.us> writes:

Michael>    Including Independence Oregon.
Michael> http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/03/133-us-cities-now-run-their-own-broadband-networks.ars

I want to alert the PLUG community, particularly those that work or
live in the City of Portland and want fiber someday, to a series of
public meetings to discuss a Broadband Strategic Plan that the City is
working on.  I served on a working group to help with the process.  I
am not sure of the meeting schedule yet, but back in January the plan
was to have the hearings in April and a council vote on a finalized
Plan in June.

Your attendance and voice in these meetings is essential, because:

 a) the Plan threatens to set City policy for the next decade; and

 b) the Plan is currently very weak and needs lots of people who care
    to tell them how completely inadequate it is.

Here is my case in a nutshell:

 1) Communications users get screwed (on terms of service and/or
    price) when there is no competition;

 2) No one builds a second cable system because it's not economical;

 3) No one will build a second fiber-to-the-premises network once one
    is built, for the same reason;

 3.5) Wireless technologies are nice, but they don't scale very well;

 4) Open-Access (the ability for competitive service or content
    providers, e.g. other ISPs or video channels, to have access to
    customers at non-discriminatory rates) on the infrastructure is
    needed to have any real competition;

 5) Privately-owned infrastructure does not have Open-Access.
    Portland went to court to try to force Open-Access on cable and
    lost.  There is no Open-Access on FiOS either.  Neither the FCC or
    the US Congress is on users side.  Google's fiber project (going
    to Kansas, in case you missed it) is the lone exception on new
    infrastructure.

 6) So, in the Real World, you need publicly-owned infrastructure to
    get Open-Access.  The only alternatives are extremely unlikely: a)
    breakup of vertically-integrated communications companies; or b)
    federal intervention on the side of network users.  Frankly, I'd
    expect to get hit by a meteor first.

 6) So, if you want Competition (to keep prices low and terms fair),
    you need Open-Access.  To get Open-Access you need public
    ownership of infrastructure to ensure Open-Access.  So,
    Competition requires Public Ownership.

 7) Portland's Broadband Strategic Plan must recognize and address this
    problem aggressively (it does not even touch on residential
    service in its current draft form).

If you live in Portland, want fiber someday, and don't want to be
perpetually screwed, I urge you to write, attend these meetings, and
make your voice heard.


-- 
Russell Senior, President
russell at personaltelco.net



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