[PLUG-TALK] Verizon willfully driving DSL users into the arms of cable

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 11:55:58PM -0700, Galen Seitz wrote:
> The public really needs to own the infrastructure.
> <http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/07/op-ed-verizon-willfully-driving-dsl-users-into-the-arms-of-cable/>

I'm not sure I understand the problem.  Why should Verizon
maintain legacy copper crap when it can move customers to more
maintainable FIOS?  New fiber is cheaper and more durable than
coax or twisted pair, though the endpoints are $$$$ .  A long
term oriented company would be stupid to connect new customers
with copper.

Where I'm at, I can get wireless from a lot of vendors, DSL
from ComCan't, and FIOS from Frontier (formerly Verizon
Northwest).  I can even get crappy satellite service.  I
would prefer a slower and cheaper version of FIOS.  I rarely
need 15 Mbps download.  If I want cheap, I can have Comcast
reconnect the copper and put up with their terms of service
- no PTP node.  Which so far has been a great way to welcome
the new neighbors ... until they get their own FIOS.

I realize Portland has lousy infrastructure compared to the
burbs.  But I doubt CenturyLink will invest in fiber to the
premises if they risk losing their investment to punitive
regulation or "nationalization".  Hostility has consequences.

What the public needs is gigabit satellite.  http://server-sky.com 
There are angular slots visible from 45N for hundreds of 
different providers, including whatever coop you want to
put together.  On your own dime, please.

When server sky is up there, the competition will force price
drops on landline vendors.  It will drive Frontier and Verizon
to justify their high FIOS prices by pushing a lot more bits
through their single mode fiber.  Even with WDM splitters,
their fiber can go at gigabit speeds, though the endpoints
and backhaul don't support that yet.  Take out the splitters,
add more fibers to the switching office, and the endpoint
fiber can go at terabits per second.  They are thinking
decades ahead.  The copper vendors are toast.

Infrastructure needs investment, and governments are broke.
You may be OK with taking money away from medicare and food
stamps, but that bothers me, and is happening now.  

Tax the rich?  We already did.  Millionaires are decreasing in
the US, and increasing in China and India.  Lucky us.  Occupy
unemployment.  Or turn off the TV and learn some economics.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs