Levin Wants To Wire 97% Of U.S. For $10B

[HardOCP News]

Broadband coverage to 97% of the country in ten years for $10 billion? I’ll believe that when I see it.

Former FCC employee and recently-departed broadband plan adviser Blair Levin was one of the major reasons the FCC decided not to pursue open access competitive policies, despite the fact the FCC's own studies suggested that countries with such policies see lower prices, more competition, and better service. Levin, now at the Aspen Institute think tank, is now busy pushing a new proposal (pdf) to expand broadband coverage to 97% of the country in 10 years for $10 billion.

 

[srangara]

Steve already said "I'll believe that when I see it." Thread's over.

 

[TwistedAegis]

FCC decided not to pursue open access competitive policies, despite the fact the FCC's own studies suggested that countries with such policies see lower prices, more competition. and better service.

That quote makes my damn blood boil. I don't even want to read the article to see what kind of bullshit reason they decided NOT to pursue the option that their own research showed created lower prices and better service.

 

[spamdie]

Because everyone knows there's no free lunch. Sure you want cheap prices. Sure you want to be paid a lot to do tech work. But someone has to pay the bills. Considering at least a 30 billion dollar industry right now being very conservative.

 

[srangara]

Because no one believes that what works in other countries is a) actually working b) applicable to the US c) palatable to voters.

 

[ZenOps]

Impossible. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm saying it can't be done.

Up here in Canada, we are getting ready to buy $9 Billion worth of US made F-35s (65 to be exact) to protect Canada.

Which is aslo Impossible. The landmass is just too huge, its gigantically ginormously huge. I believe you in the US have about 2,000 F-XX and other air assets as well, and still have issues with inteception in time.

 

[Monkey God]

Impossible. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm saying it can't be done.

Up here in Canada, we are getting ready to buy $9 Billion worth of US made F-35s (65 to be exact) to protect Canada.

Which is aslo Impossible. The landmass is just too huge, its gigantically ginormously huge. I believe you in the US have about 2,000 F-XX and other air assets as well, and still have issues with inteception in time.

Our problem is not coverage its the human element. Too many things going on, too much bureaucracy.

 

[ZenOps]

Our problem is not coverage its the human element. Too many things going on, too much bureaucracy.

Not just that, the price is just plain out of whack.. Logistically impossible.

One of the least expensive materials to use for internet connections is Copper. Copper is $3.65/pound in its raw state. Now, calucate how much poundage would be required to run that wire between two cities. It also usually costs more to trench and armor than the physical line cost.

Satellites and microwave towers are a reasonable alternative, but a satellite usually costs half a billion just to put it into geostationary, rocket fuel is damn expensive even though its a relatively simple compound (like gasoline).

 

[fattypants]

On the plus side, Levin does take time to suggest that States shouldn't ban towns and cities from wiring themselves even if carriers won't (more than a dozen States have passed such laws at the behest of phone and cable lobbyists).

Protect our monopolies plz thx

 

[Monkey God]

Not just that, the price is just plain out of whack.. Logistically impossible.

One of the least expensive materials to use for internet connections is Copper. Copper is $3.65/pound in its raw state. Now, calucate how much poundage would be required to run that wire between two cities. It also usually costs more to trench and armor than the physical line cost.

Satellites and microwave towers are a reasonable alternative, but a satellite usually costs half a billion just to put it into geostationary, rocket fuel is damn expensive even though its a relatively simple compound (like gasoline).

I was talking Air power projection, not intartubes being piped.

 

[ZenOps]

As a Canadian, I am wholly disappointed with the price of putting up a satellite.

I mean jeez, if the US has really done so much into space flight and research - shouldn't it cost less than a half a billion to put a cars worth of weight into geostationary by now?

 

[Proneax]

The pathetic part is this is proposing 4mbps for these people in 2020 I think I would kill myself before moving somewhere that had that level of service.

Honestly, I"m on FIOS now and have resisted moving closer to where I work because they only have time warner and there service sucks.

 

[siliconnerd]

The pathetic part is this is proposing 4mbps for these people in 2020 I think I would kill myself before moving somewhere that had that level of service.

Honestly, I"m on FIOS now and have resisted moving closer to where I work because they only have time warner and there service sucks.

Yeah, I was first thinking that $10 billion would be cheap for a high speed network, but with the bar set that low it will just be a waste of money. Hell, once LTE is done being rolled out in a few years, we will be close to 97% with better speeds on wireless.

 

[CaptNumbNutz]

As a Canadian, I am wholly disappointed with the price of putting up a satellite.

I mean jeez, if the US has really done so much into space flight and research - shouldn't it cost less than a half a billion to put a cars worth of weight into geostationary by now?

It used to cost a significant amount more to do it even before factoring in inflation...TBH I'm surprised the cost isn't higher than half a billion. Half billion isn't really that much money anyways these days when we can order 3 or 4 top of the line fighter planes for that price. Half billion to put up a satellite that has to put up with the rigors of space and keep priceless data/intelligence/positional data moving is fucking cheap. The only reason the costs aren't going down is from lack of demand for the manufacturing of the components. You only have so many countries with the capital to put something in space to begin with, and the number of countries that share similar technology (which helps drive demand) is even smaller. Basically lots of countries using proprietary tech made in their own country = low demand = high price.

 

[Golbez]

That quote makes my damn blood boil. I don't even want to read the article to see what kind of bullshit reason they decided NOT to pursue the option that their own research showed created lower prices and better service.

You can thank Big Business Telco lobbyists and congress for this. They seem to think monopolies are the way to go today, despite what the past has shown us... What makes my blood boil are the AT&T "We cover 98% of America" commercials. They may as well just put a big middle finger on the screen that says "We are the broadband monopoly, get over it America"

 

[Golbez]

I'm actually a FiOS subscriber too, but what I recognized about FiOS early on, if it was an open "last mile" network where you had multiple choices of a bandwidth provider, it would force the telcos to ACTUALLY COMPETE with one another rather than dominating one area.

In all honesty, that's all build into BPON and GPON architecture, but since Verizon built it, why should they share their brand new investment? Since that's all said and done now, you're gonna have to build another separate "open" network to provide what we need for competition, which of course is impossible because Verizon and AT&T have agreements with the cities and stuff which basically forbade them from deploying another network, which in turn is monopolistic. People are just too stupid to realize what really needs to be done for broadband competition. The telcos trick them into thinking what we have today is really competition when it is nothing of the sort.

 

[bacon]

That quote makes my damn blood boil. I don't even want to read the article to see what kind of bullshit reason they decided NOT to pursue the option that their own research showed created lower prices and better service.

I am not a genius but it doesn't take one to come to the conclusion that the answer to your question is AT&T lobbyists.

 

[WBurchnall]

As a Canadian, I am wholly disappointed with the price of putting up a satellite.

I mean jeez, if the US has really done so much into space flight and research - shouldn't it cost less than a half a billion to put a cars worth of weight into geostationary by now?

This considering it was not too long ago that we had an article about a company taking pre-orders for flights into space for recreational travel? That one that said something rediculous like you might be subjected to up to "300 scans per meter"?

 

[Cerulean]

Where's the profit?

 

[HOCP4ME]

I'm actually a FiOS subscriber too, but what I recognized about FiOS early on, if it was an open "last mile" network where you had multiple choices of a bandwidth provider, it would force the telcos to ACTUALLY COMPETE with one another rather than dominating one area.

In all honesty, that's all build into BPON and GPON architecture, but since Verizon built it, why should they share their brand new investment? Since that's all said and done now, you're gonna have to build another separate "open" network to provide what we need for competition, which of course is impossible because Verizon and AT&T have agreements with the cities and stuff which basically forbade them from deploying another network, which in turn is monopolistic. People are just too stupid to realize what really needs to be done for broadband competition. The telcos trick them into thinking what we have today is really competition when it is nothing of the sort.

Are you saying all carriers should be able to use one another's networks, or that multiple carriers should be able to build networks in the same area?

 

[-PK-]

I am not a genius but it doesn't take one to come to the conclusion that the answer to your question is AT&T lobbyists.

Could you imagine government without lobbyists? What would the Senate do without little green elves wispering in their ears and lining their pockets with gold, uphold and improve the constitution? And the House of Representatives would need to listen to the peasants and make educated decisions. It's much easier getting paid retirement for showing up to work and reading a handful of pre-written papers every now and then.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Doesn't something like 70% of Americans already have "broadband"... wonder what percentage of them actually have broadband access. This would simply bring broadband to rural areas, and no offense to those who live there, but fuck them, as a tax payer I understand that I live in an earthquake zone and if calamity hits its my own fault for choosing to live here, the other side of things if I choose to live in a rural area I don't expect the same level of service as a suburb or urban area whether its city sewage/plumbing, natural gas, or broadband internet.

 

[Golbez]

Are you saying all carriers should be able to use one another's networks, or that multiple carriers should be able to build networks in the same area?

I honestly think the "last mile" part of the network should be open so you can chose where you want your fiber to go, or I would settle for one of multiple networks being allowed in a city. The lines between cable and telco are being skewed now, and so many cities have just "1 cable" and "1 telco" franchise agreement, so its a real big sticky web of franchise agreements across the US basically giving a monopoly for 2 different types of networks (which are becoming 1 in the same now).

 

[larrymoencurly]

$10B for this is essentially free.

 

[westrock2000]

Are you saying all carriers should be able to use one another's networks

They should want to. The more physical access, the more possiblity for subscibers. Since thats what it really comes down to.

Besides with the way the Net works, the datas gonna go on someone elses network at some point in its travels, so why not work together to suck the public as much as possible.