[1st-mile-nm] Broadband op-ed in today's Albuquerque Journal

[Gnarlodious]

On 7/27/10, Harris, Brian wrote:

> As long as the FCC hews to this mutually contradictory notion we will
> continue to be stuck in the dark ages.  There is ample evidence that firms
> won't invest in their infrastructure

The entire concept of "infrastructure investment" amounts to corporate
welfare. The real solution is encouraging "Public Utility" approach to
internet access, and to declare the wires (or fiber) to be "The
Commons" which are owned by the public.

The water and sewage pipes going into our homes are not owned by any
for-profit corporation for a good reason. Imagine a despotic business
putting a meter on your sewage pipe, how much would it eventually cost
you to flush your toilet? That is the situation under the current
monopoly where either Comcast or Qwest OWNS the wire running into your
house.

For a preview if where broadband is going, look at the trend with
Cable TV in the decades since it was invented. Private investors "own"
that cable through the charter of a corporation. Yet every year the
cables have become more pervasive and uglier, content has gotten ever
more offensive and service has reached the expense level where it is a
target for thieves. And who can blame them? Why pay through the nose
for crap when you can steal it?

At very least, ISPs should be tightly regulated, like the gas company.
But ideally, "The Commons" should include information infrastructure
just like it includes water pipes and public roads. The system works
and let's kick the greedy corporations out!

-- Rachel Cogent, Santa Fe
http://Gnarlodious.com