<div dir="auto"><div>The Brookings people, bless their hearts, are some weird form of professional optimists. Broadband is like running water, yes. Everyone acknowledges it. (It's not, but let's just say...)<div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">And, somehow, nothing changes. Because the glory days when we piped water for public good are over. Forty years of declaring government is bad, public is bad, selfishness is good, private is the only right answer... has taken its toll. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">We are left with Agit Pai's smiling face and a bunch of neoliberal platitudes that somehow result in no innovation and higher prices, despite promising the opposite. (I watched him and the crown castle guy lying their asses off in a VC just two days ago, it was disgusting.)</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Brookings makes me sad. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">But, sure, if people working at home for a while can change broadband I'm all for it.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Pots-n-pans had a good column two days ago about the FCC's dire mission failure. We need bitter revolutionary anger, not covid cheer.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"> Doug</div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Apr 16, 2020, 6:09 PM Christopher Mitchell <<a href="mailto:christopher@ilsr.org">christopher@ilsr.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Look, I think we can all agree that the FCC has to ensure that public dollars only go to the highest caliber companies that will ensure we get the best value for our public expenditures. That is why they create so many hurdles for small companies that have great local track records and basically grease the rails for companies that would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever take billions of dollars and then declare bankruptcy while probably not meeting the most basic of requirements in the programs that they cashed the checks from. <br></div><div><br></div><div>More seriously, I do actually think the RDOF plan has some merit and I think that waiting to get more data on locations would only spread the subsidies thinner and delay getting money out to rural providers. This is a dramatic improvement over CAF II's shoveling of billions to AT&T et al. I think Congress should focus on making more money available as better mapping reveals where it should go. <br></div><div><br></div><div><div><div dir="ltr" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-size:12.8px">Christopher Mitchell</span><br style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Director, Community Broadband Networks</span><br style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Institute for Local Self-Reliance</span><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br><a href="http://www.muninetworks.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">MuniNetworks.org</a><br><div>@communitynets</div><div>612-545-5185</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Apr 16, 2020 at 8:02 PM Mimbres Communications <<a href="mailto:mimcom@sw-ei.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">mimcom@sw-ei.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Good overview, yes.<div><br></div><div>I fear for the 'fixes' that will likely come from RUS & FCC in the form of more handouts to big telecoms. The structuring of these programs, including the rushed deployment of $20B in RDOF money before the 477 and mapping fixes were even partially complete, effectively forecloses participation by small providers.</div><div><br></div><div> </div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Apr 16, 2020 at 6:42 PM David Breecker [dba] <<a href="mailto:david@breeckerassociates.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">david@breeckerassociates.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div>Good thought piece from Brookings, echoing an idea I’m seeing a lot; any ideas on how rural areas and NM can figure out how to leverage this trend?<div><br></div><div><p style="box-sizing:inherit;border:0px none;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:"PT Serif",Times,serif;font-size:18px;margin:0px 0px 2em;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(16,16,16);background-color:rgb(250,250,250)">I expect we’ll look back on COVID-19 as a wake-up call that broadband isn’t a luxury—it’s an essential utility.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;border:0px none;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:"PT Serif",Times,serif;font-size:18px;margin:0px 0px 2em;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(16,16,16);background-color:rgb(250,250,250)">As policymakers respond to that call, they will aim to fill network gaps through public investment or tighter regulation (as in the electricity sector), and through a new suite of programs to boost subscriptions and distribute devices. We’re already seeing this happen, from internet service providers <a href="https://www.digitalinclusion.org/free-low-cost-internet-plans/" style="border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom:1px dotted rgb(220,42,42);font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(220,42,42);text-decoration:none;box-sizing:inherit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span style="border:0px none;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px 0.125em 0px 0px;vertical-align:middle;box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-flex;height:0.875em;width:0.875em"><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u></span>offering discounts</a> to school districts passing out <a href="https://www.axios.com/hotspots-wifi-students-coronavirus-1a08db65-236b-43e8-a5e0-17429a07942a.html" style="border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom:1px dotted rgb(220,42,42);font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(220,42,42);text-decoration:none;box-sizing:inherit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span style="border:0px none;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px 0.125em 0px 0px;vertical-align:middle;box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-flex;height:0.875em;width:0.875em"><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u><u></u></span>computers and wireless hotspots</a>.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;border:0px none;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:"PT Serif",Times,serif;font-size:18px;margin:0px 0px 2em;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(16,16,16);background-color:rgb(250,250,250)">We can bootstrap interventions for now, but broadband only grows more important as society and the economy continue to digitize. My guess is we’re about to see a great wave of broadband policies—and it can’t come soon enough.</p></div><div><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-covid-19-will-change-the-nations-long-term-economic-trends-brookings-metro/?utm_campaign=Metropolitan%20Policy%20Program&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=86407569" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-covid-19-will-change-the-nations-long-term-economic-trends-brookings-metro/?utm_campaign=Metropolitan%20Policy%20Program&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=86407569</a></div><div><br><div>
<div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px">David Breecker,</div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px">President</div><br><span><img id="m_2794877448847866813gmail-m_4563949899253027711gmail-m_7826405310215263881gmail-m_6094055301238564948gmail-m_9559806627808082494F71B032-1407-4BD5-8ECB-710F7D81D02E" src="cid:17185a41ed25b74fbfc1"></span><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><b><font color="#0433ff"><br>David Breecker Associates</font></b></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><b><font color="#0433ff"><a href="http://www.breeckerassociates.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">www.breeckerassociates.com</a></font></b></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><b><br></b></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal">Santa Fe Office: 505-690-2335</div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal">Abiquiu Office: 505-685-4891</div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal">Skype: dbreecker</div></div>
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</blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><pre cols="72"><span style="background-color:rgb(153,153,153)"><span></span></span>Kurt Albershardt | Mimbres Communications, LLC | 575-342-0042</pre>
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