The court agreed with AT&T and Comcast’s argument, saying, “It is clear that the [Metro Nashville] Charter grants NES broad, unencumbered power to manage and control the properties of the Electric Power Board. It expressly denies that power to the Mayor, the Council, and any other agency of the Metro Nashville government.”
Source: AT&T and Comcast lawsuit has nullified a city’s broadband competition law | Ars Technica
Former Sprint lobbyist Mark Jamison was named this week as one of two telecom consultants guiding the Trump administration’s telecom policy. Alongside telecom-tied think tanker Jeffrey Eisenach, Jamison is tasked with choosing the next FCC boss, and the direction of the new Trump FCC.
But in an October blog post, Jamison indicates he doesn’t believe that telecom monopolies are even real, while making it very clear (as Eisenach has) that the over-arching goal is to gut the FCC completely:
Source: Trump Telecom Advisor Doesn’t Think Telecom Monopolies Are Real
Greenlight provides Internet-only service ranging from 40 Mbps for $39.95 per month to 1 Gbps for $104.95 per month. There are also package bundles available that add TV and phone service.
And wouldn’t you know it; that finally got the big telecoms to respond. However, the response wasn’t to build out infrastructure in Wilson or compete on price; it was to kill municipal broadband efforts altogether in NC, citing unfair competition. In early 2011, House Bill 129 was introduced, which seriously hampered the ability of cities to create brand new broadband Internet networks, and put in place new restrictions to limit the pricing competitiveness of existing services versus private alternatives.
via Large Telecoms Strangle Municipal Broadband, But FCC Intervention May Provide Relief.
In a plan released today, Obama said, “The time has come for the FCC to recognize that broadband service is of the same importance [as the traditional telephone system] and must carry the same obligations as so many of the other vital services do. To do that, I believe the FCC should reclassify consumer broadband service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act—while at the same time forbearing from rate regulation and other provisions less relevant to broadband services. This is a basic acknowledgment of the services ISPs provide to American homes and businesses, and the straightforward obligations necessary to ensure the network works for everyone—not just one or two companies.”
via Obama: Treat broadband—including mobile—as a utility | Ars Technica.
Reclassification of broadband service is almost certain to bring lawsuits from the telecommunications industry.
At first, Intrado thought that the complaints arising from various PSAPs around the country were just isolated, unconnected events — even though alarm bells were going off an hour into the breakdown. Nobody noticed the warnings until it was too late; the server taking note of the alerts categorized them as “low level” incidents and were never flagged for a human, according to the FCC report.
via How a dumb software glitch kept thousands from reaching 911 – The Washington Post.
PSAP = Poor Sucker At Phone
In other words, the FCC didn’t have the authority to impose its rules because it defined broadband internet as an information service rather than a common carrier service, like telephones.
via Federal Court Strikes Down Net Neutrality Rules, Sides with Big Telecom.
As I know many of you know Huawei were investigated by the American Congress and we were given a “clean bill of health”. Well as journalists and analysts said “lots of ifs buts and maybe’s but no evidence of wrongdoing”, or my favourite “a report for vegetarians, no meat”, so in my definition no evidence of wrongdoing is a clean bill of health. Based on this lack of evidence of any wrongdoing, the American Congress said that Huawei should not be allowed into America, so based on all of these revelations, and there will be many more on America, should all other Governments ban American technology companies, especially Cisco and Juniper given their position in critical infrastructures?
Lack of competition plays a role in the poor U.S. showing, as does the country’s significant geographical mass (Russia is ranked 35, Canada is ranked 37). As our commenters are quick to note, many users also may not subscribe to the fastest connection available, often due to cost.
via U.S. Now 31 in Mean Broadband Speed | DSLReports, ISP Information.
The new data underscores the extent to which U.S. cities lag behind cities around the world, further emphasizing the need for policy reform. Rather than allowing American cities to fall behind, policymakers should reassess current policy approaches and implement strategies to increase competition, in turn fostering faster speeds and more affordable access.
One of the biggest obstacles organizers are likely to face are laws discouraging or preventing governments from competing with private broadband providers. So far 19 states have passed such laws.
“It strikes me as crazy that some states are banning communities from building or expanding existing networks, even as we’re subsidizing private companies,” Mitchell said.
He says these laws actually end up preventing incumbent providers from expanding higher speed internet services in many areas, because they know their existing legacy services won’t face competition.
via Why Your City Should Compete With Google’s Super-Speed Internet | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com.