The Supreme Court’s decision on Brand X probably went unnoticed by the majority of broadband consumers, but its effects will not. In a single decision, the high court has helped to put America on the right path towards real broadband reform. It’s tough to predict what other innovations the future holds, but already Intel and Nortel are saying that there will be greater broadband spending as a result. What isn’t hard to figure out is that industry will only work to provide the benefits of innovation if investment and regulatory climates are right.
my understanding of "forced access" is not that is an "arcane rule" but rather that it puts telecoms BACK into a competitive mode. don't forget that when telephony was first introduced there was no such thing as multiplexing signals over a single line. the telephone co. needed to run a separate line out to each telephone it serviced. it was not practical to allow unfettered competition of phone companies in a single market b/c the landscape would be choked with lines and telephone poles. the situation was resolved by allowing certain companies to enjoy regulated monopolies. when technology caught up, forced access implemented the end of the monopoly. sonia arrison doesn't seem to think this was good for consumers. i'm old enough to remember when you kept an eye on the clock when you made a long distance telephone call. today, thanks to forced access i can talk for days w/o worrying about the cost. . There is no free market dynamic in the cable industry. at least not in most locations. the municipality in which i live grants a franchise to comcast to operate as the sole provider of cable tv (and hence, internet by cable) in my area. Granted, Comcast (or more accurately, their predecesor) built and paid for those lines and they maintain them. They should be fairly compensated for their use by competitors, but the line into MY house should be available for other providers to service IF I SO CHOOSE. THAT is the free market in action and THAT is what benefits the consumer. ms. arrison is just singing the RIAA's tired old song to the tune of another industry reluctant to change their way of doing business when new technology makes the old way obsolete.
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X Marks the Start of Broadband Reform
Posted by: Sonia Arrison July 1, 2005 05:00 AMThe Supreme Court’s decision on Brand X probably went unnoticed by the majority of broadband consumers, but its effects will not. In a single decision, the high court has helped to put America on the right path towards real broadband reform. It’s tough to predict what other innovations the future holds, but already Intel and Nortel are saying that there will be greater broadband spending as a result. What isn’t hard to figure out is that industry will only work to provide the benefits of innovation if investment and regulatory climates are right.
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There is no free market dynamic in the cable industry. at least not in most locations. the municipality in which i live grants a franchise to comcast to operate as the sole provider of cable tv (and hence, internet by cable) in my area. Granted, Comcast (or more accurately, their predecesor) built and paid for those lines and they maintain them. They should be fairly compensated for their use by competitors, but the line into MY house should be available for other providers to service IF I SO CHOOSE. THAT is the free market in action and THAT is what benefits the consumer. ms. arrison is just singing the RIAA's tired old song to the tune of another industry reluctant to change their way of doing business when new technology makes the old way obsolete.