Re: HR 1542 [OT, anti-BS attempt, US]

[Miles Fidelman <mfidelman () civicnet org>]

On Mon, 7 May 2001, Fletcher E  Kittredge wrote:

> > > BTW, if you spend much time with regulators and lawyers, you will be
> > > aware that there is a major difference between the cable network and
> > > the PSTN.  After the mid-1930's, the PSTN was built by a company which
> > > was guaranteed a specific, profitable rate of return.  The cable
> > > network was built by many small entrepreneurs who were not guaranteed
> > > a profit nor even solvency.  For that reason, the PSTN is more
> > > arguably a public resource.
> >
> > Except that most of today's cable systems were built while municipalities
> > could, and did, grant exclusive franchises. Overbuilding an incumbant
> > cable operator is as expensive and risky as becoming a CLEC - probably the
> > reason that neither CLECs nor cable overbuilders are showing much
> > commercial success.
>
> If you can't tell the legal difference between the above cases, I
> recommend you stay out of this discussion.

The legal differences quite clear - very different regulatory regimes
enforced by different levels of government.

The ethical differences are less clear - both ILECs and cable companies
grew under monopoly regimes, making use of public rights-of-way. The
current, "de-regulatory" environment gives both ILECs and incumbent cable
carriers a very unfair advantage over new entrants.

> > call AT&T/MediaOne/TCI, AOL/Time Warner, Adelphia, or Charter "small
> > entrepreneurs." These guys engage in monopoly tactics that rank right up
> > there with those of the ILECs.
>
> 1) You quoted me out of context.  2) Do you have a point?  Obviously the
> above are  not small entrepreneurs. But then, I never said they were.

A very simple one: we are not seeing much in the way of serious
competition, and HR1542 will simply make things worse.


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