Comments on: How the Stimulus Package Fails Rural Broadband

By: digital signage saas

digital signage saas — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:55:55 +0000

Poor broadband is terrible. It badly effects digital signage. Especially digital signage saas. This is because the service is run online by someone else to take the strain off you.

By: How The Broadband Stimulus So Far Fails Innovation

How The Broadband Stimulus So Far Fails Innovation — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:51:45 +0000

[...] Galitz, the CEO of Canby Telcom, who spoke to Om about his plans back in February, told me yesterday that he will still apply for grants to provide DSL to the fewer than 100 [...]

By: DOJ Wants to Probe Telcos? It Should Take a Number

DOJ Wants to Probe Telcos? It Should Take a Number — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:16:47 +0000

[...] pricing by AT&T and Verizon that causes harm to consumers and businesses — from wireless Internet access providers in rural areas stuck delivering service on pricey T-1 lines to businesses that can’t get [...]

By: Government Enforces the Status Quo With Broadband Stimulus Bucks

Government Enforces the Status Quo With Broadband Stimulus Bucks — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:36:16 +0000

[...] the net neutrality guidelines set forth in the FCC’s 2005 broadband policy statement, which may anger some ISPs. It’s unclear, however, if projects will be held to the standards of any future net [...]

By: Can the Free Market Provide Broadband for Everyone?

Can the Free Market Provide Broadband for Everyone? — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:34:50 +0000

[...] the current wired infrastructure needs to provide backhaul for wireless access. Actually, we have a similar issue in rural areas of our country, where wireless Internet service providers pay through the nose for access lines back [...]

By: John Shepler

John Shepler — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:00:28 +0000

Sadly it looks like yet another money crisis threatens to drive the rural broadband initiative to much lower expectations. Details at: http://t1rex.blogspot.com/2009/04/economic-woes-drive-rural-telegraphy.html

By: I'm not telling my name

I'm not telling my name — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:21:51 +0000

Zelimir: I am on satellite internet, because i am in a small town in NH and can’t get actual broadband. unlike the commercials say, is barely faster than dial up, and if you download too much in a day, they shut it off for 24 hours.

By: Zelimir

Zelimir — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:34:58 +0000

I was wondering, what are the areas of the USA that are neglected in regards to the broadband access? Is it possible, and where, to obtain such data?

By: Broadband Stimulus Package Nears Finish Line

Broadband Stimulus Package Nears Finish Line — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:26:09 +0000

[...] The grants will be split among two agencies — something most broadband proponents were against. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will administer $4.7 billion, and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service will administer $2.5 billion, which may cause problems for the rural ISPs. [...]

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:25:51 +0000

By the way, in response to an earlier comment: Incorporating a business costs far more than just the fee to incorporate. Many states impose large franchise and excise taxes on corporations — even LLCs and “S” corporations. And the bookkeeping and accounting burden is substantial. Sole proprietorships are the majority of American businesses, and in rural areas are the most likely ones to step up to the plate to provide broadband. They certainly should not be cut out of the stimulus arbitrarily.

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:22:21 +0000

Since I spoke to Stacey about rural broadband, another concern has arisen regarding the stimulus package. This might be worth a followup article, but for the moment I’ll post the details here in the comments.

The Senate version of the bill offers generous tax credits for rollout of broadband to unserved areas. But it specifically does not allow tax credits if I or another wireless ISP wants to use microwave transmission to bring broadband into a rural town or city. On page 569, it says:

(B) ONLY CERTAIN INVESTMENT TAKEN
INTO ACCOUNT.—Except as provided in sub-
paragraph (C) or (D), equipment shall be taken
into account under subparagraph (A) only to
the extent it—
…
(iv) extends from a transmission/re-
ceive antenna (including such antenna)
which transmits and receives signals to or
from multiple subscribers, to a trans-
mission/receive antenna (including such
antenna) on the outside of the unit, build-
ing, dwelling, or office owned or leased by
a subscriber in the case of a satellite car-
rier or other wireless carrier, unless such
other wireless carrier is also a tele-
communications carrier.

In other words, if a wireless ISP is not a “telecommunications carrier” — a phone company — it can’t get a tax credit when it brings broadband INTO a city or town. It can get a credit only for the “last mile” — distributing service WITHIN a city. This provision (which was inserted due to lobbying by Verizon) was obviously designed to protect the telephone companies’ monopoly on inter-city service. It really would hurt efforts to increase broadband coverage in rural areas.

By: StatShot: Farmers With Broadband

StatShot: Farmers With Broadband — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:53:49 +0000

[...] Wednesday, February 11, 2009 | 12:53 PM PT | 0 comments We wrote yesterday about the effect the broadband stimulus bill may have on rural ISPs, and today we ran across a nice rundown of broadband access in rural America over at Daily Yonder. [...]

By: John P.

John P. — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:26:13 +0000

It's sad that this kind of thing ultimately comes down to bipartisan haggling just to make a point. The stimulus will pass eventually, just pared down to make both sides happy. Well, I guess that's democracy at its finest :)

By: Nate Nead

Nate Nead — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:15:59 +0000

Unlike the stimulus had during the great depression where “jobs” were created by bringing in big projects, it seems that this current package has a lot of giveaways. And such giveaways will not have the trickle-down that I see, but will help specific industries, like the following:
http://www.digitalsignage.com/blog/2009/02/11/how-digital-signage-may-benefit-from-an-economic-stimulus/

By: MDH

MDH — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:38:41 +0000

“Glass says he can’t afford to pay the fees and take the tax hit that would come with incorporation, leaving him unable to take advantage of those funds.”

He can’t afford $500 to put together an S-Corp which is taxed no differently from a SP? I don’t understand this.

By: A.B. Dada

A.B. Dada — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:58:51 +0000

BTW, the company with $14m in revenue to 8000 customers is how it should work.

80/20 rule: 20% of customers are business paying 80% of the costs.

1600 businesses @ $583/month “T1-style”
6400 consumers @ $37/month “DSL-style”

Score one for us anti-net-neutrality supporters, too.