U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller introduces universal broadband resolution

Thanks to Eldo resident Ron Britvich for passing this along this item from ars technica reporting Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has introduced a Senate resolution calling for 100Mbps broadband for all U.S. residents by 2015, with an interim goal of 10Mbps by 2010.

Rockefeller noted that at the current pace of deployment, "next-generation" broadband networks (which the resolution defines as being capable of 100Mbps) will not be deployed throughout the US for another 20 years. The resolution calls on Congress to work with the President to develop a strategy with the goal of passing legislation by year end, but since a resolution doesn't carry the force of law, there's no guarantee that it will have any tangible results.

Comcast should expand service area as well as access speeds

Roberts went on to demonstrate how wideband can download four gigabytes of data, the entire Encyclopedia Britannica Library--55 million words and more--in just under four minutes. It would take a traditional cable modem about three hours and a dial-up connection two weeks to download the same amount of data, which Roberts said is equivalent to how much the average family consumes online a month.

“It’s kind of mind boggling to think what you’d be able to do with that speed,” said Roberts.

In the short term, Roberts and his fellow cable operators plan to use that speed to continue to hammer away at the competitive threat from both the telcos and satellite with their triple-play offering of video, broadband and voice services.

Satellite Internet with triple play? What planet is Roberts living on? Satellite Internet is crippled broadband, with sluggish connections and high latency that can't even support Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). As for the telcos, the only real threat is Verizon if it continues to speed deployment of Fiber To The Home (FTTN). If Comcast really wants to compete with the telcos and satellite, it should expand its coverage to those areas where residents are stuck with a Hobson's choice of dial up over aging telco copper cable or satellite.

San Jose Mercury News: Time for action on national broadband policy

The federal government’s lack of leadership in this area is a disgrace. Despite a 2004 promise by President Bush to deliver “universal, affordable access to broadband technology by the year 2007,” his administration has done nothing to advance that goal.

Last month, the Federal Communications Commission, chaired by Bush appointee Kevin Martin, launched yet another study of the sorry state of broadband service in this country.

The U.S. needs action, not another study.

Inadequate telco infrastructure drives cities to build fiber networks

Lafayette's Fiber to the Home project is expected to provide residents and businesses with Internet, cable and telephone services at a low cost.

Salter said cities with fiber networks have experienced economic growth as a result.

"We just think that the ability to move information is where everything is going," he said.

Huval said telecommunications companies have infrastructure with limited capacity.

Fiber will not artificially limit capacity, he said. Residents will be able to choose how they want their fiber.

Satellilte Internet customers condemned to broadband purgatory

Satellite Internet providers serve about 10 percent of the U.S. that is mired in broadband black holes, according to one of them, Hughes Communications. And they believe they'll have a lock on this captive market for the foreseeable, betting the wire line telco/cable duopoly won't ever serve these areas. AT&T reinforces this grim reality, making satellite a key element of its broadband initiatives.

Their customers face a purgatory of sluggish connections slowed by the 46,000 mile round trip from their computers to satellites that they must share with thousands of other customers, unlike the commercial and military users of the technology.

"If you look at this industry ten years from now, there's still a good chance consumers will still be unhappy. And the reason is that satellite bandwidth is extremely expensive," said Randy Scott, manager at VSAT U.S., a Monument, Colo., company that installs satellite dishes for commercial customers. HughesNet is one of the companies he works with.

Broadband franchise legislation or not, AT&T not expected to deploy broadband to Tennessee small towns

AT&T is threatening Tennessee lawmakers that it will not invest in deployment of broadband in smaller towns if the state legislature doesn't pass a state video franchise bill backed by the telco.

A lobbyist for local governments opposing the measure however says even if it were enacted, AT&T would continue to concentrate on large metro areas of the state and leave smaller towns on the dark side of the digital divide.

Which is likely true because similar statewide franchise bills such as California's Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006 (AB 2987) -- which was also sought by AT&T -- requires big providers to deploy broadband to just half of their service areas by 2012, leaving non-urban areas out in the cold.

Will Comcast seek California state charter?

As demand for broadband Internet access grows, California municipalities and counties will invariably find themselves under pressure to amend franchise agreements with cable companies like Comcast to require them to extend service to neighborhoods lacking cable access. Even areas where AT&T and other telcos provide broadband via Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) could clamor for cable service since it offers a proven bundle of television and Internet access at speeds higher than DSL.

But if they do, will Comcast and other cable providers tell California local governments to take a hike and opt to obtain a statewide franchise under legislation that took effect earlier this year, the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006?

Enacted last year as AB 2987, the law allows both cable and telephone companies to bypass local governments and instead obtain authority to offer video-capable broadband through franchises issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). But AB 2987 also allows cable companies to operate under existing local government franchise agreements if they choose. So far, Comcast is doing just that and has not applied for a statewide franchise from the CPUC. (To date, only one cable provider, Cox Communications, has applied for a statewide franchise.)

If enough California local governments pressure Comcast to build out its cable plant to provide service to more neighborhoods, Comcast could well opt for a state charter under AB 2987. The reason: the law has very limited build out requirements that require providers serve only half of their regional service areas by 2012. Opting for a statewide franchise would provide Comcast and other cable providers an easy exit from local political pressure to expand broadband access.