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Subject: Free nationwide wireless broadband coming?
Posted by: Perm Dude
- [2256610] Sat, Jun 07, 2008, 01:25
Came across this earlier today. Maybe the FTC is finally looking out for the "public" part of "public airwaves?" |
| 1 | Madman
ID: 230542010
Tue, Jun 10, 2008, 09:41
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FCC? Regardless, I'm not sure about this. If a major company came before my committee, asked me to circumvent public auction protocol in exchange for a reduced price to an incredibly useful bandwidth, I'd be naturally suspicious. When they told me that they were going to act in the public interest, holding themselves accountable, I'd ask what their business-model was. If they told me that they were going to pay for all of this by siphoning part of the bandwidth for their own purposes, my radar would go up.
Just because something is free and available to everyone doesn't mean that it is in the public's interest. The creation of monetary value through the profit motive carries with it many social goods ... cost minimization, resource exploitation, value creation (i.e., stock value that in turn fuels our retirement funds and defined-benefit pensions). "Public" in my mind means equal access contingent on ability and willingness to pay. Separately work out the safety net problems.
Those are just general thought. I'm no expert in this ... although I have been anticipating the uber-fast and access-anywhere second wave of internet access.
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Post a reply to this message: (But first, how about checking out this sponsor?)
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