[*] isen.blog: Broadband without Internet ain't worth squat

[Bill Reid]

Tom Poe wrote:
> Bill Reid wrote:
>> Tom Poe wrote:
>>
>>> Broadband without Internet is a phrase often used to describe 
>>> decentralized telecommunications.  Isenberg seems determined to frame 
>>> the issue in terms favorable to the incumbents.  Or, maybe I'm too 
>>> locked into conspiracy tendencies.
>>> Tom
>>>
>> I do not quite understand why you think he is framing it "in terms 
>> favorable to the incumbents". Isenberg is not a fan of phone or cable 
>> companies.
>>
>> -- Bill
>>
> 
> Here's the key passage that leaves me wondering what Isenberg is up to:
> <quote>
> I repeat, Most of the time when we say Broadband we mean High
> Speed Connections to the Internet. Broadband is synecdoche.
> 
...
> The Internet does that. Broadband by itself is not
> disruptive; the Internet is.
> <end quote>
> 
> Congress listened to promises of video phones in 1992 from incumbents, 
> available to everyone by the end of the decade.  It never happened.  
> Centralized control seems to be the singular cause.  Today, we have a 
> choice between centralized control and decentralized control, founded in 

I assume you have not read Isenberg's essay:
http://www.rageboy.com/stupidnet.html

It very clearly discusses the failure of central control and the huge 
advantage of decentralized control(i.e. the Internet)


> Whether a "last mile" solution of fiber-to-the-home, or wifi, or wimax, 
> or combinations.  For something less than $50 (one-time-fee) per house,

I have trouble believing that number. $50 does not buy much these days. 
The number that is usually quoted is much higher than that(certainly for 
FTTH).

> a community establishes a local broadband infrastructure without 
> Internet access.  Once in place, that local broadband infrastructure 
> provides many generations of residents with free local 
> telecommunications, and no technical expertise is needed to operate and 

The whole point of the text that you quoted was that a local broadband 
infrastructure is not of much interest without Internet.

Isenberg talks extensively on local broadband and even has organized 
conferences on this topic.

Freedom to Connect  http://freedom-to-connect.net/

-- Bill