US/ND-4: Re: Welcome to Week Three of the On-line Seminar
Re: Welcome to Week Three of the On-line Seminar
Ronda Hauben (rh120@columbia.edu)
Mon, 16 Sep 1996 08:04:32 -0400 (EDT)
Responding to: thibbs@k12.colostate.edu (Tom Hibbs)
>Don't compete with private resources, but provide money to buy from those
>resources. Then we will actually
>generate universal services. The grants should include a "real" resource
>for support!
Something seems very wrong with this as a model. The home telephone
user (previously those who had to have low rates available to be
able to make a system of universal service function) now are being
asked to bear the cost on their home phone bills of subsidizing
free or low cost access for schools, libraries, and other non profit
corporations so that these entities can buy from private companies.
Instead of the private sector having any social obligations they
are to be subsidized by the public sector and the cost is to
be born by the home phone user which leads to the destruction of
what is in reality universal service.
All these gifts to the private sector are just public subsidy of
the private sector, which shows it in fact isn't so private
after all.
Instead it is public financial support of those with no public obligation,
and thus a drain on the whole society.
That is why the model of a regulated AT&T was something that worked,
as opposed to taking off the regulation but giving financial subsidies to
private companies who can do what they want but have a financial
interest in promoting privatization and advertising, and all sorts
of commercial ventures.
Isn't this what the new telecommunications act, passed without any
public comment, sets up.
Doesn't there need to be an online public hearing sponsored by
the FCC of home users, ie of those for whom the loss of universal
service is an issue?
To have this online seminar claiming to be about universal service,
but which substitutes home phone users subsidizing schools and libraries
etc. without an open online hearing (without any moderator) on the
real issue of universal service meaning providing the same low cost
POTS around the U.S. -- is to leave the FCC rulemaking proceedure
process without the input of those for whom universal service (and
its loss) is most important.
[Moderator's Note: The present seminar is on the topic of Universal
Service subsidies for schools and libraries, as defined in the current
Telecommunications Act. I hope this point is clear in the material
on the seminar's Web site.]
And it is no surprise that we are being presented with various manner
and means to have the FCC write rules that will subsidize the commercial
sector in various ways and take away universal service from the home
user, by encouraging schools and libraries to help carry out the
change.
It is crucial that there be a means of maintaining POTS and of
having the commercial sector subsidize school and library
and home use, rather than talking of bringing subsidies to the
private sector.
Ronda
rh120@columbia.edu
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Amateur Computerist vol 7 no 1
Netizens and Online Access
articles about the history of Cleveland Freenet, Canadian Community Networking
Access for All from Germany etc write for free copy ronda@umcc.umich.edu