SCOPE of US SUBSIDIES and video

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Bob Carlitz and Information Renaissance, you are providing an
outstanding public service.  The seminar, its resources, and
participants are fascinating, maybe too much so for my limited  
time and knowledge of network communications.

This is my first and unfortunately my last contribution to
the Seminar.  I must drop out.  Given the volume of down loading,
printing, reading, and studying for the seminar and the demands of my
job, I can not continue.  But before I go, here some rambling thoughts
and questions!

Re:  SCOPE of Universal Service Subsidies

I agree with the several who have advocated discounts for All Available
Services (such as voice-data-video), as opposed to discounts for Limited
and Identified Services (such as text based Internet).

Having said this, I have one major question with many small parts which
relate to my special area of interest:  Public, educational, and
governmental (PEG) access programming which is generated by schools and
libraries for viewers of cable TV.

In reference to Universal Service provision of the new law,

- What are "telecommunications services" and particularly what are      
	"advanced telecommunications and information services"?
-	Do these either of these concepts, now or in the future, encompass
	video programming such is now produced by library patrons/school
	students and distributed over PEG access channels on cable TV?
- How about the same programming which the public can view over open
	video systems (OVS) operated by common carriers?  What exactly are OVSs
	and common carriers?
-	Is an I-net an "advance" telecom service?  I am told that I-nets use
	several cable TV channels to carry advanced data and graphical services
	between local schools, libraries, and other community institutions.

With federal and state (in NH) deregulation, providers of communication/ 
information services over wire are beginning to deliver both "cable TV"
and "phone".  Cable TV subscribers have had the benefit of federally
mandated, local franchising to ensure that schools and libraries may
provide and receive access channel programming.  Access channel
provision is ensured only through generous political will on the local
level, though.  On the other hand, residents of low population density
areas (often including their schools and libraries) have no cable
service and, therefore, no way to receive PEG access channel
programming.  Even in a small community, there can be significant
numbers of households which have no opportunity for cable and PEG access
programming.  Partly due to Universal Service subsidies, these same
cable TV "have nots" do have phone service.

As the "access manager" of our local PEG access channel, I am wondering
whether there is anything in the Universal Service provision that will
empower our school students and library patrons to send their video
messages over wire to the cable TV "have nots" in our community?  Do
these citizen producers of video have to await the economic feasibility
of TV cable reaching all homes, or for high speed data/phone lines in a 
universal-service-subsidized, telco world to give the cable "have nots"
WWW access to video via the home page of the local school or library?    

Under Section 254, UNIVERSAL SERVICE, (c) Definition: (1) In General,
there is mention of an "...evolving level of telecommunication services
..." that could receive support depending on the extent that certain
conditions exist.  Four conditions are specified.  Some time in the
future, would this provision be applicable to gaining subsidization for
extending advanced video services to phone customers living in remote
parts of communities where cable TV operators refuse to serve because of
low-density-mile?

If all this is soo far out to left field, please do not attempt to
answer all these questions over the seminar mailing list.  I don't want
to waste busy people's time.  However, I'd be pleased to hear from
anyone who wants to e-mail me directly!

Wally Stuart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wallace S. Stuart, Access Manager
Plymouth Community Channel 3
Pease Public Library
1 Russell Street
Plymouth, NH  03264-1414	e-mail: wstuart@psc.plymouth.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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