[asterisk-biz] The death of Free conference calls?

[Steve Totaro]

On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 5:12 AM, Dovid Bender <asterisk at dovid.net> wrote:

>  Anyone see this?****
>
>
> http://www.telecomlawmonitor.com/uploads/file/ICC_USF%20Executive%20Summary%281%29.pdf
> ****
>
> ** **
>
> Look at page 5 section 17.****
>
>
Got to love free markets....

Why should anyone have to subsidize broadband in the boonies?  It there is
a market, it will be filled.

Some REGULATION is a good thing, but incentives should be dictated by the
market, meaning it will turn a profit after the initial investment of build
out.

I remember the Philly government wanting to blanket the city or at least
center city with Wifi on the taxpayer's dime.

I spend alot of time in Philly and know some companies directly and many
others indirectly that were in the process of doing this for profit, using
their own resources.  They ran the numbers and figured with the cost of
build out and the number of projected subscribers at a multi tiered price
point, it made business sense to invest.

Then the city steps up with grand plans to tax everyone and give it away,
or maybe even charge for the service.

I didn't follow the outcome, but I personally know half a dozen people that
had their money invested in a free market venture that made sense and were
at risk of losing that market and all the money invested in market
analysis, planning, and actually starting to roll out Wifi.

Needless to say, they were not too happy, and neither was I, even though I
was not directly impacted, as a trend, the government makes it harder and
harder to meet the entry barriers, then you have to compete with them?

Like USPS, it loses good money over bad and competes with FedEx and UPS.
It will never be allowed to fail, but I am not so sure about FedEx or UPS.
The government might try to bail them out or whatever, but I would think it
would make more sense for them to bring them under USPS and have something
that was designed to profit, not just deliver parcels.

Anyways, enough ranting about government intrusion on consumer (businesses
included) affairs.

Just pick up my trash, be around to put out fires, plow the roads, keep
them in working order.  Stick to the basics that the citizens need to be
able to have a free market.

Thanks,
Steve T
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