Sorry Scott - Offbase You Are
In reference to [and a hat tip to Save The Internet] a Washington Post article by Blaine Harden “Japan’s Warp-Speed Ride To Internet Future” Scott Cleland points out that “As a champion of Japanese-style competition through regulation, {Google’s} Cerf supports “net neutrality” legislation now pending in Congress. It would mandate that phone and cable companies treat all online traffic equally, without imposing higher tolls for certain content. The proposed laws would probably save billions for companies such as Google.”
Then he pompously states;
“It is instructive that the Washington Post sees through Google’s self-serving consumer rhetoric and spotlights that Google has a big financial interest in passing net neutrality legislation.
- Simply, Google wants to legislate a multi-billion dollar corporate welfare scheme that would effectively transfer wealth from the American consumer to Google all in the name of “consumer protection”.
- Yet another way that Google’s services are not really “free.”
I don’t think you’ve quite got it there Scott. I’m sure the billions Google would save would be the “higher tolls for certain content” excess blackmail costs resulting from the hijacking of Internet users’ access to that “certain content” by the major monopolistic Telcos. As if those Telcos wouldn’t rather “transfer wealth from the American consumer.” Please…
Nice Try Scott - I certainly hope most see through that lame spin and it doesn’t work.
Now, for those who really care about such wonderful things as opportunity in the Land of the Free, listen up, from the same Washington Post article;
“Broadband service here is eight to 30 times as fast as in the United States — and considerably cheaper. Japan has the world’s fastest Internet connections, delivering more data at a lower cost than anywhere else, recent studies show.
Accelerating broadband speed in this country — as well as in South Korea and much of Europe — is pushing open doors to Internet innovation that are likely to remain closed for years to come in much of the United States.
The speed advantage allows the Japanese to watch broadcast-quality, full-screen television over the Internet, an experience that mocks the grainy, wallet-size images Americans endure.
Ultra-high-speed applications are being rolled out for low-cost, high-definition teleconferencing, for telemedicine — which allows urban doctors to diagnose diseases from a distance — and for advanced telecommuting to help Japan meet its goal of doubling the number of people who work from home by 2010.
“For now and for at least the short term, these applications will be cheaper and probably better in Japan,” said Robert Pepper, senior managing director of global technology policy at Cisco Systems, the networking giant.”
Really?
“Ultra-high-speed applications are being rolled out for low-cost, high-definition teleconferencing, for telemedicine — which allows urban doctors to diagnose diseases from a distance — and for advanced telecommuting to help Japan meet its goal of doubling the number of people who work from home by 2010.”
Really? Please, let me say it again - wake up America! We’re being robbed!
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9 opinions for Sorry Scott - Offbase You Are
Scott Cleland
Aug 31, 2007 at 9:48 am
Given that we disagree over this part of the article I thought you would like to see what else I posted about in that Post article that should have been labeled a “news analysis.”
http://www.precursorblog.com/node/505
mark
Aug 31, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Scott,
I appreciate you dropping by - truthfully! I’ll need a bit of time to read and digest what you’ve referenced although I’ve seen most of it before.
Can’t say I’ll be ready to change my mind anytime soon :)
Primarily because of statements like this;
“Why not check the latest FCC data and quote that? Because that data proves that broadband competition is flourishing and increasing.”
Why don’t you offer us the data Scott - seriously… give us a link or post a screenshot or something that will definitively show these “facts” to us. I’m having a very difficult time with this “competition” talk. You don’t honestly expect silly ole everyday citizen like me to believe there is plenty of competition with the likes of AT&T and Verizon, now do you?
Scott Cleland
Sep 7, 2007 at 7:01 am
apologies for taking a while to respond…
Its important to remember that telephone and cable companies USED to be monopolies but are certainly not now since the 1996 Telecom Act replaced monopoly with competition.
The facts are overwhelming that competition is working. The US has the most facilities based broadband competition in the world. Cable companies have lost over 30 million customers to Direct Broadcast Satellite competitors. AT&T, Verizon and other telcos have lost tens of millions of lines to competitors. No US wireless provider has more than 27% share a much less concentrated market than any other in the world. Your view of the communications world may be a decade out of date. Is it perfect of course not. Is it very competitive and more competitive every day? yes!
How is that for evidence. if you want a link go to the FCC report. http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-270128A1.pdf
Zac
Sep 9, 2007 at 11:48 am
Any INDEPENDENT reports on competition, rather than some random facts and a report from a government department?
mark
Sep 9, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Scott? Care to respond to Zac?
I downloaded that report and will be reading it. I’ll admit to being not very interested in reading material of that nature but it’s worth it so I will.
I have one very quick thought - what the he** do you mean - “used to be monopolies?” Come on Scott, we all know the Baby Bells are almost all back under the same umbrella again! That’s old history today… If they’re not the same monopoly they once were they’re certainly working on it.
Second thought - “facts are overwhelming?” That had better be a very loud validation, very loud! And somehow, I don’t think it will be…
Third thought - “Cable companies have lost over 30 million customers to Direct Broadcast Satellite competitors.” You didn’t really think the U.S. public consumer was going to completely sit back and let themselves get screwed over and over, did you? Seems to me AT&T et al, earned this in spades.
DPH
Sep 10, 2007 at 6:24 pm
You shouldn’t dignify Cleland with an argument. He is a paid shill for the telcos, wireless and cable companies. Via Netcompetition.org and the Precursor blog he is doing what bad admen have done for years — try to spin the truth into a lie. Cleland has told Congress and said in many interviews that the only way to protect online competition is to allow the telcos to charge service premiums on those who have services with which they would like to compete. Verizon wants to do video online and, if they get their way, they will be able to force every other would be competitor to pay more than themselves. That won’t competition that will be restraint of trade. And after living through the fiasco of how telcos handled early ISDN and DSL — purely to choke out competitors — there should be no reason to believe they will behave any differently this time around.
Finally, Cleland’s fact-putting about competition doesn’t address the key issue of the post article — why does Japan have an internet 30 times faster than is available in the US? And it isn’t just Japan, Europe is much faster as well. Hell, N. Korea has a faster internet than we do. A fellow journalist recently returned from NORTH Korea and spoke to me about the internet they have there and their backbone allows individual homes to have connections 5-6 times faster than the FIOS system now being touted as the best broadband system in the US.
Perhaps Cleland shouldn’t be ashamed. I’m sure he is earning a healthy paycheck to shovel crap for US telcos. But our regulatory agencies and lawmakers should certainly be ashamed if they swallow it.
mark
Sep 10, 2007 at 6:59 pm
DPH,
Welcome to Workboxers. I don’t normally approve this nature of comment. Why am I this time? I have a true challenge - I don’t know everything, lol.
So, I’m asking you to offer some support of your own for what you have commented here about Mr. Cleland. I’m not saying I doubt you. I’ve seen the surname Cleland in the past year or so and I thought it might be related to this argument… but I couldn’t be certain.
I’m more than happy to become involved with folks like him. I feel that those of us who can damn well ought to remain involved with this Net Neutrality deal.
There are two sides here. Duh. One of us is lying and the other is telling the truth. Normal stuff eh? Unfortunately, the American public (consumer) isn’t seeing this at a level that would force its truthful conclusion (imho).
So, I need your help. I don’t know you either. Your initials don’t help. Your Arin Whois info determined that your IP is a division of Verizon and you’ve mentioned them in your comment. Help me know and understand how you’ve developed this information about Cleland so I can pass it on to my readers loudly and clearly.
In the meantime I’ll Google him and see what I come up with.
Thanks,
Mark
mark
Sep 10, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Well, well… already found enough to offer some strong support to your statements.
Testimony Before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, February 11th, 2004
and
Molly Wood
and!!! How about this??? Scott Cleland’s backers!!!
Wow…
DPH, I have a feeling I’ll find you in this research but whatever you wish to send along, please do.
The Reality of Net Neutrality!
Sep 17, 2007 at 8:40 am
[…] Healthy competition Scott - healthy competition. I know the research has been done, I’ve read yours, I don’t have another. I’ll find others but reality is that the “competition” people like Scott Cleland speak of is actually managed and controlled by the larger Telcoms therefore they aren’t true, healthy competition. […]
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