Stumbled across this site. In part, it says:
The case is simple: Do you have a 45 Mbps, bi-directional service to your home, paying around $40? Do you have 500+ channels and can choose any competitive service? You paid an estimated $2000 for this product even though you did not receive it and it may never be available. Do you want your money back and the companies held accountable?
Background: Starting in the early 1990′s, the Clinton-Gore Administration had aggressive plans to create the “National Infrastructure Initiative” to rewire ALL of America with fiber optic wiring, replacing the 100 year old copper wire. The Bell companies — SBC, Verizon, BellSouth and Qwest, claimed that they would step up to the plate and rewire homes, schools, libraries, government agencies, businesses and hospitals, etc. if they received financial incentives.
Like any good consumer of moral outrage, I’m not going to bother to actually research to verify that any of this is true. I’m just going to accept what I’m told by a stranger and assume it’s true because it sure sounds likely. But at least I’m up front about it. :)
Courtesy of Idiot Programmer.
Ahh, but it ain’t really so simple.
OK, blame the companies. However, there should be some blame at least in part the idiotic government that gave money to the private sector in the first place, which they should never do in situations like this. Conversely, the private sector shouldn’t be taking handouts from the government in return for absolutely nothing. Legitimate contracts to build stuff to kill terrorists, OK. Roads, ok. Handouts to develop some sort of program…never. They’re both to blame for that one. That hacks me off as well.
BUT….how many places in the US now have high-speed internet that they never could have before? There were places in Dallas up to a couple of years ago where you couldn’t get a DSL line. The telephone company would tell you that it was coming, it just hadn’t been built yet. There are several places in Gonzales that now have high speed wireless internet out in the country because the cables are too expensive.
So maybe we the people did get some sort of benefit from this crap. It surely took them at least ten years to get all that infrastructure in place, that might only now be paying some dividends. Technology of that sort isn’t going to just pop up as soon as its funded, you must admit.
So it probably isn’t quite as bad as what it sounds. I still don’t like the gummint getting into stuff like that. If the market wants it, it will come. I’m starting to sound more Libertarian every day.
Damn revinooers. Damn gummint.