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story category Rural Broadband Funding Push
After seeing 50% slash, some funding restored
(old news - 06:29PM Friday Nov 07 2003)
tags: bandwidth · Politics
Though funding for rural broadband development was recently slashed in half, a new legislative push to save much of the funding may assist broadband have-nots. The Department of Agriculture’s rural broadband loan program recently went through the legislative shredder, with program spending slashed from $20 million to $9 million annually (see our recent report on the spat between the Wireless Communications Association and the Rural Broadband Coalition). Late yesterday the Senate passed a bill that would get back at least some of that funding. According to RCR Wireless news, the bill, sponsored by Senators Byron Dorgan (D-S.D.) and Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), would plug six million in funding back into the program, and almost double the program's loan authority.

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  5. Wednesday Evening Links
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  7. Avoiding A $300 Million Broadband Mapping Boondoggle
  8. Verizon Continues Proud History Of Denial
Forums » Rural Broadband Funding Push
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Post a:
IIdeathboyII

join:2003-07-26
Nicholasville, KY

Broad band in the boones?....Highly unlikely

Yea, Ive lived in Daniel boone country for...well my entire life now. After calling several isps, cable companys, and my phone company and having all of the above listed corporatoins tell me that they don't see broadband ever coming to our area; i will be extremely suprised to see anything of the sort come my way...if at all someone elses : /
--
_Dont Steal...The Goverment hates competition_

SuperJudge
Magus
Premium
join:2002-11-14
Albany, GA
clubs:

Re: Broad band in the boones?....Highly unlikely

I figure when all the new wireless technologies and stuff like powerline braodband becomes half way stable, you'll get something.
--
MediaXPeer
Estragon

join:2003-06-20
Greenville, NH

Mixed up Priorities

87 billion for the Iraqi's, and we can't even find 20 million for rural Americans.

Omega
Displaced Ohioan
Premium
join:2002-07-30
Cheyenne, WY
clubs:
·Verizon Wireless B..
·Comcast
·AT&T Midwest

Re: Mixed up Priorities

said by Estragon See Profile:
87 billion for the Iraqi's, and we can't even find 20 million for rural Americans.

Couldn't have said it better myself.
--
"The doctor's X-Rayed my head and found nothing"

broadbndgeek
Premium
join:2000-08-03
Graham, WA

Re: Mixed up Priorities

Forget foreign affairs, what about domestic affairs? What about America? Don't we too have a country to run and build? I pay taxes, I want to see my tax dollars come to the community not go half way across the globe to finish "daddy's war".

my 2 cents.
--
100% ATM Backbone Travelage!(Transedge/NewEdge Style!).

David
Last man standing
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join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL
clubs:
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·AT&T Midwest

Re: Mixed up Priorities

said by broadbndgeek See Profile:
Forget foreign affairs, what about domestic affairs? What about America? Don't we too have a country to run and build? I pay taxes, I want to see my tax dollars come to the community not go half way across the globe to finish "daddy's war".

my 2 cents.

That my friends we decide in the polls next year..
--
Fast and furious!! 225lbs lost and a future that I never dreamed of... Whodathunkit??

lxAstrosxl
Premium
join:2000-10-13
Carol Stream, IL
clubs:

Re: Mixed up Priorities

DEMOCRATIC BABY!!!

I can't wait to see this joke of a president bush out of office.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Re: Mixed up Priorities

Though I agree with you (about wanting him out), to be fair, it was one of the more solid things Bush assisted with, by passing the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 in the first place....

Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus

join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
it doesn't matter who is in office the Telco's et al will pay off whom ever is in power.
moonpuppy

join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL

said by lxAstrosxl See Profile:
DEMOCRATIC BABY!!!

I can't wait to see this joke of a president bush out of office.

Maybe the inventor of the internet gore will develop some magical way for broadband to be delivered into rural areas.
lesopp

join:2001-06-27
Land O Lakes, FL
Go ahead and throw your vote away, you will still have to wait 4 more years.

lxAstrosxl
Premium
join:2000-10-13
Carol Stream, IL
clubs:

Re: Mixed up Priorities

I'd rather be Jackson then a f*cked up Calhoun.
Brisk
Qwest's Spirit Of Service Inaction

join:2003-07-11
Colorado Springs, CO
clubs:

Re: Mixed up Priorities

(from last week's SNL)

"...by next summer, every home in Iraq will have central air conditioning and high-speed broadband internet access."

And that didn't even sound sarcastic.
klross32148

join:2003-02-23
Jacksonville, FL

Just take 1% out of the 396 billion dollar defense budget and you can feed most of America. Kind of annoys me that we "have" to keep troops station in countries like Japan or Korea, there is just no need anymore. Other countries do not want us there, and most Americans do not want us there.

I'm also curious, do you guys think that World War 3 is ever going to happen? America seems to think so if they're going to pump this much cash in defense... I think that the world is civilized, not full of barbarians, but I guess Bush thinks otherwise.

brandon
Some truth included in this post.
Premium
join:2003-03-31
Hurley, MS

-nah, nevermind.
lesopp

join:2001-06-27
Land O Lakes, FL

Is this intentional misinformation or do you just know the facts?

$65.6 billion: Military Costs: The majority of the proposal is for the Department of Defense:
$41.1 billion: Ops & maint.
$17.8 billIon: Personnel costs
$5.4 billion: Procurement
$624 million: Fuel and repairs
$412 million: Construction
$360 million: Other

$20.3 billion: Reconstruction costs: Funds go to the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund for use by the Coalition Provisional Authority.
$5.67 billIon: Electricity
$5.13 billion: Security (justice system and Iraqi police)
$3.7 billion: Public works
$2.1 billion: Rehabilitate and repair oil infrastructure
$875 million: Water resources
$850 million: Health
$835 million: Transportation and telecommunications
$470 million: Housing
$353 million: Private sector
$300 million: Human rights

Source: msnbc.com

nunya
SEE ROCK CITY 475 MILES
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
clubs:
·AT&T CallVantage

bahhhh

All the money goes to corporations who need it the least. I'm trying to push broadband into the "boonies" myself. When I went to fill out the paperwork for this program, it became painfully clear that this is intended for large corporations and not the little people actually bringing broadband out rural areas.
So what it does is give larger companies an unfair advantage over me. They get free venture capital while I'm working 16 hrs a day trying to scrape it together.
--
The fighter still remains. Ethanol doesn't fund terrorist nations. »www.e85fuel.com/

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Host:
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Re: bahhhh

Ironic if say a bell is getting subsidized to deploy to rural areas they wouldn't deploy to because they were waiting for "regulatory clarity". They'd in essence be paid to hold off deployments in a sense....

Though I think many of these loans are either going to communities or small providers.....what hurdles did you face?

Dewi
Premium
join:2001-09-28
united kingd
·BT Broadband
·Mediacom

Re: bahhhh

Sort of like the infamous (much mangled by me) Alfalfa analogy (credit I think to the Novel Catch 22).

Farmer John gets paid $1000 by the government not to grow Alfalfa on his 5 acres. There is too much Alfalfa. Farm John takes the $1000 not to grow Alfalfa and buys an another acre, not to grow Alfalfa on. Next year, the government pays Farmer John $1250 not to grow Alfalfa on 6 acres. There is to much Alfalfa. Next Year Farm John buys an additional 1.25 acres not to grow Alfalfa on ... (etc etc etc)

nunya
SEE ROCK CITY 475 MILES
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
clubs:
·AT&T CallVantage

It's not going to Bells. It's going to "Mom-and-Pop" ILECs and Co-op's who have no intention of promoting "real" broadband. Some of the hurdles are catches such as the population of the town (and adjoining towns), free service to schools, libraries, etc...
--
The fighter still remains. Ethanol doesn't fund terrorist nations. »www.e85fuel.com/

oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA

Re: bahhhh

There should be no federal funding of this crap. Of local municipalities are interested in deployment, let THEM build a muni broadband network and let THEM pay for it.

What luxury should be taxpayer funded next? Cell phones?
--
Don't get it, demand it! The Anime Network »www.theanimenetwork.com/index.html

ooluser

@optonline.net

Re: bahhhh

Don't you realise that without government funding, we wouldn't have a lot of the things we have today. I'm quite sure that power and telephone service was rolled out on government funds, contracted to the companies.

This is the same way, in the 21st century we need government funding to better improve our communications. How in god's name are we going to live in the coming years on century old copper lines that are way past there usage limits. Copper was designed for analog telegraph and voice communications, not transferring files around the world via computer.

It's time we upgrade our copper with an unlimited source of bandwidth, fiber optics. It's only limited by the hardware at both ends which can be easily upgraded over time.

-Tom

oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA

Re: bahhhh

LOL. Yeah, we would lose some corporate welfare and perhaps be able to get more tax money returned to those that paid it. You can't equate broadband deployment with police or other essential services.

Who paid for your OOL service deployment? Uh, customers like you did...along with private investors.

So why while Cablevision pays for its deployment should another profit laden corporation get free money at the taxpayer's expense.

If these people in the boonies want broadband, let then ban together and pay for it through either a WISP or muni network...or wait for other private interests to deploy. It's not the job of joe taxpayer to fund people's luxuries.
--
Don't get it, demand it! The Anime Network »www.theanimenetwork.com/index.html

new2it
Premium
join:2001-10-06
midwest

Re: bahhhh

You know what, I happen to agree with this. I live in the boonies, have for many years. Its very peaceful out here.
The last thing I want is for Uncle Sam to become my neighbor. When I got tired of dial up speeds, I went for broke and went on satellite. Yep its much more expensive, but I, and not the taxpayers am paying for it. Why the hell should they? I chose to live here. If your going to buy property, and high speed internet is important to you, U just best pass up that little place in the country, cause that just ain't gonna happen.
--
Earthlink.winXP,G11,Frequency1410

oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA

Re: bahhhh

In many areas, WISP is a excellent cost effective solution. In my neighborhood we all got tired of waiting for cable and DSL and 2 guys got together and started a WISP. Now that Comcast is here, they're still profitable charging only $25/mo for up to 1500/1500 service. Typical speeds when I had it were 1200/600...for $25 that's a great deal and they didn't care what you did so long as they didn't go to jail

Problem is people always look to gov't to solve their problems for them when the best way to solve problems is to use our freedom and fix it for ourselves.

That said, once a muni is set up or a neighborhood WISP is established they should be aggressively protected by antitrust law as what typically happens is a big company finally shows up and levies predatory pricing just long enough to run the small business under.
--
Don't get it, demand it! The Anime Network »www.theanimenetwork.com/index.html

Spiro0

join:2003-08-04
Austin, TX
-- What luxury should be taxpayer funded next? Cell phones?

This probably happened already.

nunya
SEE ROCK CITY 475 MILES
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
clubs:
·AT&T CallVantage

If you can find a way to make full fiber deployment profitable in low population areas, I'm all ears.
Most of the nations infrastructure was built without government funding. Some notable exceptions would be the REA and the TVA which usually went to co-ops.
I don't thing the M.O.T is the issue. People don't care how they get their connection, just as long as they get one at a reasonable price.
Why should the government be handing out tax dollars to corporation worth millions when people like me are trying to roll out with sweat equity and hard work? Maybe I'm bitchy because I don't qualify. Why give money to the companies that already can afford deployment? If they don't see fit to deploy now, give it a while and I (or someone like me) will. It's a capitalist economy. If the big guys don't want the risk, I do. This is America for goodness sakes.
--
The fighter still remains. Ethanol doesn't fund terrorist nations. »www.e85fuel.com/
jimahrens

join:2002-05-30
Owego, NY

Re: bahhhh

shoot all the polititions
then line up the laywers
ummm...then what?

zroach

@NIPR.MIL

To add my $.02
I just signed up with a Wireless ISP this weekend. A man and his son run it part-time. I get good speeds; not as fast as cable but a heck of a lot better than dial-up. It costs me less then cable would (if I could get it), but I can upgrade my speeds for a higher price if I wanted. Just this year, 3 Wireless ISPs started operating in my area. These guys just happened to be the ones with the best signal to my house. All of the companies are looking for locations where they can put repeaters. It won't be long before most of my area is covered.
Most of the time, capitalism works (some times just a bit slowly).
BosstonesOwn

join:2002-12-15
Everett, MA
clubs:
you and me both bud...
pureDizzo

join:2002-12-08
Scottsboro, AL

Re: bahhhh

Rural areas is a problem. But what gets me pissed to the point of insanity is WHY in the world. In the metro/town area where we have cable/dsl do they not offer any faster speeds to compete with other broadband providers. For example. I have 512x256 and pay $28.00 a month, while charter in this area offers 1.5x128 for maybe $35.00-45.00...
I cant get charter due to an appartment contract with the city power board. So im stuck until I get a house. But still why cant the power board offer more bandwidth to thier customers when they have a monopoly of the town by offering cheap service for a cheap price. And if so many people are with the power board then that means the available bandwidth is even more clogged, which in turn more crappy speeds and packet loss issues. They have other providers like CenturyTel DSL scared off, making them think they cant pay for thier hardlines and upgrading thier Central offices DSLAM in the long run in fear of not having enough customers to foot the bill... 5 miles down the road you can get dsl with Ctel. 5 miles back this way you cant. Its just as populated. I dont understand the minds in control of the IT industry. If it were my buisness Id have broadband funding pumping, homes in all areas broadband ready, and people of all ages would be satisfied.
Forums » Rural Broadband Funding Push


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