 
rstrandb
Premium
join:2003-04-17
Albany, GA
 ·Mediacom
| This is how it should be..... The government should keep their hands off and let this technology evolve freely....as it should in a free market society. By allowing the people to choose, then companies will be forced to gravitate to what works best....and not be tied to government regs.
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Deep thanks to the people who defend America from those who would do us harm. | |
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platinumsun
Photographer For Life
join:2003-08-29
Houston, TX | true true I agree whole heartedly. Only with competition and barely any regulation at all comes innovation. | |
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Minister
join:2002-01-02
Fleeting
| This "Panel"... Why do I feel like if I spent five minutes exploring this panel, I'd find they all worked for, or are influenced by, telecom industry profit?
No big deal, but naturally regulation is bad for profit, and therefore a study by individuals whose primary concern is profit is pointless.
I'm sure Consumer groups are well represented on said panel and my concerns are simply hysteria.
Seems like there's a middle ground between letting companies run amok, and regulating them into the ground we're not striking; primarily because only one side of the debate is giving their input. | |
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John Galt
Forward, March
Premium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
 ·CenturyLink
| Re: This "Panel"... said by Minister  :my concerns are simply hysteria.
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A is A | |
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Minister
join:2002-01-02
Fleeting | Re: This "Panel"... Rosebud!
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John Galt
Forward, March
Premium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp | Re: This "Panel"...  | |
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korym
Go Wisp's
ExMod 1999-03
join:1999-12-23
Richmond, VA
clubs:
| It'll be interesting... ...to see how the independent WISPs might be affected by this task force. There's been a lot of discussion recently on various WISP-related mailing lists about the need to promote opportunities for the small providers working hard to provide wireless broadband service in rural and remote areas. IMHO, these are the only groups capable of making it happening affordably and efficiently for their subscribers.
I sincerely hope it works out for the small WISPs.
Just my two cents, of course.
Regards,
Kory
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WISP News, Start a WISP, WISP Classifieds | |
| | zentec
join:2002-01-05
Monroe, MI
·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: It'll be interesting... The only way it'll work for WISPs is for the FCC to start a new service and set the parameters for licensees so they can exclude telcom interests AND provide the benefits of licensing. It won't be long before the telcom players buy out these small companies, but at least it'll be nice while it lasts.
Before anyone jumps in here saying it needs to be unregulated, let me suggest you consider how difficult it would be to get funding for a business that relies upon Part 15 rules and regulations. There is no way you'll get anything beyond what is in existence now because there is no injunctive relief for spectrum and interference disputes.
If approached carefully, this could be a very good opportunity for significant high speed wireless systems. Approached in our typical political process, it'll be a great opportunity for SBC to further lock out competitors or at least neuter the technology. | |
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korym
Go Wisp's
ExMod 1999-03
join:1999-12-23
Richmond, VA
clubs:
| Re: It'll be interesting... said by zentec :Before anyone jumps in here saying it needs to be unregulated, let me suggest you consider how difficult it would be to get funding for a business that relies upon Part 15 rules and regulations. Ummm...tell the several thousand WISPs that have successfully deployed throughout the U.S. and Canada alike. There are numerous WISP-related directories on the Web that highlight WISPs offering service over unlicensed gear, i.e. equipment that fall under Part 15. These organizations are making good revenue and are proven themselves to be investment opportunities or even viable acquisition prospects. In addition to the millions of dollars invested in various equipment offerings by large manufacturers such as Alvarion, SmartBridges, Proxim, Trango, etc.
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WISP News, Start a WISP, WISP Classifieds | |
| | | | zentec
join:2002-01-05
Monroe, MI
·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: It'll be interesting... Several thousand, maybe. But they are not serious players in the ISP industry nor do they exist in major markets. That's because they can't exist in the RF jungle environments where they share the band with ISM users.
The only way it'll work and become mainstream is to make serious inroads into major markets, and it won't happen unlicensed. Otherwise, it's a fragmented industry with small players. As an aside, maybe that's to the benefit of rural areas where WIPs have their greatest strengths.
These WISPs may be investment opportunities, but please show me a venture capital group that's going to pour millions into a business that could literally be taken down due to the installation of a frequency coordinated industrial RF process. Once that risk is vetted-out, their interest will turtle like a nudist at the north pole.
Notwithstanding, I HOPE WISPs are able to make it work. But my experience in RF tells me that without a license, these ISPs will only be major players in rural underserved markets. Don't get me wrong, that's an important niche to fill and it can be profitable. A license in a coordinated bandplan is a tangible asset that will push the WISP industry even further. Otherwise, it'll be what it is today. | |
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johnscrivner
@mvn.net
 from:
korym
| I operate a WISP in Southern Illinois that serves several hundred users. We have received federal funding to expand rural broadband in one community. We currently have broadband wireless delivered over unlicensed frequencies for about 17 communities in the area. There are literally thousands of WISPs working hard to continue the expansion of rural broadband. Whether they are venture funded or not does not take away their significance. I am not looking for venture funding myself. I am growing my business with federal funds and with money I am borrowing myself. While I agree a WISP band would be ideal I believe we can do just fine with the newly exapnded unlicensed offerings we will see soon from the FCC and with coordinated efforts to work together through our new trade asssociation, WISPA, Wireless Internet Service Providers Association. WISPA will be working to develop a strategy for best practices and frequency coordination by WISP operators. We believe this will strengthen our position and help our image in the telecommunications industry to prove once and for all that WISPs are significant broadband players.
John Scrivner
WISP | |
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superdog
I Need A Drink
Premium,MVM
join:2001-07-13
Lebanon, PA
| said by zentec :Several thousand, maybe. But they are not serious players in the ISP industry nor do they exist in major markets. Please don't take this personal, as this is simply a debate on good terms, But You are wrong:). There are quite a few huge WISP's that cover 3 or 4 states and have subscribers above the 10,000 mark. While I would agree with You that the ISM bands are cluttered, it is nothing that proper engineering and a smart mind can't overcome. Every day the amount of people using wireless grows by leaps and bounds!;)
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»www.wavecrazy.net | |
| | | | | cwu46
join:2002-04-11
Chicago, IL
| Hi Zentec,
Having operated/deployed/built systems in both licensed and license-exempt bands, I can attest to the fact that license-exempt technology has it's own set of unique challenges. But licensed bands are not exactly a "holy grail" - and writing off license-exempt technologies would be a serious mistake.
In 2002 alone, amidst the "telecom meltdown" - In-Stadt MDR estimated that in North America alone, there were over 1500 independent WISPs w/ aggregate annual access revenues in excess of $250 million. Guess what, over 90% of them were using license-exempt technologies (while the remaining 10% using licensed technologies were going bankrupt)
License-exempt "waste" spectrum today is utilized in wireless broadband networks that provide not just last-mile connectivity, but last 30-50 mile connectivity. WISPs today number in the thousands, as the proprietary BWA PtMP hardware infrastructure for North America in 2004 has exceeded $100 million (which doesn't even count the WISPs that use Wi-Fi), and aggregate North American annual BWA access revenues (again, mostly served by license-exempt technology) have been projected by Jupiter Research to exceed $1 billion in 2005.
As for venture groups and WISPs, I at one time operated a license-exempt WISP in the third largest city in the US (I sold it last year to such a group). It is still running, and growing.
One of my current customers is a major national CLEC, who is looking back into wireless as it has seen Towerstream (another venture funded license-exempt WISP) and several
other WISPs destroy its T1 sales in Boston
If you want to learn more about how license-exempt technology is flourishing, I suggest that you check out WISPA (»www.wispa.org) and perhaps look into the upcoming WISPNOG (»www.wispnog.com) symposium.
-Charles | |
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mrbumkus
@hpnx.com
from:
korym
| While access to licensed frequencies at a decent price would be nice - I would just as soon stay in unlicensed. The telcos, cellcos and cable ops can't buy it and you see the Darwinian survival of the fittest in unlicensed & entrepeneurism flourishes. The guys who can't make it work don't survive - and government subsidized telcos can't buy it and take it out of service so that they can maintain their current cash flows providing inferior services.
Interested in more? Read my blog: »www.thelar.com/
Best wishes,
Matt Larsen
mlarsen@skybeam.com | |
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Cyberian75
join:2004-03-16
Beaverton, OR | Light They finally see the light...:D
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Michael | |
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Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs:
·Embarq
| Old saying If it ain't broke don't fix it. Unless things start getting out of hand then the government should leave it alone.
If big companies start setting out hotspots that overpower competition and money is used to create monopolies then the government should step in and set limits. Until then hands off.
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"Boys are girls" - Laura Bush
»www.cafepress.com/maxolasersquad | |
| guthrieboi
join:2005-02-05
Guthrie, OK
| Hmmmm...... Unfortunately the big telcos and other broadband companies prefer to keep their customers under thumb than give them options and as for those of us who are out of reach of alternatives Wi Fi is our only hope for broadband, but the giants want to keep us under control too in the event they need an extra source of cash flow so I fear that this will be revisited again soon especially as more and more people migrate over to it instead of begging for broadband to be extended as we were forced to do in the past. I personally love the notion of everyone having some sort of broadband and as a more than happy wi fi customer I'm glad that they decided to leave the market alone for a change. | |
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FCC Studies Wireless Broadband