You say they are prematurely pouring money into HFC infrastructure. What should they wait for? The FCC? The FCC can't decide anything by merger close so they'll delay. Should T then wait and wait and... The FCC is in a hopeless bind. The only possible decision for them is no decision. The situation is too complex to permit or not to permit. To a great extent the past decision to separate long from local for RBOCs has the FCC in a box such that any decision violates or de facto rescinds that ruling. You don't wait. You put it together and then if they try to take it apart, you take them to court all the way up, if need be, taking years. By the time they might get a favorable decision, they're informing you via ATT@Home.
I've read some recent posts suggesting that telephony is where the dough is. That is so stupid it boggles the mind. Voice has paper thin margins which become thinner at scale. Voice is also weighed down with useless regulations. On the other hand expenditures for HFC infrastructure put broadband on the bottom line, an unexploited, big margin, worldwide gold mine that profoundly rewards the pioneer. It also just so happens to be a great thing for we the people in spite of the elitist protestations from cloud minding consumer groups. To prefer voice is a little like saying Bell should have shut in telephone to preserve telegraph. In ten years there will only be broadband and voice will be co-carried. Voice will all be video anyway. Nonetheless, the ANTC deal is voice earmarked, but it is voice that rides the fibers at one third the cost and sets the stage for more profound broadband technology upgrades later.
To succeed in business you don't wait to get permission. You make it happen and win the people. Surprisingly, permission then chases you.
I also read posts claiming the TCI deal is not a good idea. TCI is the cornerstone of the local leg of the worldwide communications vision that is empowering T to become something more than a mere telephone company. It is in that vision that I invest, not the claims of SAFE I've read from others. Safe is dead. The dynamic growth opportunities won't be realized by remaining safe. To grow you have to take risks and the first such one is seen by the multi-pronged attack taken by T through the pursuit of broadband. If they want to be safe, they should go hide under a bed, because it isn't safe out there. |
