Hi, Frank -
I was just browsing through Sandy and Dave's Report on The Broadband Home, too.
The thought that keeps recurring in this period of post-bubble "consolidation" is that more and more subscribers are being concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer providers. This creates the technical problem of cost/demand
and shared bandwidth, to which you and the link refer, here (and to which you have referred many, many times).
What worries me more is the slow drift away from multicentric, competitive provision: a repeat of the dominance of the incumbents, played out in a future all-IP datacom market: at least as a clearly possible trend.
In the same newsletter...
"B2 (Bredbandsbolaget in Sweden) has adopted the "try it, you'll like it" approach to broadband. Since the buildings they operate in all have wired apartments, they'll send you the Ethernet card and other things you need; if you're not hooked after one month, you just send it back. (www.bredbandsbolaget.se)"
What bothers me about the disparity between us and them (so to speak) is that I see the reflection of costs and technical difficulties in providing broadband on this thread, all the time. I recognize that they are true. Yet, it is abundantly clear that Sweden has made broadband work, and work well.
By analogy, here in BC, I see a parallel. Selective logging, reforestation, advanced silviculture. "Can't be done! Too expensive!" say all the players: industry, government, unions.
Well, forgive me, but they do it in Sweden: they do it well, and they make a profit.
The whole question of broadband, as an enabler, and as infrastructure, underlies the specifics we (you) are addressing. IMO, the future is none too encouraging in North America.
Best regards,
Jim |
