Re:Verizon: We Can't Become Dumb Pipes
by Someone1234 on Tuesday August 02, 2016 @03:13PM
(#12212472)
Not to mention that existing companies get tons of "free money."
Every time the government talks about rolling out broadband to poorer neighborhoods they just shove more cash at AT&T/Verizon/CenturyLink/etc, who are then meant to run the wires and profit off of the new customers.
This is likely partly the result of strong lobbying at both state and national levels. But regardless of the reason, all this money could have been used for "dumb pipes" which are non-profit, or only profit enough to expand further.
That's what bugs me, not that the government uses money for broadband expansion, but that they just give it to for-profit companies to use as they please, and to make a profit.
Every time the government talks about rolling out broadband to poorer neighborhoods they just shove more cash at AT&T/Verizon/CenturyLink/etc, who are then meant to run the wires and profit off of the new customers.
This is likely partly the result of strong lobbying at both state and national levels. But regardless of the reason, all this money could have been used for "dumb pipes" which are non-profit, or only profit enough to expand further.
That's what bugs me, not that the government uses money for broadband expansion, but that they just give it to for-profit companies to use as they please, and to make a profit.