One Economy Proposes a Truly Horrible Idea for Broadband Stimulus Funds
Michael Weinberg
this particular lousy idea), has teamed with Cricket Wireless to apply
for broadband stimulus funds in order to provide low-income residents
of Baltimore, Washington D.C., Houston, Memphis and San Diego with 3G
modems (using the Cricket network) as a means of bridging the digital
divide.
Ignoring, for a moment, the fact that Cricket is basically applying
for federal funds to buy their own service, this is a lousy project
because 3G is often slow and inconsistent, is absolutely over-priced
for the speed it delivers (when viewed as a fixed location service)
and it does not represent a substantive infrastructure improvement.
Lack of (affordable) infrastructure is quite often the chief factor
leading to digital exclusion, and applying a single closed network,
even with subsidized pricing, does nothing to alleviate the problem in
the long-term. This proposal is akin to buying people helicopter rides
instead of building roads to connect their homes to the highway.
Perhaps the saddest part of the press-release, is the way it cites One
Economy's success in Portland. Much of One Economy's Portland service
(at least to my knowledge) was actually built out by NetEquality,
using DSL, T1 and fixed WiMAX service to feed OpenMesh and Meraki
units. Perhaps they have also begun to offer subsidized Cricket 3G,
but the work that won them accolades was definitely not that.
Shame on One Economy.
Read more here:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/cricket-one-economy-seek-expand-project-change-access-five-cities
And here: http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/leap-wireless-one-economy-team-vye-broadband-stimulus-funds/2009-08-18
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Michael Weinberg
Volunteer
Personal Telco Project, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit
Sam Churchill
- Sam
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Sam Churchill
(www.dailywireless.org)
Michael Weinberg
it doesn't distort my position?