Municipal Wireless Broadband Projects: Difference between revisions
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Thus the people should expect the best possible un-metered communications commons for economic development, education, health, public safety and government services that their government can provide them. This is, after all, the proper and reasonable role of a democratic government for, of, and by we, the people." | Thus the people should expect the best possible un-metered communications commons for economic development, education, health, public safety and government services that their government can provide them. This is, after all, the proper and reasonable role of a democratic government for, of, and by we, the people." | ||
(http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/000451.html) | (http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/000451.html) | ||
=The Business Case for government involvement= | |||
"We need to strongly separate the transport of bits from the provisioning of services and content. Once we accept this premise, we move on to the fact that the supply of bits is infinite and the hauling of them is a very small margin business. Clearly, with a robust municipal wireless infrastructure, a for-profit service and content provider is no longer required to be engaged in bit hauling as a necessary component of its business plan. | |||
Thus Comcast, Verizon et al should be thankful that they can use lower cost municipal bit hauling and off load, "Outsource" if you prefer, a very low margin operation they no longer need to burden themselves with. They do not build roads for their trucks -- they out source that to the public sector. They do not pay tolls to use roads either. | |||
By shedding a very low margin sector of their operations, Comcast & Verizon can improve their profits. So Municpal Wireless Networks are, in fact, fair, reasonable and democratic. They also support a healthy market place, which, I am sure you will agree, is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for a robust, democratic, civil society in which the market serves humanity. | |||
In this scenario, it would be logical for the for-profit vendors of services and content to work with the public sector to insure the most extra-ordinary municipal wireless outcomes possible. | |||
Consider, also, that most models for municipal wireless plan to offer several tiers of service. The entry level tier may be for free, but the others will charge progressively higher fees. It is assumed that the government, which can support long time horizons that the market can not, will only provide bit transport and e-government. All other services and content will be provided by others as they see fit -- many on a for-profit business basis. VoIP, for example, is not free. I actually pay two VoIP service providers." | |||
(http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/000457.html) | |||
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Revision as of 07:45, 23 May 2006
"Municipal wireless broadband projects = projects that are funded or supported by cities and towns. These range from downtown hotzones to city- and county-wide wireless broadband networks." (http://muniwireless.com/about/)
Background
Why are such projects important?
"As more and more cities, towns and counties initiate projects to provide a dynamic, wireless, communications platform for forward looking civic and economic development, it is also important to reflect on the question below:
Who is the intended beneficiary of an un-metered wireless communications commons? The people or the corporations? The answer is that robust development benefits both, just as public education, public highways and public safety do.
Thus the people should expect the best possible un-metered communications commons for economic development, education, health, public safety and government services that their government can provide them. This is, after all, the proper and reasonable role of a democratic government for, of, and by we, the people." (http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/000451.html)
The Business Case for government involvement
"We need to strongly separate the transport of bits from the provisioning of services and content. Once we accept this premise, we move on to the fact that the supply of bits is infinite and the hauling of them is a very small margin business. Clearly, with a robust municipal wireless infrastructure, a for-profit service and content provider is no longer required to be engaged in bit hauling as a necessary component of its business plan.
Thus Comcast, Verizon et al should be thankful that they can use lower cost municipal bit hauling and off load, "Outsource" if you prefer, a very low margin operation they no longer need to burden themselves with. They do not build roads for their trucks -- they out source that to the public sector. They do not pay tolls to use roads either.
By shedding a very low margin sector of their operations, Comcast & Verizon can improve their profits. So Municpal Wireless Networks are, in fact, fair, reasonable and democratic. They also support a healthy market place, which, I am sure you will agree, is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for a robust, democratic, civil society in which the market serves humanity.
In this scenario, it would be logical for the for-profit vendors of services and content to work with the public sector to insure the most extra-ordinary municipal wireless outcomes possible.
Consider, also, that most models for municipal wireless plan to offer several tiers of service. The entry level tier may be for free, but the others will charge progressively higher fees. It is assumed that the government, which can support long time horizons that the market can not, will only provide bit transport and e-government. All other services and content will be provided by others as they see fit -- many on a for-profit business basis. VoIP, for example, is not free. I actually pay two VoIP service providers." (http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/000457.html)
More Information
A report by the Institute for the Future, at http://future.iftf.org/2006/04/adsupported_mun.html