Date post: | 30-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | cecily-logan |
View: | 218 times |
Download: | 2 times |
“They Will Not Close Down the Public Switched
Telephone Networks (PSTN) on My Watch.
Period.”
Welcome to Brooklyn
Ma Bell
• 1 million employees• Owned the hardware,
including the phones.• Owned the 22 local
phone companies. • Owned AT&T Long Lines. • Owned Bell Labs.• Was regulated on local
service prices.• Not Regulated on Long
Distance charges.
Telecom Act of 1996
• Open the “Last Mile”.
• Lower prices and advanced services *(broadband) though competition.
• Allowed indie ISPs to use “line sharing” for DSL.
• Allow AT&T & MCI to offer local Service.
• If the networks were open, the Bells could enter long distance.
AT&T and Verizon Merger Mania
at&t• Southwestern Bell (SBC)• Pacific Bell• SNET• Ameritech• AT&T• BellSouthVerizon• Bell Atlantic• NYNEX• GTE• MCI• Alltel
Rise and Fall of Internet Service Providers
Internet Service Providers, 1997-2006
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
ISPS
AT&T & Verizon
• AT&T U-Verse – Copper-to-the-Home Bait & Switch.
• Verizon has FiOS. – Fiber-to-the-home• AT&T --only 4.3 million U-Verse TV• Verizon only 4.7 million FiOS TVDigital Dead Zones:• AT&T stopped deploying-abandoning 50%.• Verizon stopped deploying -abandoning 50%• NO CABLE COMPETITION.
Wireless
• Wireless: AT&T and Verizon split up the market– enhanced revenues– 200 million customers.
• Wireless is a wired product.
• Special Access 80%profits
• Collusion of wireline-wireless
• Deals with the cable companies.
Cable Companies?
• Lobby with the phone companies.
• Closed Networks – Can’t choose channels or video providers.
• Bandwidth caps to block outside video.
• Can’t replace Set Top Box.
• “Social Contract” – Customers Paid $42 Billion for Upgrades.
CommTrust-ALEC Close PSTN.
• 23 states removed telecom regulation.• 19 states block municipalities.
Damage:
• Remove “Carrier of Last Resort” – Phone breaks – too bad.
• Shut down remaining competitors.• No Net Neutrality. • Remove Regulatory Oversight.
Immediate Threat
Federal:
• AT&T -FCC –Technical Advisory Council-”Sunset the PSTN”
• AT&T Gets FCC Task Force started
• AT&T, USTA Petition filed -- Active
• Congressional Hearing Feb 6th, 2013
12 Competitors– One Big Bell.
7 RBOCs•Ameritech•Bell Atlantic•BellSouth•NYNEX•Pacific Bell•Southwestern Bell•US West
Long Distance•AT&T•MCI
ILECs•SNET•GTE•Alltel
Why We Will Lose
• ALEC- key state legislators, whole legislatures.• AT&T-funds state legislators• AT&T ‘foundation’ grants –legislatorsSkunkworks: • CommTrust -Skunkworks- multi-state• “Legit” funded groups – Caucus• Astroturf groups-multi-state• Co-opted Non-profits • Media has no clue
Our Side?
• No ‘other side’. AT&T is now at&t.• Co-opted basic terms.• No unified messaging. • No Education• No deep pockets. • No ‘coordinated’ group response.• Our allies can be our own enemies.
– Tech and Internet community. – Unions, competitors, --- ‘middle ground’
• No media campaign. • Pot shots, small wins SOPA, etc. • No Offensive Plan, Tit-for-Tat.