Tales of the Sausage Factory – Page 103

My Muni Report

Harold April 11, 2005 February 24, 2013General, Tales of the Sausage Factory

Well, not mine exclusively, but I did write a good deal of it. Connecting the Public: The Truth About Municipal Broadband Takes on the telco/cable noise machine and explains why municipal broadband systems are a good thing and why states should not buy into the anti-muni argument.

It’s one of three papers a bunch of us released today. Ben Scott and Frannie Welling at Free Press also did a paper directly taking on the telco “fact sheets” that claim muni systems failed. And the Florida Municipal Electric Association released a study showing that municipal broadband systems really do increase economic development as compared to similarly situated towns in Florida (remember, Florida is one of the states considering an anti-muni bill). You can read all those reports here. And, if you feel like writing something to your state or federal legislator about this, you can print out the letter we did back in February, put your own name on it, and mail it off.

Stay tuned . . .

Muni Momentum Swings Toward the Telcos, But The Game is Far From Over

Harold April 6, 2005 February 24, 2013General, Tales of the Sausage Factory

After a number of victories, the momentum has recently turned to the Telco side of the muni fight.
On the plus side, we have not yet lost anything definitively. There is still time for citizens in these states to make this an issue. But I’m having the feeling I usually reserve for the Boston Red Sox in August.

Well, let’s see if we can’t make this our 2004 World Series. Anybody in these states interested in trying to fight these bills, let me know and I will try to put you in touch with folks on the ground there.

Bad News From Colorado

Harold April 6, 2005 February 24, 2013General, Tales of the Sausage Factory

I’m reprinting (with permission) a post from Dave Hughes about yesterday’s (4/5) Colorado House Committee Hearing on their anti-muni bill. For those unfamiliar with Dave Hughes, he is one of the true pioneers of unlicensed spectrum as a way of bringing broadband cheaply and easily to the masses.

It’s grim reading. But unlike Dave, I refuse to give up until a bill is passed and signed. There is still time for the people of Colorado to remind their elected officials that at the end of the day, they work for them, not Qwest or Comcast.

Stay tuned . . .

Low Power Radio Order

Harold March 31, 2005 February 24, 2013General, Tales of the Sausage Factory

On the decidedly low-tech side, but still a very important part of my work, is helping the Low Power FM community (particularly the good folks at Prometheus Radio Project) deal with the FCC.

One of the things that has kept me busy this month has been a final push to get good stuff out before Powell left. It finally happened at 7:30 p.m. the night he left, with the release of this Order.

This is actually an interesting story that, among other things, pits local community radio organizers aganst some folks in Twin Falls, ID that are either exploiting loopholes in the rules or violating federal law to set up a nation-wide evangelical Christian radio network.

My Day With the Supremes

Harold March 29, 2005 February 24, 2013Fighting the IP Mafia, General, Series of Tubes, Tales of the Sausage Factory

There are advantages to being a member of the Supreme Court Bar. One is, you get to go and hear the arguments from the Supreme Court Bar section. Guess what I did today! While you will get tons of info from other websites, this is probably the only place you will see someone say that Justice Rehnquist now sounds like a bad combination of Darth Vader and the Emperor from �Return of the Jedi�….

A brief personal observation on the pay gap

Harold March 28, 2005 February 24, 2013General, Tales of the Sausage Factory

New census data indicates that, on average, white men with a four year degree earned, on average, more than any other catagory. Women generally earned less than men, but white women earned less than black and asian women (and slightly more than hispanic women). No one is sure why this is the case.

What’s odd is that that last night I was having a conversation with my wife which has some relevance on this. While one anecdote is hardly the basis for public policy, I’d be interested in knowing whether any of the xtant research has explored this issue . . .

Lose one round in Florida

Harold March 21, 2005 February 24, 2013General, Tales of the Sausage Factory

Florida, which has a number of good muni systems, has passd an anti-muni bill out of subcommittee and out to the FL House of Rep.

If anyone in FL is reading this, get on the horn to your state rep today. Tell them to show the same courage against Bell South that folks in Indiana showed against SBC and that folks in NE and TX are showing.

A Big Win in TX, But It's Just Round One

Harold March 17, 2005 February 24, 2013General, Tales of the Sausage Factory

SaveMuniWireles.org, a group opposed to the anti-muni bill in TX, reports that the anti-muni provisions of the legislature’s gift package to SBC (the local baby Bell) has been stripped. But hang on to your seats folks, because it goes to the floor next week and SBC is fighting hard.

Martin Gets Official Nod

Harold March 16, 2005 February 24, 2013General, Tales of the Sausage Factory

Although long expected, Kevin Martin will be officially named Powell’s replacement as Chair of the FCC today.

For my personal take on Martin, see below.

Quick Take on FCC 3650-3700

Harold March 10, 2005 March 19, 2013General, Spectrum, Tales of the Sausage Factory

The FCC decided the 3650-3700 Order today. You can find a link on the FCC Home page.

As is customary, the Order is not yet released, so we have only the press release to go on.

My first take is below. I know a lot of people are going to be upset that it requires licensing, but it is not a �licensed� regime anymore than a truly �unlicensed� regime. We need to keep an open mind and wait for the actual order to come out.