

Legislation may stop the "toll booth" practice, though



Mr. Stortz writes:





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By cmdrdredd on 11/30/2010 10:24:03 PM , Rating: 2
So you're saying that high speed internet lines should be built by private companies, funded by the public, and then leased to telcos? How is that a better deal than having the telcos build it themselves? And building interstate highways today would be a barrier to interstate commerce and rural development? I don't follow you.

Having private companies build the network so to speak and the public owning the lines, the government could lease the usage of these to any company who wants to use them. So you could have 30 different ISPs with various pricing plans and special features offering internet access on the infrastructure. The private company generates revenue from monthly access fees for tv programming and internet and the government generates some revenue from the lease of the lines. It would lead to far lower prices and better services offered. As it is, Comcast and others operate a monopoly on service in a given area. A take it or leave it approach where you can use them or have nothing (satellite internet doesn't count IMO). They also have zero incentive to upgrade the infrastructure.

About the highways it would be like this. I-95 is public, there is no tolls and you can use it as you please. If a private company owned it and put the squeeze on it charging ridiculous tolls what would you do? In some cases there is no alternative highway to get you to your destination in a timely manner so you're stuck paying for something and they can also begin to tell you what vehicles are allowed and which are not if they say so. They might say no trucks because they produce more exhaust fumes or some such nonsense.

