US broadband grant rules shut out small ISPs and municipalities, advocates say
US broadband grant rules shut out small ISPs and municipalities, advocates say
Upfront grant costs are "too steep for all but the best-funded ISPs," groups claim.
The biggest Internet service providers will dominate a $42.45 billion broadband grant program unless the Biden administration changes a rule requiring grant recipients to obtain a letter of credit from a bank, according to a joint statement from consumer advocacy groups, local government officials, and advocates for small ISPs.
The letter sent today to US government officials argues that "by establishing capital barriers too steep for all but the best-funded ISPs, the LOC [letter-of-credit requirement] shuts out the vast majority of entities the program claims to prioritize: small and community-centered ISPs, minority and women-owned ISPs, nonprofits, and municipalities."
The rule is part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program that's being administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
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When the dust settles, it'll be just like Ma Bell in 1975: There will be the "Internet Company" just like there was the Phone Company, with a probable 'bonus' of an extra "National Internet Corporation" modeled on the BBC.
Maybe this time we can learn from our mistakes and nationalize such industries instead of breaking them up and forcing needless competition.
The competition should be for the job. If someone else can do the job better, then you get replaced. It's a simple concept, lol. But capitalists have convinced people that public ownership is bad. That way, people spend enough to keep the businesses operational, in addition to funneling as much money as possible to the owners.