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02/01/2006: "The $200 Billion Broadband Scandal."

AKA Where’s the 45MB/s I Already Paid for?

Muniwireless has a piece on Bruce Kushnick’s new book, “The $200 Billion Broadband Scandal”.

I love this bit found in the comments:


Here’s an analogy: Coca Cola promises the best drink ever to every American in the nation. 100 GOOD calories, all your vitamins and minerals, lowers your cholesterol, 25% bigger size, tastes AMAZING to EVERYONE and satisfies any thirst.

Here’s the problem: they need a large amount of capital to make it happen…so if every American is willing to pay just 50% more for their current Coke products, they can make it happen.

The government is lobbied, the consumers are advertised to. Everyone says, “OK, let’s bite the bullet and do it…after all, Japan and S. Korea have been drinking the new product for years! Anyway, there’s not much we can do, since Congress has outlawed all competition and declared that this new super cola is not a food item, but a snack item; therefore they can’t mandate that it be provided at a fixed, affordable price. We HAVE to pay the higher rates if we want super cola satisfaction.”

Thing is, they never delivered. You’re now paying 75% more for the same old Coke than you did 5 years ago. Coke has made $200,000,000,000 in extra profits. They just announced a new product with 200 calories, 10% of your vitamins, 10% bigger size, that tastes a little better than normal Coke. It will only be available in NYC and LA. It will also cost 20% extra than the Coke you’re buying now. The price charged for the old Coke will not be lowered. In fact, it will be going up for everyone, even those who don’t have access to the new Coke.

Also, Coke is now lobbying for control of interstate shipping. If someone wants to consume Pepsi products, Coke will tell all of the delivery drivers under its control to drive no faster than 30 m.p.h. during the delivery. You will also have to pay Coke an extra fee for deliverying the Pepsi to you, since it’s not a Coke product. But that’s a story for another day…