Don Means invited me to an interesting luncheon roundtable on broadband access yesterday. Present were representatives of municipal broadband initiatives in Boston, Malden, Cambridge; representatives of Massachusetts companies that have an strong interests in broadband access, including Sonus and NMS, i.e. me; other companies (Cisco!); folks from the Massachusetts government and Congressman Ed Markey who is the ranking democrat on the House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee.
Don has been promoting local responsibility to accelerate broadband deployment through the Community Telestructure Initiative. He's already got state house sponsorship in California and Virgina.
In a group like this, I have two key issues.
First, I'm for competition in government – edge-based policy – move the decision making out to the municipal or neighborhood level. As Justice Brandeis commented in NEW STATE ICE CO. v. LIEBMANN, 285 U.S. 262 (1932) :
It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.
Second, I'm for fostering competition at the lowest layer possible – Layer Zero competition. Rather than a municipality becoming an ISP, focus on delivering access to the rights-of-way or dark fiber to all comers.
In the end, the meeting ran out of time so I didn't press either of my issues.
My key take-aways were:
1. I met Deborah Shufrin, Director of the Massachusetts Dept or Business & Technology, who clearly understands that the core issue with any broadband is access to rights-of-way. It's refreshing to meet someone who gets it.
2. I got to know more about Ed Markey. I've heard him speak many times, but this was the first time I got to interact with him in a small group. Not surprisingly, for someone who's served in the US House of Representatives for 30+ years, Ed Markey is the consummate politician. Most of us don't understand the practical strategies required to get any legislation enacted. I ended the luncheon meeting with a much better respect for what Ed Markey actually understands about the issues – of course that may just prove he's the consummate politician. :-)
Not surprisingly, he took the time to tour the exhibit hall and get photographed in the booths of Massachusetts companies.
Congressman Ed Markey visits the NMS Booth at VON.
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