Bad Connections

The New York Times recently had an interesting op-ed piece by David Cay Johnson about the dangers of an ATT and Verizon duopoly.

I would make a few comments about the article:

1. Part of the reason a triple-play bill is so high in the US is due to very high content costs. That's a much bigger component that Internet data or voice services. That should be noted.
2. It is true that both Verizon Fios and ATT U-Verse won't be doing much expansion in the coming years and it is also true that copper based POTS (plain old telephone service) could be endangered in rural or less populated areas. It should be noted that this could actually be a blessing in disguise. Municipalities, smaller more nimble telephone companies and electrical cooperative could easily step in and start providing the FTTH services that Verizon and ATT will walk away from. These opportunities could be the real growth areas in the coming years - much more than what Verizon or ATT will accomplish.

Worth saying.