Broadband "Competition" Tapped Out? And Will 4G Make This Irrelevant?
If a certain Democratic presidential candidate gets elected, Blair Levin should be at the top of the list for FCC chair. Deservedly.
According to a Telephony article, Levin (who was called "the sixth commissioner" by some when he was chief of staff to former FCC chief Reed Hundt) recently made the call that the current state of broadband competition is about as good as it's going to get for the foreseeable future...
“Prospects for the long-heralded ‘third pipe’ appear dim and dimming... In terms of wireless and broadband buildouts, there’s unlikely to be another new national buildout, other than Clearwire, in the foreseeable future... The market is as competitive as it is ever going to be, as far as we can see. And it could become less competitive.”
Telephony and Levin continue...
At the same time, Levin said 4G wireless rollouts in 2010 or 2012 could represent a significant change in the competitive landscape. “That is a far more significant competitive threat than I think people realize,” he said, adding that, for wireline providers feeling the sting of wireless substitution, “The worst, in wireless, is yet to come.”
I agree with Levin's comments. So does the GSM Association - they're boasting that LTE will get 100 Mbps available commercially before FTTH can.
http://telecompetitor.com/node/779
Time will tell I guess.
Posted by: Bernie | August 22, 2008 at 12:44 PM