Telecom

Verizon Communications divestitures haven't worked out too well for the buyers of the phone giant's assets.

The nineteen largest cable and telephone providers in the US -- representing about 93% of the market -- acquired nearly 4.1 million net additional high-speed Internet subscribers in 2009. Annual net broadband additions in 2009 were 75% of the total in 2008.

AT&T's customers have long hated the unfortunately named B-52 cabinets and now British Telecom is facing civil disobedience over the ugly 6 foot by 4 foot neighborhood boxes they are deploying.

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing to set the universal service contribution factor for the second quarter of 2010 at 15.3 percent.

In "Industry Lobby Keeps Public in the Dark About Broadband," John Dunbar, director of American University's Investigative Reporting Workshop, details a history of industry efforts to prevent regulators from getting information to map what homes are getting service, the prices they pay and the speeds that they are offered.

There's an increasing shortage of bandwidth relative to Americans' growing appetite for it.

Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn gave the keynote at the FCC/Newseum praising the plan's National Digital Literacy Corps. Well and good, she said the next day, but nothing affects...

Verizon is changing. The company has canceled planned FiOS deployments for all new territories. Instead, Verizon "will now focus on installing its network and gaining market share within the areas where it already has agreements."

Proposed reforms to the Universal Service Fund -- expected to be part of the National Broadband Plan next week -- are a mixed bag for small telephone companies.

Telecom folks react loudly to what they hear, but the industry's not listening, absorbing the details, nuances and hints embedded in what consumers and businesses are saying.