[opendtv] Re: SBC Joins the Convergence Crowd

  • From: "John Willkie" <JohnWillkie@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 10:04:19 -0800

Nothing new here; this same argument came up in 1994 before the San Diego
City Council.  So, instead of paying a 3% franchise fee to the city (like
cable), PacTel offered to pay a 5% fee on HFC.

Ron, the BIG question is whether must carry OR retrans consent applies to
the local broadcast channels.  As of 1994, it didn't.  If not, the phonies
will have to pay open market prices for the most desirous content streams,
or foresake them.

John Willkie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Economos" <k6mpg@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 5:47 AM
Subject: [opendtv] Re: SBC Joins the Convergence Crowd


> Attorneys and industry advocates from SBC, the cable industry, and
> municipalities
> are already jousting over whether TV channels piped through the Internet
> are bound
> by franchise law, and the courts seem to be where the debate is heading.
>
> http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?site=lightreading&doc_id=65295
>
> Ron
>
> Ralph P. Manfredo wrote:
>
> >John:
> >
> >I have to agree with you after reading your response and thinking about
it.
> >I have SBC's HFC fumble to my house sitting there with the coax
terminated
> >with a 75-Ohm terminator.  Guess they never thought they did not need to
> >terminate a coax connected to nothing.
> >
> >Ralph
> >
> >Ralph P. Manfredo
> >President & CEO
> >
> >rmanfredo@xxxxxxxx
> >
> >************************************************************************
> >BroadBand Networks Corporation
> >2530 Berryessa Road, No. 237
> >San Jose, CA 95132
> >
> >Phone:  408.988.2060
> >Fax:       408.988.2188
> >
> >www.bbnc.com
> >
> >Leaders in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video over ATM and IP Networks
> >************************************************************************
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On
> >Behalf Of John Willkie
> >Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 3:46 PM
> >To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >Subject: [opendtv] Re: SBC Joins the Convergence Crowd
> >
> >Ralph;
> >
> >I disagree on the first point.  Current management might be dial-tone
> >oriented (as Mitch points out, home to rapidly diminishing returns), but
> >that had nothing to do with previous management, which largely left with
> >large payoffs after the mid' 1990's (non-dial-tone oriented, by the way)
> >forays into wireless cable and HFC.
> >
> >I also disagree on the second point.  They are PANDERING to their
> >shareholders and wall street, and they are wrong on this point in their
> >pandering.  To put it into perspective, they are robbing the possibility
of
> >having a business in the future to support near-term profits.
> >
> >I'd put it to a misjoinder of the interests of the "hired managers"
> >(options, bonuses, etc) against the interests of shareholders.  Most
utility
> >shareholders buy the specific stock for long-term appreciation, not
> >short-term dividends.
> >
> >They need to get that intestinal fortitude in the past; the drop of in
new
> >orders and long-term customers has been going on for more than 2 years.
The
> >idiots that run some of these companies act like they just discovered the
> >problem last fall, when there was ZERO bump in new lines (actually, a
small
> >decline in lines continued apace) .  They had previously been able to
count
> >on college students to move into dorms and housing and add lines.  I'm
well
> >above college age, but I discovered more than 2 years ago that
college-age
> >students were long-time users of cell phones.
> >
> >Most of what I see now is "window dressing on the titanic."  And, I'm a
> >veteran of the mid-1980's HFC "project."  Even though I stood to benefit
> >from the initiative, I told all the gung-ho proponents that I doubted
their
> >resolve.  They responded with the amount of money that they had spent.  A
> >few months later, it was all for waste; the then current management could
> >not go forward, and sold out to SBC.  The die was cast.
> >
> >The only thing they've EVER done quickly or well was to write-off the HFC
> >and wireless cable investments.  And, they were wrong.  They're still
paying
> >for abandoned HFC plant, and carrying it on their books as being
in-service.
> >I can even point out strands to visitors; I know of a particular
abandoned
> >strand that SBC has moved three times in the last ten years.
> >
> >SBC of Cal has sold off it's cellular operations (twice); can't wait
until
> >they sell off the local loops.  Last I heard, they were expanding into
> >Nevada (Battle Mountain) after buying loops from Qwest.   Must be a
bundle
> >play.
> >
> >John Willkie
> >----- Original Message ----- 
> >From: "Ralph P. Manfredo" <rmanfredo@xxxxxxxx>
> >To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 2:30 PM
> >Subject: [opendtv] Re: SBC Joins the Convergence Crowd
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>There are two reasons for the numerous attempts by both Pacific Bell and
> >>SBC's failure to get into the video delivery business.
> >>
> >>1.  Management is dial tone oriented, and thus they are afraid to
provide
> >>non-dial tone service because they might fail and loose their jobs
> >>
> >>2.  They have shareholders who are only interested in profit, so
> >>
> >>
> >management
> >
> >
> >>is unwilling to spend the money to get into the video delivery business
> >>because of the cost which will affect the bottom line.
> >>
> >>Until RBOC management gets some intestinal fortitude, they will always
be
> >>bungling a video delivery solution.  They will wake up when the cable
> >>companies start getting aggressive on offering dial tone to their
> >>
> >>
> >customers.
> >
> >
> >>Who knows, we may see the end of the RBOCs when that happens, and it
will
> >>
> >>
> >be
> >
> >
> >>their own fault.
> >>
> >>Ralph P. Manfredo
> >>President & CEO
> >>
> >>rmanfredo@xxxxxxxx
> >>
> >>************************************************************************
> >>BroadBand Networks Corporation
> >>2530 Berryessa Road, No. 237
> >>San Jose, CA 95132
> >>
> >>Phone:  408.988.2060
> >>Fax:       408.988.2188
> >>
> >>www.bbnc.com
> >>
> >>Leaders in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video over ATM and IP Networks
> >>************************************************************************
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> >>
> >>
> >On
> >
> >
> >>Behalf Of Mitch Cardwell
> >>Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 12:38 PM
> >>To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>Subject: [opendtv] Re: SBC Joins the Convergence Crowd
> >>
> >>
> >>On Jan 4, 2005, at 11:40 AM, Kon Wilms wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>How serious do they have to get?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>They need to get into the cable TV business and deliver more than the
> >>cable and sat companies. I am down to one phone line only because I
> >>have a burglar alarm and TiVo. Once that line is gone, I will probably
> >>never consider telco service again. SBC and it's predecessor Pacific
> >>Bell have started and stopped, by my count, video service at least
> >>three times and is now on it's second satellite "bundle" deal after
> >>it's first one with DirecTV flopped. They have wasted a decade or more
> >>and now they're losing dial tone customers left and right that will
> >>never come back.
> >>
> >>Mitch
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>I agree on the STB though.. seems kinda half-assed to me, in the
> >>>ever-failing 'you don't need a real tv, you can use the internet
> >>>instead' realm.
> >>>
> >>>Cheers
> >>>Kon
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>This stuff is just all doomed to fail. Until SBC, and all the other
> >>>>telcos for that matter, get serious about delivering video into the
> >>>>household, these half steps are just going to not do the trick.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
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