Advertising, ad campaigns, ad agencies, and the people that make it happen

Did you know that the US is only the 19th ranked nation in household broadband connectivity rate, just ahead of Slovenia.  Why? Because, contends telecom analyst Bruce Kushnick, the Bell Companies never delivered symmetrical fiber-optic connectivity to millions of Americans though they were paid more than $200 billion to do it. According to his new book, "$200 Billion Broadband Scandal", during the buildup to the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act, the major U.S. telcos promised to deliver fiber to 86 million households by 2006 (we're talking about fiber to the home, here). They asked for, and were given, some $200 billion in tax cuts and other incentives to pay for it.  But, instead they spent it on long distance, wireless and inferior DSL services. Kinda puts the telcos' demands for  a two-tiered Internet in harsh perspective when you consider we paid an estimated $2000 per household for fiber to the home and instead got DSL over old copper wiring. As Kushnick notes, that's like ordering a Ferrari and getting a bicycle. Now you know why your Internet connection sucks.

Wake me up when the                   fiber's installed!