Although that sounds like an alarmist title, several people who work for rural operators expressed the concern that if the National Broadband Plan continues in its current direction, we may see bankruptcies of some rural telcos as early as 2012. These people also indicated that there will be significant lay-offs and continued consolidation among smaller carriers based on the current direction. It will be devastating for the rural communities served by these rural last mile providers. The irony is that it if this comes to pass the roll out of broadband may slow, at least in some rural areas, which is counter to the aim of the NBP.
We captured video interviews with many folks at the IP Possibilities Conference and heard their opinions on the NBP, which Roger put together in this excellent summary video, shown above. Note, this video really could be split into two parts, as the first part deals with the NBP, while the second part discusses various ways to enhance the value of the broadband pipe.
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