Farmington Daily Times - Opponents to Qwest plan emerge:
Stephan S. Melnikoff, an attorney with the U.S. Army Litigation Center, said in his response to the PRC that needed improvements would not be assured under the current settlement."Los Alamos National Laboratory and White Sands Missile Range specifically have been identified as being adversely impacted by serious inadequacies in Qwest's network infrastructure and service," Melnikoff wrote.
"The Stipulated Settlement Agreement appears not to expressly address these two problems." Others who have filed formal responses opposing the proposed settlement were Citizens for Integrity and Transparency in Utility Matters and the New Mexico Internet Professionals Association.
Attorney David Mittle of the Citizens group argues that even if the settlement reaches its goal of bringing high-speed Internet access to 83 percent of the state, those living in the other 17 percent will see no benefit. If the PRC were to follow through with its original order of rebates or credits, all Qwest customers would benefit, he said. "That consumers from every part of Qwest's New Mexico network were equally harmed and should be equally compensated is fair because every Qwest consumer effectively paid for, but was deprived, the benefit of required investment," Mittle wrote.
So lets think about this for a second; The Governor and Qwest say their plan would provide high-speed internet access to 83 percent of the state. But are we talking about 83% of the state's population or are we talking about 83% of the state's geography? Because if we're talking population, then all Qwest would have to do is improve their services in Santa Fe, San Juan, Dona Ana and Bernalillo Counties and they'd be providing service to well over the majority of the state's population.
But what about the rest of the state? The whole point was that Qwest would get to do Business in New Mexico at a reduced price in exchange for bringing us into the internet age. But laying fiber-optic cable and expanding services in rural parts of the state where poverty is more endemic, isn't profitable. That's why we had that AFOR agreement. That's why it's a big deal that Qwest came up 250 million short of their pledge to invest in New Mexico's telecom infrastructure.
Check out this map which shows rural vs. urban populations in New Mexico according to the FCC. Rural is in red and the non-rural is in grey. If you live in the red, guess what.
Comments