There are several major points given as reasons in this article, which I don’t feel ARE the main reasons behind various events and decisions.
1. Near the beginning of this piece, it is mentioned that reasons for customers not adopting broadband were cost and content, being further narrowed to lack of content being the only reason. In my experience reading of satisfied and unsatisfied customers broadband, I’ve found the main inhibiting factors to be Cost, Availability and Hassle. For VERY large number of people trying to get broadband, it simply costs too much, they can’t get it at their house and they’ve had all sorts of trouble with customer service, reliability, contracts and line speed. I’ve never heard anyone complaining about or praising an ISP because of ‘content’. The Industry Watchers, whoever they are, are obviously smoking crack.
2. The featured success story of SBC and Yahoo and it’s rise in number of customers has nearly everything to do with the FCC cutting off third party access to phone company switches and millions of dollars in marketing than it has to do with this supposed list of unique content and features. When local ISPs are barred from providing and the only choice is the heavily advertised SBC-Yahoo DSL, that’s the only place customers CAN go.
3. The reference to “what happened to the music companies” is also a crock. The reason why record sales are down is mainly because they illegally raised their prices way too high, they’re producing fewer and fewer artists and those artists are making less and less compelling music. In short, maximizing their profits with minimal investment. If anything, internet-based mp3 swapping has HELPED record sales because it’s free promotion for artists who the RIAA is not actively promoting and distributing. The Big Labels are gouging themselves out of their own market and lynching their customers in a spiteful abuse of power simply because the public wants music that is diverse, available and affordable..something the RIAA is not willing to provide. I see the same thing coming into play with Hollywood.
What really needs to happen for broader broadband to take off in the U.S., is that the ISPs need to counter the FCC monopoly ruling to allow access and competitive pricing/features, the government needs to provide fat subsidies for last mile wiring, and mega-corp content publishers need to keep their greedy mitts out of the DRM schemes. People want hassle-free, affordable broadband wherever they live. If they choose to download sounds and videos, they want those as well to be affordable and hassle-free.
Choice, after all, is what separates us from the inanimate. And a forced choice is not a real choice at all.