A FiOS Way

Verizon has a policy blog. It's been around for most of a year now:

I’ll leave clever humor comparing this blog’s name with the terminology for amphibious offspring to others, yet in one sense the comparison is appropriate. “PoliBlog” is very much a site in its infancy, and none of us here at Verizon is sure how it will evolve. But evolve it will.

The intent of PoliBlog is to present perspectives on issues of importance that intersect public policy, politics, markets, and business in the broadband world. That’s a big pool to swim in, and it reflects the constantly changing world we live in.

—, Welcome Aboard, by Tom Tauke, PolicyBlog, October 02, 2006

I have to give them points for seeing it as an emergent communication method including their point of view, rather than just dictating talking points.So far, they seem to be sticking to that. And they're getting some interesting comments, pro and con. But let's look outside their blog box a bit.

A bit earlier in 2006 before Tom Tauke posted that first blog entry, he was indulging in a little obfuscation about net neutrality:

But Tauke warned that Net Neutrality legislation "could stall or derail this good news in broadband," despite the fact that legislators and industry experts cannot even agree on its definition. "It seems we now have more versions of Net Neutrality than Baskin-Robbins has flavors," he said.

— Tauke Says Broadband Debate Should Focus on Consumers, Cites Progress in Network Deployment; Warns of 'Looming Policy Issues' News Release, Verizon, May 9, 2006

Even if that were so, at least it would be more flavors than customers can get of high speed Internet access.

But the best part is:

Taking aim at those in the industry who have asserted that broadband network providers may deny consumers access to what they want on the Internet, he said doing so would be "akin to Starbucks hatching a plan to secretly serve customers Folgers crystals - on paper it makes them more money; in reality it puts them out of business."

Er, except that Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner, Comcast, et al. are already serving us Folgers crystals: U.S. Internet speeds are about a tenth what they are in countries with real competition. Yes, that may well put them out of business, just as U.S. TV manufacturers are no more, and the U.S. car companies seem to be trying to do themselves in. And we should trust these same duopoly ISP companies to protect the public good when they can't even provide us with decent speeds?

Anyway, it's good that Verizon has a policy blog. Maybe they will actually interact and there will be mutual learning.

-jsq