[BC] Repacking the TV band

[Jerry Mathis]

On Thu, Jun 28, 2012 at 8:18 AM, Urban, Brian L <burban at kut.org> wrote:
>Not entirely correct.  What the telcos are asking is to delete the switched network in favor of packet based systems.  In other words, change from POTS connections to VOIP connections.  Wired infrastructure will not go away in the near future, how the signals are handled on the wires will change.

>Remember the telcos have millions (billions?) of dollars invested in wired infrastructure; they are trying to squeeze the last mil (100th of a cent) out of it before moving to some other infrastructure (was fiber, now who knows?). Wringing the last possible value out of wired infrastructure is the reason for DSL services--DSL is a way to extend the life of all that wire.

I realize that often the news reporters get it wrong, but the story I read was that the telcos were wanting to do away with wired telephone service and be able to take down the telephone cables. So if that is incorrect, that is a good thing.

Your comment about DSL is odd, though; the telcos are dropping DSL service like a hot potato, and they never did implement it fully. It only worked within a couple of miles of the CO, unless they put in SLIC's or other equipment out away from the CO. And they did very few of those, at least here in the South.

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Jerry Mathis