] A new study from the New York City Council is
] recommending that the Big Apple throw open the
] competitive bidding process for its annual $130 million
] phone and Internet bill in order to leverage one of the
] most expansive -- and underused -- fiber optic networks
] in the country.
]
] In so doing, New York City could not only cut its annual
] telecom bill, but would also be in a position to deploy
] wireless networking links as the "last mile" connecting
] metropolitan area networks, or MANs (define). In
] addition, it suggested using the fiber to deploy free
] Internet access with a Wi-Fi (define) Network in
] Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

Well, the revolution takes another giant leap. There is no stopping it now. Telecom is commoditizing at a rapid rate. And the reliance upon this infrastructure is continuing to accelerate and infiltrate every aspect of our lives. We might just yet see an inflection point where the dominance of a few key monolithic corporations in controlling the world's communications infrastructure starts to shift towards an infrastructure that exists purely to foster the applications and systems that live on it.

I can't see far enough down the road to say that the infrastructure will become free, but the price point will asymptotically drop to zero within maybe a decade. Simply because citizens are tired of dealing with the monopolies and their screwy tactics that prevent the ultimate uses of this infrastructure. At what point do shareholders of these companies catch on and throw out the bums running them now and replace them with someone who has a lick of vision? The gold is in the services that ride on top, not on the line itself. The quicker the 'people' own the infrastructure, and it is open and available for all, the quicker we will usher in a completely new world that we have not even imagined yet.

See http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/28553 for even more good news.

NYC: Leverage Fiber, Offer Free Wi-Fi