Gordon Cook’s December Report captures the issue stateside exceptionally well, here is an extract that goes to the heart of why the community interest needs safeguarding to ensure the value proposition of NGA is future-proofed.

Go Gordon!

“Until you find a way to stop the network owner from extracting monopoly rent from its wires, you will never cross the transition chasm into the widespread productive use that Carlotta Perez speaks of as the final deployment phase of the ICT revolution.  Until these technologies go into widespread use, you don’t get all their economic benefits. Under wireline owner-extortion you can kiss device innovation good bye.

The wire owner is a predator.  Now why would you put a private entity in control of building, constructing, and operating the wires?  Your first answer is going to be its ok to do because they are regulated.

But regulators are ordinary people who are subject to the economic lobbying pressure of the wire owners.”