Originally Posted by fldude99

lol..great answer. What is the current "modus operandi"?

Originally Posted by theflew

Lets not forget rolling out anything in the US is a large undertaking that cost billions for services most people wouldn't use. For some countries smaller than Texas of course the can continuously upgrade there networks to the latest and greatest since it requires little capitol. Most people don't realize the amount of cell towers in the US lining freeways in the middle of nowhere. Should those support 3G so we can use Maemo Mapper in the middle of Kansas surrounded by corn fields? Don't answer....

Originally Posted by Texrat

Meh, it was a broad declarative. I was rolling up the current state of affairs vis-a-vis US communications infrastructure and practices.

But basically I'm referring to the inertia of protecting an existing revenue stream at the expense of advancing your next likely source of revenue. Shortsightedly stupid, yes, but we do it-- and the FCC has been supporting that... along with allowing increasing consolidation among service and media providers. It's hard for wifi and wimax to gain a foothold in the US while we are still so beholden to "legacy" tech. However, I see radio bandwidth as an area of The Commons and think that, instead of auctioning it off and rationing it out, this is one area where the federal government should manage the communications spectrum much more than it does. That includes providing at least some of the funding and tax incentives for new infrastructure.

See, I knew breaking that down would be messy. I'm rambling...

Originally Posted by SD69

PLEASE do not hijack the thread.

Take your non-WiMax related comments elsewhere.

Originally Posted by SD69

PLEASE do not hijack the thread.

Take your non-WiMax related comments elsewhere.

Originally Posted by iball

Obviously you didn't read my post about other countries deploying it EVERYWHERE within their own borders.
Your argument is that America is too BIG? That's an insane argument.
The real problem is that the carriers only deploy to tiny markets (i.e. 17 cities) and expect EVERYONE there to suddenly jump on an overpriced service.
Not going to happen.
And for your information, even FARMERS in the middle of nowhere use state-of-the-art closed computer systems for weather forecasting, news, and keeping up with the current markets, usually via satellite.
By the way, I'm currently in Kansas. In a county that had not one but TWO cities listed in the top twenty out of 100 best cities to live in. It's also one of the fastest growing population centers in the United States, and a central hub for shipping via air/ground/rail due to it's centralized location. The lowest job offer I've gotten here is for $70,000. There really isn't a "middle of nowhere" in Kansas anymore.
Even the damn tractors are computerized now and decked out with amenities once found only in mobile homes (cell phone charging stand, TV, sat radio, etc.).
So yeah, it's pretty ****ing stupid to insult the very-much-into-high-tech folks who help put food on your plate.
But everyone around here is still stuck with EDGE or EV-DO.
Another reason for the US falling behind the rest of the planet is due to the FCC bending under pressure by US carriers and handset manufacturers (looking at YOU Motorola!) to NOT use the standard GSM frequencies in use around the rest of hte world. Nooooo, the US has to go their "own" way and use different bands, giving the local manufacturers a leg up, pretty much bailing them out since they would have quickly gone out of business had Nokia/Samsung been able to bring to market just ONE version of every model instead of two - one for the US, the other for everyone else.