From many articles, blogs, and other sources, I see a big conflict coming between AT&T and the competitors that ride on the back of what has become "Legacy" copper networks.
I continue to believe that once AT&T has a majority of their customers switched over to their FTTN (U-Verse) infrastructure, they'll attempt to abandon their older copper infrastructure. They've already asked the FCC to allow them to do so. This would include their CO's and Remote Terminal infrastructure.
Since they don't have to share U-Verse, they'll do this to cut competitors off at the knees. What happens to Sonic services (Fusion and traditional DSL) when AT&T attempts to shut down these legacy networks? The competitors only recourse would be to purchase those assets, along with the cost of maintenance, to stay in business. This isn't going to be pretty.
My thoughts on this are that since AT&T received many tax incentives to originally install the copper, and it's been depreciated over time as well, is that AT&T should be required to transfer this old infrastructure to another entity at a nearly zero cost. It's essentially a public asset anyway. This would give the competitors a platform on which to build out their networks, but more importantly, would provide them with the ability to run fiber in the existing raceways and pole attachments they'd inherit with the legacy copper. Maybe a consortium of competitors could take on the old infrastructure as a cost+ business.
Just thinking out loud. . .
I continue to believe that once AT&T has a majority of their customers switched over to their FTTN (U-Verse) infrastructure, they'll attempt to abandon their older copper infrastructure. They've already asked the FCC to allow them to do so. This would include their CO's and Remote Terminal infrastructure.
Since they don't have to share U-Verse, they'll do this to cut competitors off at the knees. What happens to Sonic services (Fusion and traditional DSL) when AT&T attempts to shut down these legacy networks? The competitors only recourse would be to purchase those assets, along with the cost of maintenance, to stay in business. This isn't going to be pretty.
My thoughts on this are that since AT&T received many tax incentives to originally install the copper, and it's been depreciated over time as well, is that AT&T should be required to transfer this old infrastructure to another entity at a nearly zero cost. It's essentially a public asset anyway. This would give the competitors a platform on which to build out their networks, but more importantly, would provide them with the ability to run fiber in the existing raceways and pole attachments they'd inherit with the legacy copper. Maybe a consortium of competitors could take on the old infrastructure as a cost+ business.
Just thinking out loud. . .
