Community webserver?

[Dave Parker]

They are both a CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) and an ISP, so 
there should be no technical reasons why they couldn't offer the
service.  
As I understand it (which is to say barely, if at all) it's a very
simple straightforward process requiring only a copper pair that's
relatively 
clean - ideally free of taps and/or splitters except maybe a voice 
splitter at the customer premises (if voice will also be carried on the 
same line).  I'm not very knowledgeable about the technical aspects, but 
both SWB's and Birch's objection would no doubt not be technical, but
the 
fact that the service would undercut their T1 business.  According to
the 
FCC order, though, the ILEC (SWBC) must make the lines available.  This 
is a business where I think almost all the incumbents have all been 
criticized for dragging their feet on competitive access issues,
though.  
It's not hard to understand why, either.  They are essentially being
told:  
"Butcher your cash cow and sell hamburger at cost to anyone who wants to 
buy it."  I'll take two, hold the fries.  The relevant FCC docs are:

  Report No. CC 99-54
  CC Docket No. 98-147

You can find out more at www.fcc.gov.

michael d hoskins wrote:
> 
> Does Birch do DSL?  I thought they only did T-1's (voice and/or data,)
> which cost more than DSL but less than SWBell's T-1's.
> http://www.birch.net/
-- 
Dave Parker/DLP, Inc.    dlparker at dlpinc.com    www.dlpinc.com