Lamont R. Peterson
From WikTOPIA
Here are the responses to candidate questions from Lamont R. Peterson.
Contents |
2008 Campaign for State Senate 23
Candidate Responses
- Do you generally support or oppose projects like UTOPIA and iProvo?
Response:"Wholeheartedly support."
- What is the basis for your support or opposition?
Response:"As a technology professional, I have been eagerly awaiting the day I can have UTOPIA (or similar) at my home.
Infrastructure is one of the more important resources provided by government. Things like roads, power grids and sewers are built and managed by government, which are used by others. There are services that are one-way (water, sewer, etc.) and others that are two-way (roads). A service provider monopoly makes sense for one-way services, but for two-way, it does not. For example, there are thousands of trucking companies and millions of individual motorists who use the public roads.
Our telecommunications infrastructure has been run by a government regulated monopoly, though, there is much less regulation than there used to be. This model, from the 19th century, doesn't make sense. Long ago, our communications technologies reached the point where we can easily provide the base infrastructure (like roads) to each home and business, then allow service providers (like truckers and limo drivers) to offer services across those connections.
It's time to leave the 19th century behind. It's time to get rid of these monopolies who claim that such infrastructure can not be built. UTOPIA has already proven that it works."
- Is your support or opposition based on the general concept or specific implementations used in UTOPIA and/or iProvo?
Response:"The decision to use fiber-optics to provide the connections end-to-end was the right way to do things."
- What is your position on the regulation of incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) such as Qwest?
Response:"The regulations have become too lax. The "baby-Bells" have been able to jack up their rates at an unjustifiable pace, all the while providing lower and lower signal qualities. Hundreds of billions of tax-payer dollars were provided to them in the 90's in order to completely remove all of the copper-based infrastructure and replace it with fiber-optics across "the last mile," but they spent that money on other things (mostly executive bonuses and such), instead.
That model just doesn't work."
- What is your position on the regulation of incumbent cable companies such as Comcast?
Response:No response, presumed to match previous answer.
- What role, if any, should the federal government play in allegations of unfair business practices leveled at incumbent carriers such as Qwest and Comcast?
Response:"Such companies should face a full and complete audit of their books, their business practices and the actual service(s) they are (or are not) providing."
- What proposals or concepts do you support to bring better broadband access to rurals Utahns?
Response:"UTOPIA would be my preferred choice for rural Utah. The costs would be minimal and the benefits to those citizens would be massive.
For example, with such infrastructure available, smaller communities could host a high-tech company or two, thus greatly raising the available personal incomes in those areas. School children would have better access to research and collaboration resources around the world. Families would have better, lower cost, communications options, allowing a farmer's family to see their child who's away at college or elsewhere via video-conferencing.
These possibilities and so many more that we've yet to think of will be significantly more affordable. This is an especially important consideration for rural areas, where people do not necessarily have much disposable income to spend on such technologies."
- What proposals or concepts do you support to improve average broadband speeds to be better competitive on an international basis?
Response:"The number 1 thing to do is to remove the monopolies whose interestes do not include seeing America being competitive in the world. Telecommunications infrastructure provided by government, which support multiple carriers and service providers, thus offering the people freedom of choice is the best way forward.
We need to remove those monopolies who have refused to replace the antiquaited copper infrastructure with fiber-optics, as they were paid to do. They can compete on the same infrastructure along with everyone else."
- What proposals or concepts do you support to increase competitive options for Internet, television and telephone services?
Response:"Much the same, but I also include the ending of tax-payer funded subsidies to the existing monopolies and the reduction and elimination of unbalanced, additional telecommunications taxes."
- Do you have any other related comments you would like to add?
Response:"Your questions seem to have covered the topic nicely, so nothing comes to mind, at this time."
FreeUTOPIA Position on Candidate
Positive
This candidate shows an excellent grasp of the telecommunications sector and the reasons why projects like iProvo and UTOPIA exist.
Mixed
N/A
Negative
N/A
Overall Rating
Positive (5/5). This candidate would most assuredly propose and support sound broadband policy.
