Written comments of Joshua Breitbart, Communications Director of Media Tank, before the Philadelphia City Council regarding the Wireless Philadelphia-Earthlink agreement
I prepared a statement, with input from Inja Coates, for the Philadelphia City Council hearing on the pole attachment agreement, the only thing about the wireless network that will come before Council.
The full statement is posted here on the Media Tank website and below, after the jump.
It caused quite a stir. Of the 25 or so people testifying, the only other people raising concerns were a direct competitor with Earthlink’s proposed network and a woman complaining of hyper-spectro-sensitivity disorder who elicited chuckles from the audience. I was dead last (except for the kids of Projecto Sin Fronteras who came in at the last moment) and afterwards a number of people came up to me wanting to know where I was coming from. I even heard that some of the corporate folks were wondering if I was a Verizon front. Hardly.
I did learn something interesting, though. Apparently, Comcast has been talking to Earthlink about bundling a wireless account with its triple play in Philadelphia, assumedly for the laptop crowd. Bad news for anyone hoping that the wireless network would put a dent in the local monopoly (especially if the Comcast-bundle price undercuts the wholesale price).
