Waning hope

Last summer, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to end regulations requiring incumbent telecommunications carriers to share their DSL broadband connections with competitors.

Locally that means Frontier doesn't have to provide so-called high speed access to Kootenet and Skynet/Mooseweb, local providers of Internet service, via their T-1 lines. We have no broadband.

I'm told Frontier has already informed the independent ISPs.

Kootenet doesn't provide DSL but has considered it for some time. The latest decision by Frontier — if it stands — means Kootenet won't be able to provide more than the existing dial-up service.

Fred Weber of Skynet/Mooseweb is the only independent service provider locally providing DSL with the other two providers being Frontier and Adelphia.

It's interesting to note that when Frontier, then Citizens, came to Libby so many years ago, they told the community there was no demand for an ISP service. Kootenet was formed as a co-op type organization using county start-up funding to purchase needed equipment. Within a year or two, the area's only Internet service provider had 3,000 customers. Mooseweb brought it's higher speed DSL service to the area and it wasn't long before Frontier got into the Internet provider business despite the so-called lack of demand in the area.

Kootenai Valley Internet Service was launched by a number of local people but was eventually gobbled up by Mooseweb. Adelphia is at some level of a buy-out by Time-Warner Cable and Frontier is now trying to gobble up the remaining local competition by refusing to provide access under the last year's FCC ruling.

If we're not careful, our only choice for Internet access could be Frontier or Adelphia/Time Warner. It's time to dust off the broadband proposal that cost us over $300,000. With the Bonneville Power Administration looking at rebuilding their power transmission line between Libby and Troy, we might have the opportunity to have them hang fiber optic cable from the same towers.

Fiber presently runs into Troy from Idaho but is not lit for public consumption. I'm told Verizon brought it in for Frontier to conduct their own business.

If we don't step up to provide competition against Frontier, their going to squeeze us for everything they can — beyond what they're already doing with T-1 line costs, which are four times higher here than anywhere else in the region.

If we don't act, if we don't find an answer among ourselves, then we're going to have to depend on Time Warner to be our savior. Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that will happen.

The worse part is that some home-grown businesses are being strong-armed to the wayside by a monopoly in our midst and there is little we can do to fight it. — Roger Morris