Just a Tidbit

I present: a prediction by Ivan Seidenberg, Verizon’s CEO, more for humor than anything. This is a statement made in regards to net neutrality at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) five years ago, in 2006:

“‘Two years from now, no one will remember this because we’ll get this solved and move on,” he said. “The issue really comes down to the law is the law. We could take the position, because we’re using new technology, that we don’t need a franchise. My view of that is that it’s highly risky. We could end up getting down a path and finding ourselves with a problem. So we chose to deal with it face up and we decided to do it two ways: No. 1 is go in and comply, and then complain like crazy.’

However, he added that the debate may be moot in a few years.

‘Our view is that as people will come to their senses, we still will be regulated, we will still pay franchise fees we will still have to get permits, but we don’t need the extra added complication of municipalities trying to turn this into a big delay tactic,” Seidenberg said. “They’ll work hard at it, they’ll try and they’ll lose because the public won’t stand for this. To me, in two years or less than that, this is something that’s come and gone.’”¹

What was that bit about some trouble with long-term thinking? To be fair, I suppose they have been complaining like crazy.

¹Mike Farrell, “Seidenberg: It’s About Cost, Not Blocking”  Multichannel News, 2/9/2006 

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