Net Neutrality, What does it mean?

We are an Internet company that relies on continuous reliable Internet service for our customers.  I for one am generally against any kind of government regulation or intervention. As a great man once said the most dangerous words are

"Hello I am from the government and I am here to help"

Something has to be done though.  Here is a great article that explains a side of Net Neutrality

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12326531/3/will-net-neutrality-cost-more-than-cable.html

Our country is a large one, however that does not take away our requirement to compete with other countries such as Germany, Norway, Sweden, Japan and Brazil. With our health care cost ratio way higher than other countries we need every advantage we can achieve.

So what is the answer?  The problem lies in the last mile, the connection to a person home or business.  No matter what company is providing the service people installing cable are very expensive.  With archaic contracts and monopolies this is certainly not going to change.

One of the goals the cable companies want to do is charge high users more.  My problem with this approach is that they are a monopoly and in many cases no competition is available to control pricing.  Therefore it is up to local governments to regulate the pricing levels and that has not proven to be successful.

So how do we get competition? We won't. Google is trying but they are not rushing around the country with trucks and bulldozers laying fiber to business and homes. The answer lies in new technology.

The current cell phone technology simply does not allow the bandwidth required from a heavy user or business location at a reasonable price. Some type of wireless technology that is compatible with wireless access points and is capable of handling the download and upload speeds required by today's users and businesses. This technology will happen, we have seen claims of the technology appear but nothing marketable yet.  At that point in time the current cable companies may have a few issues.

Now back to Net Neutrality. So often laws such as the copyright and software patent laws just get worse as you update them for technology. This is because they are often written to protect a group and not people, but that is another conversation all together. Let's not pass rules and regulations based on a group of companies and their desire to support an archaic outdated network. Perhaps it is a time to take a step back and see what develops before we rush into anything.

Jeffrey

I am starting to believe the best advice is....

I love the show the Shark Tank.  I study the show intently and can tell you almost immediately who is going to get an investment.  The rules on the shark tank rarely apply to the real world but it is fun to watch. As a continuing series in my blog I am going to post my observations about Shark Tank that many people will continue to disagree with.

One rule that does apply to the real world is that it is usually about who is presenting, they can have a great product but for some reason the sharks don't like them they strike out.  Here is the kicker they can not like you because of a lot of reasons, one of the most common, you are to smart, I saw two Harvard educated ladies who had a great product and all the answers,but got failed to get a deal, the only thing I can think of they were to smart. It can go the other way if you are just to stupid, you don't know the answers to the same questions they have asked every show for the past 4 season. I would make a slide, tattoo it on my arm something. I would remember how much it cost to acquire a customer.

Another rule is never step out of the room, it always ends badly.  The entrepreneurs seem to have stopped this.

Another rule and this one would be hard for me, shut up, so often they talk themselves right out of a deal.

And lastly these are sharks, they will eat you alive, you have already won by being on the show, why are you crying if they tell you no, this is business, break out the champagne and celebrate.

Which brings me to the best advice someone gave me, winning is 90% showing up. All the people on shark tank win with or without an investment.

What can we win at by showing up?

Jeffrey

Do you work as hard as these entrepreneurs?

So often entrepreneurs often need to ask themselves what are you willing to give up to make it? Often we want it to be easy like Facebook, forgetting that was the exception not the norm. Here is a story that should make you feel a little better about how hard you work, because you probably have a hard time out working these guys.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/02/04/269483956/can-homemade-liquor-jumpstart-a-local-economy?ft=1&f=93559255

Jeffrey

We discovered Concierge Medicine

It started by accident actually as many things do.  We were recruiting providers and Dr. Nelson came onto our radar scope.  During our talks with him we came to realize just how closely his business and ours were aligned. We never set out to develop a concierge product or even recruit concierge doctors.  However we soon discovered that perhaps we had without actually meaning to, by accident. 

We soon began to talk to some other private physicians and synergies quickly became apparent.  Another example of how the road map must be flexible to accommodate opportunities as they present themselves. 

What opportunities has your business found that were unexpected?

Jeffrey