The modems are useless without an ISP providing access. I’ve got a stack of Motorola and Ubee modems sitting behind me in my cube. Want one? They’re not useful without a service, so just like Obamaphones, they’ll get Internet service as well.
And just like with Obamaphones, the taxes the rest of us pay for high-speed service will go toward subsidies to pay for the rest of the useless takers to watch porn on broadband.
That said, most folks don’t realize that these “modems” are actually gateways that, if not configured properly, can expose them to the open Internet. Open connection to the Internet means easy pickings for anyone with a wireless card and some know how. I predict a rash of identity thefts among the poor and minorities.
I’ll point this out. The word ‘identity’ is only mentioned three times in the 400 page document that the FCC released. Oddly, the one thing they could do something about and fix....they’ve done mostly nothing. I think you are basically right...they simply will open the door for more ID theft.