Lowell Mcadam on municipal regulation
From 5G, Digital Inclusion and the Future of Communication - A Conversation with Lowell McAdam · · Worth Media
“Unfortunately it's um a bit of a money maker for them some cities literally want $33,000 for every light pole that you put an antenna on what that means is you go to the next city you can't afford to deploy. But places like Sacramento Boston's and other example we worked with the mayor there we got uh access to a lot of the city infrastructure we just put $300 million into Boston to completely Revitalize the way they do telecommunications in the city.”
On , Lowell Mcadam, Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Verizon, spoke about municipal regulation during 5G, Digital Inclusion and the Future of Communication - A Conversation with Lowell McAdam on Worth Media.
About Lowell Mcadam
In a 2017 conversation, Lowell McAdam discussed Verizon's strategy for 5G deployment, describing a plan to use fiber to a neighborhood node and then broadcast wirelessly to homes, which he said would be cheaper than running fiber directly to each residence. He also addressed the digital divide, stating that Verizon's Innovative Learning schools program provides connectivity, laptops, and teacher training, and he reported a 60% improvement in test scores at participating schools. McAdam expressed frustration with the economics of the telecom industry, noting that while Verizon invested in network infrastructure, companies like Google and Facebook profited. He said Verizon was investing in content assets such as Yahoo and AOL under the Oath brand to create alternatives. On regulation, he stated that he was not a fan of regulation but advocated for a level playing field where all internet ecosystem participants are regulated equally. He also discussed municipal fees for antenna placement, citing examples of cities that either made deployment unaffordable or worked collaboratively. For rural areas, he suggested a government-subsidized model where one carrier builds infrastructure for shared use.