Here come da judge

Today the Amsterdam muni fiber project gets dragged into court by UPC, against a background of heightened political sensitivity. A couple of mega-uber value Dutch readers have responded to my plea for local context. One is fairly moderate, saying that the views of the CDA and VVD parties are driven by a belief that the carriers in the market should be left to execute the construction of true broadband, and that municipal government involvement might bring complications and bias into the equation. The other expresses dismay at the CDA's stance (I get the impression he is a CDA member), claiming that it has fallen under the influence of the VVD, which in turn he characterizes as being under the influence of UPC and cable industry lobby VECAI. Want a sustainable career in telecom? Become a lawyer.

UPDATE: I just received the following impassioned response from a mega-uber value reader:

"With absolute astonishment we are witnessing an apparent successful lobby in Dutch Parliament to block municipalities from investing in modern fiber infrastructure as a life line to secure their future as an attractive city in which to live and work. After a half a decade of building up world class expertise in modern infrastructure as a premise to innovation, legislation threatens to throw this away with the stroke of a pen. Apparently in this low-lying country where its Premier, Mr. Balkenende, is leading the National Innovation Platform, members of its parliament do not fully grasp the role of a modern communication and information infrastructure as a premise for cutting edge innovations. With Japan already seeing a decline in the absolute number of DSL connections in favour of future proof fiber connections, I am afraid Europe is yet a richer example of uncomprehending political leadership."