Watchtower/Telecom Ownership Agreement! (page 4)

Gregor

In todays news re: Catholic priest being held under house arrest in the Vatican while being investigated for criminal child abuse. He was already defrocked in June for same.

Must feel strange for him to not wear a frock.

Pistoff

If this doesn't make every witness angry, they are worse off than I think.

I stayed away from college; remember? "You will never graduate and get a career in the few remaining years of this system."

Well not Mr. Latchman; he got a BS from the West Indies, and a Phd from OXFORD, yes f**king Oxford.

So it's just fine for the WT to harass every kid who wants to go to college and make him out to be greedy or a fame-seeker, but they have NO QUALMS about glad handing the highly educated, and benefiting from their largesse.

(Do you suppose they get the supreme irony that if more witnesses were educated, they might get better donations?)

What does Mr. Latchman get out of this?

I am guessing a huge tax break?

Or will he get his permanent CO appointment?

besty

@punkofnice - there is a difference between 'no punches pulled' and asserting baseless nonsense - those type of comments just feed the JW persecution complex and are the opposite of helpful to our position.

PS - none of my immediate family talk with me either.

Lets discuss over a beer in London one of these days ;-) PM me if up for that,

sherrie11

The brethren in Australia have a company called UBT. my daughter works for a company that is owned by the brethren and she has told me that UBT is the filter between them and the ISP provider

Sherilynn

I see under "track" on his profile page that he was awared Fulbright Award per 4/18/14 article submitted by himself, see link to open.

https://www.ece.ufl.edu/content/professor-haniph-latchman-receives-fulbright-award

"grant to do research at the Federeal Univerity in Brazil during 2013-2014 academic year. "will collaborate in the research and development of PowerLine Comunication (PLC) systems and techologies targeted for the Brazailan context for in home communication, Internet Access & SmartGrid applications"

This also states primary funding is an annual appropriation made by the US Congress and participating governments & host institutions, corporations & foundation in foreign countries & US also provide direct and indirect support.

I feel that he is a straw man for the WT to set up company to buy. Is there anyway to see if this 2013 transfer request was completed to WT ownership?

Simon

@ punkofnice - there is a difference between 'no punches pulled' and asserting baseless nonsense - those type of comments just feed the JW persecution complex and are the opposite of helpful to our position.

I agree - it gives people an excuse to be able to dismiss any and all other accusations made by pointing to extreme claims. It can be cathartic to rant a little but it doesn't convince anyone that what we're saying is true and that we are reasonable people.

JeffT

I think on its face, there's nothing too out of the ordinary about this. They either set up the company through a shell arrangement or picked it up cheap from the brother who did.

The fun starts with future possibilites: a means to monitor and control every JW's internet access by having them routed through the WTBS' system. While they're at it, they can get every JW to pay them $ xx every month for the privilege.

StarTrekAngel

There might be more to just needing a telecom company.

Not that this is anything new but I know I've seen several members question WT intentions on this. I do not have much information on QCS Telecom (the company itself) but certainly agree that it is fishy to think that the WTBTS would invest in a company with no current employees or customers. I know the purchase price was pennies relatively speaking. But yet, if they are promising to buy all of QCS services to carry out the fiber optic installation, then the purchase price is not the sole expense incurred.

I am in the telecomunications business and have been for the past 10 years. I am not a business man, I am a technical person but I do get involved or participate on the why and how of business decision at my job. There are two types of telecom businesses, ILECs and CLEC. An ILEC is your typical phone company, although defined as those companies that were present before Bell was split. A CLEC is a telecom company that actually needs to compete with others and win customers in order to make financial sense. Both types have regulations that they need to follow, where the ILEC is generally much more heavily regulated. ILEC also enjoy cash infusions from the Universal Service Fund (A fee we all pay in our telephone service) and specially if they are dedicated to serve high cost or unserved areas. CLECs in the other hand do not get this, but they can be, under certain cirscunstances, subsididiares of an ILEC which is operateed by the same employees of the ILEC.

CLECs can, however, participate in government grants. The company I work for is an ILEC, which in turn also works with a subsidiary (a CLEC). We do all kinds of telecom work, telephone, internet, long distance, data transport, etc. We also bury lots and lots of fiber optic cable.

A few years ago we were awarded a huge grant that was part of the ARRA and other moneys thru the USDA. Everything amounted to over 80 million. This money was to be dedicated to install brand new infrastructure for unserved areas. This was such widespread program, that during 2012 there was an actual shortage of fiber optic supply around the US. The municipalities that were to benefit from this gave us permission to use empty lots as places to store the massive wooden spools of fiber cable

This programs have not stopped. While the initial funds have served their purpose, other programs have come up. One is the CAF (Connect America Fund) which will come to replace USF in a few years. Another is the broadband initiative started by the Obama admin. There is also a new one called "Rural Broadband Experiment" funded by the FCC (Could be some other agency)

Where I am going with all these? That while I could be bias by my enviroment, but the only reason I can think of the WTBTS buying such company, could be to rip the benefits of government funding. They could not qualify for this grants by themselves, they are not a telecom company. Neither could have QCS built the fiber and then sell it to WT. QCS, having no customers, could not qualify for the grants. Even us, with over 10000 customers, we needed to justify our grant by bringing in anchor institutions (like universities and large hospitals) who could write a reference for us, saying that they truly needed us to serve their areas.

The one thing that catches my eye from the documents regarding the purhcase of QCS is the mention of small communities and their economic impact. Most of the programs aboved mentioned are geared towards small or economically challenged communities, where viable broadband services are not available. Also, QCS could not qualify for the grant without any meaninful backing from a third party "investor". Having the WTBTS sign over a promise of buying 100% of the output of services, grants QCS the success they need to qualify.

As to why they need to run a telecom company? Well, if it is not just to get someone else to pay for the infrastructure, then having an internet inside the internet, and therefore control content, is not far fetched. Entire countries already do this. It is not utterly difficult. They would need a large datacenter for this, but it is not impossible. The difficult part would be getting everyone to subscribe. It only takes one to break such system. I know I would be the one.

My ignorant two cents..

wallsofjericho

ann o maly and undertheradar

I think your both onto the truth. The fact that the WTS actually stated the price for the company is presently unknown.... of course its known! $1.00 (!!)

this was set up from the beginning to allow the JW's to own a shell company.

I'm still not sure why they felt the need to actually own a company rather than just hire it out. Just money? smells fishy

WHEREAS, QCS is a corporation organized under the New York Transportation Corporations Law as a telecom company, and a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity was issued to QCS on November 15, 2011, by the New York Public Service Commission ("PSC") to operate in New York State as a facilities-based provider and reseller of telephone service, without authority to provide local exchange service; and WHEREAS, Watchtower is a not-for-profit corporation that owns three complexes of office, residence, and ancillary buildings located in or near the communities of Patterson, Wallkill, and Tuxedo, New York and is developing a fourth complex of such buildings at or near Warwick, New York, which complexes will have a combined population of approximately 5,000 on-site residents and staff providing religious and charitable services to the public; and WHEREAS, QCS intends to install a high-speed, fiber-optic network between Watchtower's facilities in Patterson, Wallkill, Tuxedo, and Warwick, New York, and, upon completion of the network, to enter into an output contract with Watchtower, under which Watchtower will purchase 100% of the network data, voice, and internet services that QCS can provide for use and benefit of the residents and staff living and working at Watchtower's complexes;

this was insightful - http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTFINANCIALSECTOR/Resources/282884-1303327122200/234Banno-607.pdf

I think were going to see the WTS creating telecomm services to its own branches and KH's world wide and getting government grants as a result.

Of course, KH's will agree to plege a monthly donation for these internet services that stream data directly from the mother ship to the congregation

this seems to lay it out the clearest...

StarTrekAngel

Agreed! see my post above. this isn't just going to benefit the regular consumer. It is oriented to businesses as well. By comparing the watchtower complexes to the likes of small communitites that have a big economic impact, they could justify getting the grant. WT can not get the grant but QCS can.

Watchtower/Telecom Ownership Agreement!

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