It was a bit surprising to hear Qwest Communications’ (NYSE: Q) chief financial officer, Joe Euteneuer, assert at an investor conference this week (in relation to residential broadband), “Speed is almost a non-issue for the consumer.”

“The consumer just wants what they want when they want it, and they want it seamlessly delivered,” he said, adding that Qwest is “empowering” its workforce to “perfect the customer experience” and that “we’ll see the benefits of that, and speed will be a non-issue.”

Set aside the obvious, which you already know just from being a broadband consumer — that speed is SO NOT a non-issue.

Qwest in particular has made it plain in the past year that high-speed Internet service is the core of its entire corporate strategy, Qwest being the only regional Bell carrier without an in-house wireless or terrestrial video offering.

“We’re moving the high-speed Internet product to be the anchor of what we’re trying to do here,” Ed Mueller, Qwest’s chief executive officer, said last fall.

So high-speed Internet is the key, but speed is a non-issue? more

Small businesses, under pressure from the sagging economy, are in turn increasing pressure on telecom service providers to lower prices – even on those with lower IP-based cost structures. That was the report from Robert Fugate, chief financial officer of CBeyond (NasdaqGS: CBEY), at an investor conference yesterday. more