LA to TWC: We’ll Build Our Own Fiber Network

[CommanderFrank]

Metropolitan areas are finally wising up to the procedure needed to spur major cable companies around the US to finally get proactive in providing ultra-high speed fiber networks: tell them you are going to build your own. It worked for Los Angeles.

Now that some cities are officially getting fed up with their local cable companies and threatening to build their own fiber networks, it’s put big incumbents like Comcast and TWC in a tough spot.

 

[Wierdo]

Yep, unless Telco shills outlaw it. So build those asap before the lobbies run to kill competition with piles of lobby cash.

 

[viscountalpha]

I still hope google continues to drop in fiber lines just to shake this all up.

 

[pxc]

That's just a temporary stopgap measure until they buy off legislatures and Congress to prohibit municipalities from building out capacity and offering services. For the people, by the people... lol what kind of hippy nonsense is that.

Speaking of shills: http://arstechnica.com/business/201...rights-to-protect-isps-from-muni-competition/ She's a cheap date.

 

[carnageX]

http://i.imgur.com/AUlKT87.jpg

 

[MisterHipster]

That's just a temporary stopgap measure until they buy off legislatures and Congress to prohibit municipalities from building out capacity and offering services. For the people, by the people... lol what kind of hippy nonsense is that.

Speaking of shills: http://arstechnica.com/business/201...rights-to-protect-isps-from-muni-competition/ She's a cheap date.

Yeah, screw those hippies, they never got anything right!

 

[kbrickley]

The only downside of this strategy is that it puts all the costs and risks on the tax payers (cities don't just pull money out of thin air) ... the best strategy would be to keep tax payers out of the mix completely ... award the contract to as many companies as you can and let them compete against each other ... having the government enter the market is not capitalism and is bad for competition and the economy

If you really feel a burning desire to throw tax payer money at this then have a bidding war for financial grants ... pick the top two or three bidders and then given them money to lay the fiber and maintain it ... this way you can get true competition and maybe attract premiere providers (like Google)

 

[wabbitseason]

Yeah, screw those hippies, they never got anything right!

Might want to read over pxc's post again, a bit more carefully.

 

[JackNSally]

If the DWP piggybacked their power lines, had a competitive price and wasn't run by ineptitude, this would be awesome! They should even setup another branch as a non-profit, along the lines of EPB in Chattanooga

 

[Deleted member 88227]

The only downside of this strategy is that it puts all the costs and risks on the tax payers (cities don't just pull money out of thin air) ... the best strategy would be to keep tax payers out of the mix completely ... award the contract to as many companies as you can and let them compete against each other ... having the government enter the market is not capitalism and is bad for competition and the economy

If you really feel a burning desire to throw tax payer money at this then have a bidding war for financial grants ... pick the top two or three bidders and then given them money to lay the fiber and maintain it ... this way you can get true competition and maybe attract premiere providers (like Google)

So I guess car manufacturers should build the roads our cars drive on?

 

[kbrickley]

So I guess car manufacturers should build the roads our cars drive on?

Most cities don't own their powerlines ... if the LA voters approve the project that is one thing ... if it is just the government then they should give the voters a choice before they spend 3-5 Billion of their tax money ... they are also saying that the service will be free (which means an ongoing tax liability, since you don't get anything for free)

 

[Exavior]

The part about this article I find funny is we are talking about Internet access. And yet the only companies we care about are the cable companies? That shows just how "bad" it has gotten when Telcos and ISPs aren't even considered relevant in this area any more.

Do have to agree some about 1Gbps being more about bragging in some cases.

I know one company that using GPON has 30 customers per PON so that is 2.5Gbps down shared among 30 people, has them all set uncapped so everyone appears to get 1Gbps of service and that is how they advertise it. Now most people aren't trying to pull down that much so nobody notices any issues. However there they just wanted to be able to say that they offer 1Gbps and appear to be up there with somebody like Google.

I also know of a customer of ours that wanted 1Gbps not because they actually need it, they really only want like 20Mbps service. However they want us to give them a 1Gbps connection just so that they can promote themselves to their customers as being on the cutting edge of technology and having 1Gbps service.

But I am glad to hear about cities starting to demand more speed. Personally I think they would have less shit to worry about if they worked with some smaller existing ISP to do the work as then they aren't having to be a utility company or having to worry about people trying to stop them from doing anything. But anything that helps put a boot to the throat of TWC and Comcast I am for.

 

[Godmachine]

TWC offers 1Gbps internet...

For the low .. low.. price... of $250 a month

 

[MisterHipster]

Might want to read over pxc's post again, a bit more carefully.

Hmm... Nope. Don't think so.

 

[Vexorg]

As always, take it with a grain of salt. Based on what I've seen here in Seattle and elsewhere, municipalities have proven hilariously incompetent when it comes to the actual implementation of anything even remotely resembling a fiber network.

 

[Seventyfive]

Ironically it was the local governments getting bribed and giving sanctioned monopolies to these guys that caused the problem in the first place

Next Obama (who best buds with Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and Comcast lobbyist/Obama fundraiser David Cohen) is going to give his blessing to the Comcast merger and yet somehow I'm going to hear it's "george bush's fault" or "evil republicans are bought by the corporations!".

 

[Romale23]

I'm a really conservative guy, I really really dislike government involvement in anything. But I have to admit I like this for a couple of reasons. 1st, it doesn't get more local than the city level. 2nd. The government created this oligopoly in the first place. 3rd competition really does work. Everywhere google fiber has gone to market prices have gone down from anyone else. Yes I get it tax payer dollars etc. etc. But I think government can fuck up a wet dream. Which means they will probably fuck up in the end at this too, but it will still act as a price control mechanism and then could be spun off into an actual company the sale of which repays the tax payer.

 

[Spidey329]

I'm going to hear it's "george bush's fault" or "evil republicans are bought by the corporations!".

You'll hear that because it's true, just as it's true the dems are in bed with them as well. Denying one party is not in the pocket of massive fundraiser/lobbies is just silly.

Just like Reid discussing how Repubs are addicted to the Koch brothers. The minute he got questioned about Sheldon Adelson, Jr defended him as being " not like the Koch brothers " when it's the same thing. Billionaires (or corporations) throwing massive amounts of free speech at politicians to bend the rules so they can make more money or have more power.

 

[Spidey329]

Jr

*he

 

[Ashbringer]

Yep, unless Telco shills outlaw it. So build those asap before the lobbies run to kill competition with piles of lobby cash.

You'd have more luck waiting for Jesus to appear.

 

[Godmachine]

You'll hear that because it's true, just as it's true the dems are in bed with them as well. Denying one party is not in the pocket of massive fundraiser/lobbies is just silly.

Just like Reid discussing how Repubs are addicted to the Koch brothers. The minute he got questioned about Sheldon Adelson, Jr defended him as being " not like the Koch brothers " when it's the same thing. Billionaires (or corporations) throwing massive amounts of free speech at politicians to bend the rules so they can make more money or have more power.

A rational voice in a sea of blame. Well said.

 

[gabhpr]

As always, take it with a grain of salt. Based on what I've seen here in Seattle and elsewhere, municipalities have proven hilariously incompetent when it comes to the actual implementation of anything even remotely resembling a fiber network.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...attanooga-beat-google-fiber-by-half-a-decade/
Next time don't spread fud. Many municpals have fiber and have done it well. Seattle tried to have a private company do it and that is where they failed.

 

[gabhpr]

Obama is the head of the Judicial Department, the FTC, and the FCC? DAMN This Obama dude must be GOD!!!

Silly republican nonsense
Obama the boogey monster!

 

[sfsuphysics]

And TelCos/Cable companies sue cities due to "Unfair business practices" in 3....2....1....

 

[Terpfen]

As bad as the major ISPs are, a government-run network is going to be just hilariously awful.

LA has taken years to set up an iPad deployment program to its public schools, spent millions of dollars, then decided to switch course and deploy Windows tablets for another few million dollars. The tablets are still not deployed despite all the money spent on hardware, infrastructure, and training.

These guys are going to successfully implement a municipal fiber network as a public utility? Good luck.

 

[nilepez]

Yep, unless Telco shills outlaw it. So build those asap before the lobbies run to kill competition with piles of lobby cash.

They just fight it in the courts and delay the inevitable for as long as possible.

 

[Exavior]

Obama is the head of the Judicial Department, the FTC, and the FCC? DAMN This Obama dude must be GOD!!!

Silly republican nonsense
Obama the boogey monster!

both sides do this bullshit. People blamed Bush for everything with Republicans defending it say that the President doesn't control that stuff. Then once Obama took office they started blaming him for everything.

In the end whatever side is in off the other will blame them for everything.

 

[toast0]

As bad as the major ISPs are, a government-run network is going to be just hilariously awful.

LA has taken years to set up an iPad deployment program to its public schools, spent millions of dollars, then decided to switch course and deploy Windows tablets for another few million dollars. The tablets are still not deployed despite all the money spent on hardware, infrastructure, and training.

These guys are going to successfully implement a municipal fiber network as a public utility? Good luck.

Not really the same guys, despite what mayoral candidates say about fixing schools, school districts are not part of city or county government, they are separate agencies accountable to the county board of education, and the state department of education. I'm sure you could find a city of Los Angeles project that was similarly bungled though.

 

[raz-0]

Yep, unless Telco shills outlaw it. So build those asap before the lobbies run to kill competition with piles of lobby cash.

Yup, do that and flip a coin. They'll either start with the building, or lobby to outlaw it.

 

[Biznatch]

As bad as the major ISPs are, a government-run network is going to be just hilariously awful.

LA has taken years to set up an iPad deployment program to its public schools, spent millions of dollars, then decided to switch course and deploy Windows tablets for another few million dollars. The tablets are still not deployed despite all the money spent on hardware, infrastructure, and training.

These guys are going to successfully implement a municipal fiber network as a public utility? Good luck.

The school district is completely separate, so not sure why you are bringing it up. Shool districts in other cities are doing the same thing... I agree that it's a completely stupid waste of money, and doesn't help the kids at all, but that's not relevant to this thread.

I'm in LA and want to know what the status of this rollout it. I was waiting for FIOS, but they stopped rolling it out before it ever got to my location. I can pick between TWC and shitty Verizon DSL, so any other option would be awesome.

 

[Gweenz]

Republicans and Democrats are virtually indistinguishable from each other politically and are screwing over US taxpayers at rate never seen before, and yet STILL people choose sides. Way to play right into their pockets. WTF is wrong with everyone?

 

[Terpfen]

The school district is completely separate, so not sure why you are bringing it up.

Because it's a valid example of a local governing body in the LA area attempting to mass deploy a specific technology. Therefore it is relevant to another local governing body in the LA area's attempt to mass deploy a specific technology.

 

[Skripka]

Yep, unless Telco shills outlaw it. So build those asap before the lobbies run to kill competition with piles of lobby cash.

They'll kill it after it is already built.

 

[nilepez]

As bad as the major ISPs are, a government-run network is going to be just hilariously awful.

LA has taken years to set up an iPad deployment program to its public schools, spent millions of dollars, then decided to switch course and deploy Windows tablets for another few million dollars. The tablets are still not deployed despite all the money spent on hardware, infrastructure, and training.

These guys are going to successfully implement a municipal fiber network as a public utility? Good luck.

I suggest you look up Chattanooga TN or Lafayette LA. They've both done it and people love it.