(03-26-2015 05:05 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote: You'll notice things like "Universal Service Fund" and "Rural Power" charges. Which are basically wholly designed to roll out the infrastructure in places where it would otherwise be unprofitable or unfeasible. Yea ... it cost a lot to run fiber optic internet file miles up some rural road to two people. It cost even more to do the same with power, and that was done too.
Those taxes have outlived their usefulness and should go away. Our country is much different than it was when the first run of electrical services were being installed in the 1920's, 30's, 40's, etc. First of all, due to population growth, there are fewer places that are truly far away. There is less distance between towns and existing infrastructure. Secondly, I am positive it is cheaper today to install such infrastructure than it was 90 years ago, due to mechanization and other efficiencies.
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:I think his municipality should be legally allowed to sell him internet service, even if profit offerings are available. Right now they are not. That solves his and many other problems. The locals are suckin up a storm? Fine. Let the municipality roll their own fiber networks and crush them.
I agree, to a point. That municipal utility should not be allowed to be supported by any tax dollars. If it is, it operates at an unfair advantage to private industry.
georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:I don't understand where their isn't a mandate and a rider on ALL government infrastructure work requiring conduit with regular crossover junctions. Building a road? Fine. But it by law MUST include proper conduit and crossover junctions. Building a railroad? Same deal. Building a bridge? Same deal. It shouldn't be an afterthought. It should be baked in to EVERY infrastructure project where even a DIME of taxpayer money touches it.
I strongly disagree. Transportation agencies and municipalities should not be maintainers of conduit infrastructure. Forcing them to install it forces them to own it. What size conduit? How do you fairly allocate space within it? Who is entitled to what? These companies don't want to share infrastructure such as conduit. Even with the use of innerduct, whether traditional or fabric, the first cable (fiber) in the run can be damaged quite easily by the next pull. I don't want to have to mediate that argument. Let them bury their own conduit, maintain it and own it. Anyway, many prefer to hang it from the poles already in place from the electric company.
You want the Federal government to pass this law that impacts all these infrastructure projects, even if locally funded?
We already run our own conduit and fiber for our transportation system/network needs. Government does a poor job of building and maintaining their own stuff. No private entity with a brain wants to depend on us.
I live just off the outer edge of a major metropolitan area. I pay $40 a month for 1.5 Mbps down and 128k up (including extra for a static ip) for wireless broadband. It isn't terribly reliable due to overselling by the provider, among other things. I point at an antenna on someone's grain leg. It works, ok. Life goes on. Nobody owes me fiber out in front of my house.