Since the features/function/success of the service is so intimately tied to the control/maintenance of that last mile/alley/drop, how do the takers make sure they get what they need? Or that it uses the technology they want? It's an attractive idea from the surface, but one that erodes competitive differentiation. Frank -----Original Message----- From: Chris Adams [mailto:cmadams@hiwaay.net] Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 12:31 PM To: NANOG list Subject: Re: FCCs RFC for the Definition of Broadband Once upon a time, Peter Beckman <beckman@angryox.com> said:
And where does that fiber go to? Home runs from a central point in the development, so any provider can hook up to any house at the street? Deregulation means those lines should be accessible to any company for a fee. How do you give House A Verizon and House B Cox, especially if Cox doesn't support fiber?
I have two cable TV providers available at my house. They each have their own cable plant in my neighborhood; there are two runs in each easment, two sets of pylons for access (although they mostly alternate yards, so they aren't digging at the same place when burying new wires). If you switch from one to the other, the new one runs a new wire from their nearest tap and sends somebody else around in a few weeks to "bury" (under maybe 2" of dirt) the wire. On my block, the cable lines are at the back edge of the yard, running between the houses (down the middle of the block), while the phone company wires run along the easment at the front edge of the yard with the utility (power/water/sewer) lines. Not sure why it was done that way, except maybe to keep the cable guys from digging up important stuff on a regular basis (since people switch cable a lot). However, I've seen pictures of the old power lines in New York City and such, when there were a dozen or more power companies. I sure wouldn't want to see anything like that again. IMHO, we'd be better off with a public utility that manages nothing but the cable plant, running one set of wires (a few copper pairs, a coax or two, and a couple of fiber pairs) to each house, and then selling equal access to all takers (ILEC, CLEC, cable TV, direct to ISPs, etc.). The utility would be banned from selling any kind of service themselves, and would be a non-profit; they'd charge everybody the same fees for access to the same type of cable and they'd maintain the plant and colo facilities. -- Chris Adams <cmadams@hiwaay.net> Systems and Network Administrator - HiWAAY Internet Services I don't speak for anybody but myself - that's enough trouble.