[Davisgig] Recently in Community Networks... Week of 8/20

Christopher Mitchell christopher at newrules.org
Thu Aug 20 08:12:44 PDT 2015


*Recent Stories from MuniNetworks.org - a project of the **Institute for
Local Self-Reliance. Instructions for unsubscribing appear at bottom.  Send
feedback.  Forward Widely.*

*Running late this week - back on Tuesday next week! Big stories below in
the meantime ...*

Want a Gig? Ask Consultants the Right Questions
<http://muninetworks.org/content/want-gig-ask-consultants-right-questions>
Wed, August 12, 2015 | Posted by christopher
<http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/want-gig-ask-consultants-right-questions>

For years, we have been frustrated at the tendency of communities and
consultants to view municipal fiber networks as a binary decision. Should
we or shouldn't we? Should they or shouldn't they? At its worst, it is
framed with the most expensive approach - borrowing for a citywide
all-at-once approach.

Consider this framing by a recent story in a Portland, Oregon suburb from
the Oregonian
<http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2015/08/consultant_advises_hillsboro_a.html>
:

Hillsboro officials have heard back from the consultant they hired to
examine the feasibility of building a municipal fiber network that would
bring high-speed, lower-cost Internet service to city residents.

The answer? Don't do it.

Stories like this make my blood boil. It is the *absolute wrong question*.
But to delve into it, I want to abstract away from any specific consultants
or approaches. This is not a failing of a single consultant, but something
we have seen to various degrees from many.

... More Here - We have had Great Feedback on this article! ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/want-gig-ask-consultants-right-questions>

Who Has Citywide Gigabit Internet Access for $100 or Less?
<http://muninetworks.org/content/who-has-citywide-gigabit-internet-access-100-or-less>
Mon, August 10, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/who-has-citywide-gigabit-internet-access-100-or-less>

As Westminster begins serving customers with its new FTTH
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13> network and partner Ting
<http://www.muninetworks.org/content/gigabit-muni-fiber-partnership-westminster-and-ting>,
we were curious how many communities are there where a residential
subscriber can obtain affordable gigabit access? We estimate the number of
networks, large or small, where a majority of residents in a community can
obtain gigabit service for $100 or less to be 12. Westminster will be there
in a few years.

We included municipal networks, cooperatives, and privately owned
companies. When considering networks that cover multiple jurisdictions in a
single area, we counted it as one (thus Google counts as 1 in KC,
Chattanooga is 1 in TN). And we were looking for gigabit networks - not
just gigabitdownload <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term8>. While we
prefer to see symmetrical <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term24>
connections,
we accepted 500 Mbps <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term18> up for our
threshold.

... See the Full List Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/who-has-citywide-gigabit-internet-access-100-or-less>

Modest Investment Yields Results in Steamboat Springs - Community Broadband
Bits Episode 163
<http://muninetworks.org/content/modest-investment-yields-results-steamboat-springs-community-broadband-bits-episode-163>
Tue, August 11, 2015 | Posted by christopher
<http://muninetworks.org/users/christopher>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/modest-investment-yields-results-steamboat-springs-community-broadband-bits-episode-163>

When Steamboat Springs resolved to improve Internet access for key
community anchor institutions and businesses, they decided to make an
economical investment in a carrier neutral facility to allow multiple ISPs
to invest and compete with each other. In episode 163 of the Community
Broadband Bits Podcast, Tim Miles explains what that means and how they did
it.

Tim is the Technology Director at Steamboat Springs and South Route School
Districts in Colorado. He tells us about the poor connectivity the
community had from CenturyLink and how they opened a bottleneck to
encourage more investment. In part because of how Colorado limits local
authority to build networks, they formed the Northwest Colorado Broadband
Cooperative with the local Chamber of Commerce
<http://www.steamboatchamber.com/>.

They are already seeing benefits in the form of lower prices for anchor
institutions and reduced outages - Tim describes just how painful those
outages had been when there was no local Internet choice.

... Listen to the Show here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/modest-investment-yields-results-steamboat-springs-community-broadband-bits-episode-163>

Hudson Lays Out Details for Its Municipal Gigabit Network
<http://muninetworks.org/content/hudson-lays-out-details-its-municipal-gigabit-network>
Thu, August 13, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/hudson-lays-out-details-its-municipal-gigabit-network>

Hudson, Ohio's upcoming municipal network, Velocity Broadband
<http://www.hudsonvelocity.com/Default.aspx>, may be serving commercial
customers as early as September, reports the Hudson Hub Times
<http://www.hudsonhubtimes.com/news%20local/2015/07/26/velocity-broadband-coming-to-hudson-as-city-utility>.
At a July 22nd Rotary Club meeting, Assistant City Manager Frank Comeriato
presented details on the plan. The city has no plans to serve residents but
once business services are in place, they may consider a residential build
out.

The gigabit network, to be owned and operated by the city of Hudson, will
be deployed incrementally. Incumbents Time Warner Cable and Windstream
serve local businesses but a majority complain of unreliable connections
and unaffordable prices in the few places where fiber is available.

Earlier this year, the city conducted a survey
<http://muninetworks.org/content/ohio-hudson-offers-broadband-survey> and
businesses responded:

... See How Businesses Responded Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/hudson-lays-out-details-its-municipal-gigabit-network>

Fiber or Fireplace? Study Links FTTH to Increased Housing Prices
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fiber-or-fireplace-study-links-ftth-increased-housing-prices>
Wed, August 12, 2015 | Posted by phineas
<http://muninetworks.org/users/phineas>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fiber-or-fireplace-study-links-ftth-increased-housing-prices>

Only one in 11 households in the United States have fiber-to-the-home (FTTH
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term13>) subscriptions, according to a
2014 Broadband Communities primer
<http://www.bbcmag.com/Primers/BBC_Nov14_Primer.pdf>, but that might begin
to change as more and more studies show the economic benefits of fiber.
Most recently, the Fiber To The Home Council Americas funded a study in
conjunction with the University of Colorado and Carnegie Mellon that showed
a fiber dividend of $5,437 on a $175,000 home
<http://www.fiercetelecom.com/press-releases/got-fiber-get-more-your-home>.
Fierce Telecom reported on the results:

The boost to the value of a typical home – $5,437 – is roughly equivalent
to adding a fireplace, half of a bathroom or a quarter of a swimming pool
to the home.

The results of the study, which compared roughly 500,000 housing prices
over the course of two years, have made their rounds on the Internet, even
receiving coverage in the Wall Street Journal
<http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB11064341213388534269604581077972897822358>.
It builds upon a small, but growing, body of research that links fiber
deployments in homes and multiple dwelling units (MDU
<http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term19>s) to economic growth.

... Read our Full Coverage Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/fiber-or-fireplace-study-links-ftth-increased-housing-prices>

Sun Prairie Passes Resolution to Begin Initial Stage of Fiber Project
<http://muninetworks.org/content/sun-prairie-passes-resolution-begin-initial-stage-fiber-project>
Fri, August 14, 2015 | Posted by phineas
<http://muninetworks.org/users/phineas>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/sun-prairie-passes-resolution-begin-initial-stage-fiber-project>

On July 21, the City Council of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin passed a resolution
to fund construction on a segment of what could become a citywide,
high-speed fiber optic project
<http://www.sunprairieutilities.com/newsItem.cfm?id=29>. Construction will
take place in the city’s Smith’s Crossing subdivision, parts of Main
Street, and the Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District 9/St. Mary’s
development area. It is slated to begin in early September and last through
December 1, weather permitting, and will cost an estimated $640,000.

The mayor of Sun Prairie, Paul Esser, believes that going through with this
project is the correct move for the City. He was recently quoted in the Sun
Prairie Star
<http://www.hngnews.com/sun_prairie_star/news/government/article_c43b4b1e-320a-11e5-b79c-b304c709cca2.html>
:

Moving ahead with the pilot project in Smith’s Crossing is the right way to
go. I believe that as an early adopter of this technology we will have an
economic development advantage which will attract companies that require
this broad bandwidth <http://muninetworks.org/glossary/1#term2>.

... Read More About Sun Prairie's Approach Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/sun-prairie-passes-resolution-begin-initial-stage-fiber-project>

Carl Junction Pulls Out of Public Private Partnership
<http://muninetworks.org/content/carl-junction-pulls-out-public-private-partnership>
Mon, August 10, 2015 | Posted by lgonzalez
<http://muninetworks.org/users/lgonzalez>
<http://muninetworks.org/content/carl-junction-pulls-out-public-private-partnership>

In the spring, we reported on a public private partnership
<http://muninetworks.org/content/carl-junction-partnering-wi-fi-missouri>
agreement
between the community of Carl Junction and Wi-Fi provider Aire Fiber.
According to City Administrator, Steve Lawver, the City Council had second
thoughts and pulled out of the deal.

Even though the partnership has ceased to be an option, the people of Carl
Junction will still have better connectivity. Aire Fiber found the interest
level was so intense that it will independently deploy the equipment to
serve the community's 5.6 square miles and approximately 7,400 people.

As part of the abandoned partnership agreement, the city would have paid
for and provided locations to mount necessary equipment. Aire Fiber would
have handled installation, management, and technical aspects needed to keep
the network up and running. In exchange, the city would have received 10
percent of the gross revenue from the network. The system would have cost
an estimated $400,000 - $450,000 to deploy and both entities estimated just
10 percent of the market would have allowed them to break even.

... Read More Here ...
<http://muninetworks.org/content/carl-junction-pulls-out-public-private-partnership>

-- 
You can always find our most recent stories and other resources at http://MuniNetworks.org
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Community Networks Weekly Updates" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to communitynetworks-weekly+unsubscribe at ilsr.org.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/ilsr.org/d/optout.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.omsoft.com/pipermail/davisgig/attachments/20150820/61c7d710/attachment.html>


More information about the Davisgig mailing list