[Davisgig] Thoughts - Be Careful / Be Strategic

Tue Mar 3 20:48:41 PST 2015

Thanks for putting this site together, and all the work that went into it. Yes, I'd probably phrase some things differently, and appreciate Taylor and Richard's useful thoughts. I just wanted to ask if we really want to play the name of the organization in quite this way: the page says "DavisGig" at the top, and nowhere else. There's no contact information or list signup link. I do really like the clean look, and the "get involved" window that you can open.

Is there a DavisGig organizational structure? If so, we should mention that; if not, we should think a little about that, as part of making sure the group has roots. Roots are important, even if making an impact on what's going on is what we need to think about first. 

I like Richard's last line a lot. We are currently "thinking through" by emails. Thanks again to Fei and everyone else who contributed!

On Mar 3, 2015, at 4:55 PM, Richard Lowenberg wrote:

> I will not pick this apart, but will note that language is important.
> There are a number of statements in this initial text, that I'd be careful of.
> As a previous poster noted, do not talk about pricing yet.
> 
> The sentence:  "Davis community fiber is a brand new, state of the art, 
> city-owned telecommunications operation."    
> Not yet, if at all.
> 
> There are many organizational models for local community or regional networks.
> Be careful in using "municipal fiber", as the city owned or partnered option
> is but one way to implement a local network.    Public-private partnering are ideal,
> but may or may not be possible.    If the City invests in fiber networking, it should
> be an 'open access' initiative, allowing service providers to lease use of the fiber,
> to provide competitive services, to the extent that the market will bear.   The City,
> in this case, should only be a provider of public/civic services, while users can have
> choice of commercial providers using the fiber network, as well as WISPs using
> the fiber backbone to offer high-bandwidth wireless services.   Deployment will 
> have to be phased, as was done in Kansas City and elsewhere, with determination
> of the extent of the network; will it provide FTTP throughout the City?
> 
> Be very careful of unsubstantiated nature of the network and of benefits.
> 
> The more rigorously thought through, the more likely this initiative will be successful.
> 
> Richard
> 
> -----------
> 
> On Mar 3, 2015, at 3:20 PM, Fei Li wrote:
> 
>> Thanks to everyone who replied. Here's what we've got. Please pick this apart! Is it good enough for now?
>> 
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> You're paying too much for slow internet.
>> Your internet is slow. It's expensive, it's limited, and it's unreliable. How much of your time is lost to buffering videos on YouTube and Netflix? How many times have your Skype calls dropped unexpectedly? Do you really need the added stress of data caps on your internet? Your options are limited, and your current service providers fine with this.
>> We're sick of it. And we're going to fix that with community fiber.
>> What is community fiber?
>> You might have heard it called municipal fiber, or community broadband. We think of it as a modern infrastructure for a modern city.
>> Davis community fiber is a brand new, state of the art, city-owned telecommunications operation. Community fiber would provide neighborhoods, businesses and schools with the internet infrastructure they need to stay competitive in the world. The possibilities are endless when we are no longer bound to obsolete, fragile, and sluggish copper phone and cable lines.
>> Much like the copper networks installed 100 years ago, fiber networks will be used for decades to come. With the adoption of fiber optic networks, Davis can remain a leader in science, technology, and quality of life.
>> Why is community fiber good for Davis?
>> The advantages of community fiber are as numerous as they are outstanding. Here is just a small selection of the benefits that are made possible through community fiber in Davis:
>> Truly unlimited, reliable and lightning-fast service at prices that match--or even beat--currently available plans.
>> Property values will go up.
>> A new revenue stream for the city, cheaper maintenance costs, market competition and even resurfaced roads. Really!
>> Your pick from a wide variety of internet, television and phone options from multiple providers, all served from the city network.
>> Fast. Wifi. Everywhere.
>> Public accountability. Community fiber is made for you. When you have a concern, your voice matters.
>> Many of these things are nigh impossible to implement with our aging networks, but community fiber will open the doors to this and so much more.
>> How can we bring community fiber to Davis?
>> As with all good things, there is still a lot of hard work to be done. We're partnering with Davis Community Network, a citizen-driven, non-profit organization that first brought internet access to Davis in 1993. Several cities across the nation have already brought this dream to life through groups like us. There is only one thing missing: You. With your support we can make sure that Davis remains exceptional.
>> You can help.
>> Keep in touch. We'll keep you up-to-date with the latest news and show you how to get involved with this community-driven effort.
>> 
>> 
>> From: davisgig-bounces at list.omsoft.com <davisgig-bounces at list.omsoft.com> on behalf of Fei Li <flcli at ucdavis.edu>
>> Sent: Monday, March 2, 2015 7:26 PM
>> To: davisgig at list.omsoft.com
>> Subject: [Davisgig] Thoughts
>>  
>> Hi everyone,
>> 
>> The website is nearly done. Thanks to everyone who helped out with this effort and other efforts. We did some great work, but we're not done yet and time is not a commodity we have much of!
>> 
>> I'd like to get the site published tomorrow before 5 PM tomorrow. Luckily, it's not *that* tall of an order.
>> 
>> We have some content that needs to be put in. Rob was kind enough to provide some paragraphs to our web team, but I'd like to hear from all of you as well. The sooner, the better!
>> 
>> How would you answer these questions?
>> 
>> 1) What is municipal fiber?
>> 
>> 2) Why is municipal fiber good for Davis?
>> 
>> 3) How can we bring municipal fiber to Davis?
>> 
>> That's it. Doesn't have to be long. Maybe a paragraph or two tops. Try to keep it on the simple side if you want. No need to go into technical detail, nor make promises we may or may not be able to keep. Your answers will be edited and used as content for the front page. If anyone wants to take the lead as a writer in the future, then please let me. For now we're just trying to drum up some support and pave the way for a full-fledged site with fact sheets and numbers later.
>> 
>> Thanks!
>> _______________________________________________
>> 
>> Please ref our wiki for details, documents and contacts:
>> 
>> http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~help/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=start
>> 
>> Davisgig mailing list
>> Davisgig at list.omsoft.com
>> http://list.omsoft.com/mailman/listinfo/davisgig
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
> 1st-Mile Institute          www.1st-mile.org  
> P. O.  Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM    87504
> 505-603-5200                 rl at 1st-mile.org
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
> Please ref our wiki for details, documents and contacts:
> 
> http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~help/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=start
> 
> Davisgig mailing list
> Davisgig at list.omsoft.com
> http://list.omsoft.com/mailman/listinfo/davisgig

=-=-=
Doug Walter, home edition
dawalter at dcn.org
Wag more (bark less)

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