[Davisgig] Fwd: Comcast, beware: New city-run broadband offers 1Gbps for $60 a month

[Lorenzo Kristov]

Good article, and good example set by FC. ComCast spent > $800K to defeat the city referendum, but they lost. Worth reading the whole (brief) article. 

One edge FC had for this effort (compared to Davis) is that they have a municipal electric utility — cities with muni electric can reap great benefits from the synergies from using the same fiber network for both city-wide broadband and electric distribution system monitoring and operation. 

On this point, note that Valley Clean Energy (which serves Davis, Woodland and Yolo County) is now exploring options to buy out PG&E’s electric distribution system through the PG&E bankruptcy proceedings. This could vastly improve the value proposition for municipal fiber. 

https://valleycleanenergy.org/news/vce-is-studying-the-purchase-of-pge-assets/ <https://valleycleanenergy.org/news/vce-is-studying-the-purchase-of-pge-assets/> 

In addition, FC had significant cash surplus in 1970s they used to put their electric distribution wires under ground. I believe (though I’d have to fact-check this) that the underground electric system would already have the conduit space for laying fiber, so the cost to implement for FC would not entail laying new conduit. 

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/comcast-beware-new-city-run-broadband-offers-1gbps-for-60-a-month/ <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/comcast-beware-new-city-run-broadband-offers-1gbps-for-60-a-month/> 

Stop, be still, and listen.
Because you’re drunk
And we’re at the edge of the roof.
- Rumi

> On Aug 30, 2019, at 2:12 PM, Robert Nickerson <omrob at omsoft.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Nice work Ft Collins!
> 
> 
> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> Subject:	Comcast, beware: New city-run broadband offers 1Gbps for $60 a month
> Date:	Fri, 30 Aug 2019 13:34:53 -0700
> From:	John Steggall <steggall at dcn.org> <mailto:steggall at dcn.org>
> To:	Robert Nickerson <omrob at omsoft.com> <mailto:omrob at omsoft.com>
> 
> RAN,
> 
> In case you missed this...
> 
> Comcast, beware: New city-run broadband offers 1Gbps for $60 a month
> Comcast's lobby failed to stop launch of Fort Collins municipal broadband.
> https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/comcast-beware-new-city-run-broadband-offers-1gbps-for-60-a-month/ <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/comcast-beware-new-city-run-broadband-offers-1gbps-for-60-a-month/>
> 
> -js
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