Archive for July, 2007
Sunday, July 15th, 2007
Fiber Networks Drive Telecommuting, Home-Based Business
A survey conducted by the FTTH Council shows that many FTTH subscribers use it for telecommuting or home-based businesses. About 13% of respondents indicated that they were using it to telecommute an average of one day per month more than they normally would while 10% indicated they were using the high-speed connections to run [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cheers, News by Jesse
Sunday, July 15th, 2007
Bad Competition: Verizon Shuts Out Copper Competitors, Comcast Purchases More Rivals
Typical of monopolistic incumbencies, Verizon has cut off copper lines in homes with FIOS to prevent customers from "downgrading" and having the option of picking their service provider. Their reading of the Telecommuncations Act of 1996 is that they are not required to lease lines to competitors on the shiny new fiber optic network [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Jeers, News by Jesse
Sunday, July 15th, 2007
Open Spectrum Auction Backed by FCC Chairman
In a move that immediately gave AT&T and Verizon a case of bunching panties, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has announced that he is in favor of the Google-backed plan to require the 700MHz spectrum to stay open for any compatible device to use any service. This no doubt makes the [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cheers, Legislation, News by Jesse
Sunday, July 15th, 2007
Report: White City Community Council Meeting, July 11 2007
I got to do a follow-up presentation on the financial aspects of UTOPIA at tonight's White City Community Council meeting. This included estimated participation rates and the impact on housing values. While it's not a slam dunk, it looks like a very solid picture for meeting the debt obligations by the end of the first [...]
5 Comments » - Posted in Events by Jesse
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007
White City Community Council Meeting Tomorrow
Don't forget that the White City Community Council will be meeting tomorrow. UTOPIA is on the agenda and I will be following up with some answers concerning the cost and value of the project. I spoke with UTOPIA COO Roger Black yesterday and there may be a representative from UTOPIA on hand to help answer [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Events by Jesse
Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Vineyard Mulls UTOPIA Membership
With the expiration of a ban on new members, the small town of Vineyard is now considering joining UTOPIA. The city is considering becoming a pledging member meaning that they will promise tax money to cover the debt service should it not be covered by revenues from subscribers. Becoming a pledging member means that they [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Cheers, News by Jesse
Saturday, July 7th, 2007
Telco Consolidation Shutting Down Competitors
In a rash of related stories, it appears that a mixture of telco consolidation and lawsuits against VoIP providers is going to lead to fewer choices for broadband and phone service. Earthlink has been bleeding money for some time since dial-up subscribers have been fleeing in droves and it doesn't look to get much better [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Jeers, News by Jesse
Saturday, July 7th, 2007
Cable Companies to Charge More For Set-Top Boxes, Lay Blame on CableCARD
Expect your TV bill to jump a few bucks by the end of the year. Citing the "new" CableCARD requirement from the FCC, the cable companies are claiming increased costs from supporting the 11-year-old standard first proposed under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. While most brand new TVs and other video devices include a CableCARD [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Jeers, News by Jesse
Friday, July 6th, 2007
Clipper Plugs FreeUTOPIA, Cites Delays in UTOPIA Installation
Yesterday's Davis County Clipper ran an article about UTOPIA's installation delays, plugging FreeUTOPIA in the process. Where does the blame lie for slow installations? Look no further than the Rural Utility Service. Though the RUS approved a loan to UTOPIA for rural broadband development last fall, paperwork has kept the loan from closing in a [...]
No Comments » - Posted in News, Website by Jesse
Monday, July 2nd, 2007
Telecom Analysts Produce Loud “Duh”, Say Better Broadband Stats Needed
I usually find it amusing when so-called "experts" tell us something that's really pretty obvious. In this case, they're criticizing the FCC's pathetic excuse for broadband stats. What are they telling us that we didn't already know? That stats by ZIP code are way too broad and don't paint an accurate picture of availability and [...]
