Comments on news posted 2008-08-18 10:05:52: [att=1340235,r]AT&T's somewhat ugly U-Verse VRAD cabinets, required to offer U-Verse VDSL service, have been a point of contention for local homeowners, who claim the curb side cabinets erode property values. ..
quote:... third has AT&T paying $1500 per site regardless if landscaping is necessary. Most Illinois cities are apparently picking the third option, says the source.
Of course the government always picks the option that gets it the most "free" money, courtesy of AT&T's subscribers. I guess those ugly looking boxes are not that ugly after all.
quote:... third has AT&T paying $1500 per site regardless if landscaping is necessary. Most Illinois cities are apparently picking the third option, says the source.
Of course the government always picks the option that gets it the most "free" money, courtesy of AT&T's subscribers. I guess those ugly looking boxes are not that ugly after all.
That is pretty shady. I bet their excuse is "We'll only use the money for landscaping!" ... yeah right.
quote:... third has AT&T paying $1500 per site regardless if landscaping is necessary. Most Illinois cities are apparently picking the third option, says the source.
Of course the government always picks the option that gets it the most "free" money, courtesy of AT&T's subscribers. I guess those ugly looking boxes are not that ugly after all.
I'll bet the city takes the money and does no landscaping at all for their residents.
I'm sure people used to complain about those large green cable boxes that were put in everybody's yards 20-30 years ago, but by god the service they provided was amazing eh? Similar to what we have here. Even though these large boxes may not look pretty, at least we are making progress in the broadband market (slowly).
I'm one of AT&Ts biggest critics, but even I think this is ridiculous. The cities complain about not getting service, and then complain about the equipment that provides it? Now if they planted a VRAD in your front yard, that's a different story.
You can't have your cake and eat it too. Also, why am I not surprised that the cities are opting for the free money option? If they truly cared about the looks of it, then they would only want the landscaping done.
Hmm, yaknow that VRADs are there because AT&T chose VDSL as their upgrade path, versus ADSL2+ (qwest) or FTTH (Verizon). Note that neither Qwest nor Verizon have huge freakin' boxes in front of people's lawns.
I'll bet AT&T will pay for trying to build their network cheaply, in the form of whining, complaining and landscaping on these VRADs.
Imagine if they built a nicer-looking box around each metal box. Something with wood construction and a little roof, maybe - in any case consistent with the architecture/esthetics of the surrounding houses. It could look like a like a sort of gate-house, like the ones occasionally seen in upscale areas. This could be done for $1500 per box.
Just an idea - maybe this would satisfy complainers enough to lessen an obstacle to better, faster internet.
Always thought they might put ads on the boxes. At least till local ordinances tell them otherwise. A lot of them are on busy streets with plenty of traffic.
cloak of invisibility? (though it might make things more difficult for techs trying to find them when they need maintenance... but that's a small price to pay, I guess)
cloak of invisibility? (though it might make things more difficult for techs trying to find them when they need maintenance... but that's a small price to pay, I guess)
I can see this happen.. Kid on a bike running into the cloak of invisibility. lmao
I'll bet the city takes the money and does no landscaping at all for their residents.
Which raises the question of what AT&T feels it's getting for its $1500.
Probably use it to convince regulators. "Hey, we'd offer to landscape, but when we do and even paid for the communities to do it themselves they apparently weren't too worried about it!"