Municipal Report > Funding Model

reply to batageek

Re: Funding Model

AJ:

Done with you. You need help.

Do your own homework. All I do is throw info, numbers, links, whatever....at you

No matter what I post, you're simply against the TriCities owning a network. Period.

Doesn't matter whether it's porn, financing, penetration rates, competition,etc...you find an issue to spin to and be against. Just cop to your main problem and stick to it.

St. Charles
Registered Voters - 28769
Ballots cast - 11790
School issue also on the ballot

Batavia
Registered Voters - 18592
Ballots Cast - 8444
School issue also on the ballot

Geneva
Registered Voters - 15712
Ballots cast - 5168
nothing else on ballot

DLS...great yes, nice pricing....Do you have a connection to DLS? Or are you just a satisfied customer? Now what do I do for the other services? Got my internet....can I get my phone and cable tv through that same connection to DLS? Can my cities read/monitor my electric/water consumption through that DLS connection too?

No slag to DLS, but DLS is in business to make money . Munibroadband exists to serve the needs of the citizens and the needs of the Cities in which they live. Its whole purpose is to the long view, not how can I make money right now.
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»www.tricitybroadband.com

Ok, now we're getting somewhere...

CITY OF BATAVIA VOTES=01
Bond Issue Proposition 22 of 22 precincts counted
YES 2,411 out of 18,592

CITY OF GENEVA VOTES=01
Acquire antenna television system 18 of 18 precincts counted
YES ~ 1,550 out of 15,712

CITY OF ST CHARLES VOTES=01
Issue bonds for telecommunications syst 27 of 27 precincts counted
YES 2,691 out of 28,769

Tell me, last time this was voted on, how can you justify that the majority of your neighbors want this again? Batageek, THESE ARE FACTS.

I won't stoop to the level of Comcast or SBC and debate with trivial nonsense of muniporn. These are factual numbers and they are not subject to debate.

You claim I should "do my homework". What does this mean? Am I not coming at you with factual, undebatable information? All you do is sidestep my questions, provide only half-truths, and dance around the facts. No, I don't work for DLS, nor have a connection with them. As someone who's seriously interested in broadband, as you advertise, seems to me like you should be aware of their existence, NO? Unfortunately, you're not which is your loss. Can they provide TV and dialtone? No. But you guys are quick to point out that a main selling point for your fiber is to lure business. Any business owner will not one 1 pipe to run his phone and internet communications line. It's the same downside that integrated T-1s have. When the line goes down, the whole thing is down. With multiple pipes coming in, the likelihood of a company losing ALL communications is not a great. This is called redundancy - look it up. Companies like it.

tell you what....

go find the ratio of actual voters to registered in the last governor's election.

go find the ratio of actual voters to registered voters in the last presidential election.

my prediction....the ratio of actual voters to registered voters is pretty darn similar to what was seen in the TriCities election.

How about the flip side? Only 4,639 of the 18592 in Batavia said no. By your logic, what about the other 13,953? Nearly 75% of the registered voters didn't say no. Put it to the citizens again.

Yes I'm aware of DLS. Have been the entire time.

Am I trying to solve just internet connectivity? No.

I'm looking for the biggest bang for the buck..a buck I remind you that TAXPAYERS ARE NOT ON THE HOOK FOR. I'm looking for a solution that will go "apples to apples" and exceed the offerings of what Comcast and SBC (through their Dish alliance) can provide. I'm looking for a provider that actually cares about the TriCities, and really that's all I want them to care about.

I'm looking for an organization that looks at the backbone and says, "you know what? we could also do XYZ across this pipe."

XYZ = telemedicine, meter reading, time of day energy controls, alarm systems with a direct link to the 911 dispatch center (because it's on city fiber too), smart home tech, interactive tv, etc.

All as it relates to tricities and their interactions in the community. A utility that says, "What else can we do?"

Frankly, the existing electric utilities are wasting half the assets they have in place by NOT doing fiber. A completely underused utility. Dead space on the poles awasting.......

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»www.tricitybroadband.com

Voter turnout ratios will be probably be poor for that as well. Most residents just don't care enough about alot of political issues, local or statewide. Broadband included.

If you are aware of DLS, then why don't you identify them as a viable option? You are quite intent on bypassing SBCs infrastructure, so you've got 2 alternatives in place. Comcast and DLS. Please, tell us, of the other muni networks nationwide, how many of them came to market in the face of 4 other facilities based providers with presence? The only argument you keep harping on is that it's not on one pipe and it's not fiber. To the technogeek, he'll care. The regular Joe could give a crap whether it's fiber, copper, or 2 cups with string. Just so it works and he's happy with it. I've still yet to have seen any survey data about the tricities and how they feel about their ISP. The only data is you and Octopussy spouting off about how EVERYBODY is so upset with Comcast.

75% of the voters didn't say no, I'll grant you that. But do not count on that 75% to make much of a difference. Again, for the last time, THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS DIDN'T CARE ENOUGHT TO SHOW UP AND VOTE ON THIS. This is an undisputed fact until you show otherwise. This topic for discussion was NOT popular enough to draw out any more than a small percentage of the voters, therefore one can make a conclusion that the good portion of 75% would not side with you. In Batavia, only 4,600 came out out of 18,500 to vote NO. So that tells me that only 25% maximum even cared about the tax issue.

Telemedicine, syndromic surveillance (as your chairperson wants), smart home technologies, interactive Tv, this is all available now on existing infrastructures. Remote meter reading, no not available. Time of day energy controls, also not available. Not enough to justify this to the average JOE.

No one has ever expected a mass turnout for broadband. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Surveys:

Geneva still has them on their site. See bottom of page »www.geneva.il.us/bb/faq.htm

Batavia - »www.cityofbatavia.net/projects/B···and.html

The point is not offering one of the services...the point is all of the services. DLS is not a viable triple play provider. If it was only concerned about cable tv and internet, there's no reason to run ftth....HFC would do fine.

But again, this is a long term investment to serve as many needs as possible. If it can be done right from the start, why the hell not do it right?

AJ, I'm not going to be able to make you see a larger picture. You just don't get it, because you don't want to get it. You're against government competition...I'm not.

You and I both know this ftth backbone could whip the snot out of anything Comcast, SBC, and DLS have in place, or will have in place, in the TriCities for long into the future. You've agreed with me on this in previous posts, and so has, indirectly, has SBC.

»www.tricitybroadband.com/misc/la···1904.htm

Even with wireless broadband and higher DSL and cable modem speeds available, industry analysts and adherents say fiber is the ultimate broadband technology and will rule communications for at least 40 years.

"There's no reason to believe that anything is going to replace fiber itself," said Eugene Edmon, director of broadband access for SBC Laboratories in Pleasanton, Calif.

Look, I know SBC and Comcast can do this. Someday they will, but they go where the cash is. I care about right here and the future of right here. I have an opportunity to help secure the future of these cities.

What is right is to invest in our future, not wait for anyone else to decide we're worthy. We're trying to provide that option.
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»www.tricitybroadband.com

The whole reason that Fiber for our Future got started was because ATT broadband would not deploy cable modems and the residents got pissed off. The villages did the feasibility study and realized that TV and phone were just byproducts of the initial offering, fiber internet. As long as they were going to do it, you might as well do the whole thing. The other forward thinking things like remote meter reading are all nice and fine, but they were not the meat of this original proposal. So the argument of "DLS is not triple play" carries very little weight in the overall spectrum.

You keep harping on "beating" SBC and Comcast with regard on the technological front. As I've said all along, the average subscriber doesn't care. Only the select few techno geeks care. Always comes back to the select few who NEED fiber.

But, the average subscriber DOES care about customer service levels and pricing. From FFOF's research, this is typically where munis gain their advantage.

And from a city's point of view, they should darn well be looking to the bigger picture and not just cable, internet, and phone. The consumer end pays for a very useful build, but the benefits to the economic development of the city are just as big a draw.

Again, I'd like my elected officials looking to the future, rather than just dealing with now.
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»www.tricitybroadband.com