Reviews:
 ·ProLog
 ·DIRECTV
| Just wire up all of PA Verizon should just wire up the entire state of PA while they are at it. I'd subscribe to a very robust triple play package with MR-DVR / Home Media sharing / Fast internet , etc.. the moment the fiber is lit.
I know they have some of Montgomery, Chester and Bucks counties. They also have some in Cumberland, Lebanon, Dauphin and Lancaster counties. What the hell happened to the hole in the map for Berks County? Right smack in between Lebanon, Montgomery and Chester counties.
Bring on the Competition! Comcast sucks for video. Internet and Phone is great, but HD and the whole guide/dvr experience is not Comcast's forte. |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
| That would no more happen than Comcast itself wiring all of Pennsylvania. While Comcast (or Verizon) is indeed capable of tackling the entire state, video franchising is decided at the county (or, in cases like Philly, muni) level. As long as franchising is handled piecemeal, networks will continue to be built/rebuilt piecemeal. (By the way, how much of Berks County has video franchising agreementsw in place?) |
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Reviews:
·ProLog
·DIRECTV
2 edits | I heard that Muhelenburg Township (Northern Reading border) offered them the same franchise agreement Comcast has. The big sticking point is coverage area. the township wants 100% availability within 3 years to keep them from cherry picking the best neighborhoods but Verizon would not commit to a time table.
When I contacted my township (Lower Alsace) they said that their Comcast franchise is up in 2010 (IIRC) and they are in a joint agreement with about 10 other townships, but assured me I am welcome at any meetings to express concern. They seemed to welcome the idea of allowing Verizon to come in and provide some competition, but Verizon needs to show initiative. VZ has 7mbit DSL in the area and I drive by the local switching facility almost every day.
Additionally I don't know if VZ could technically or legally offer Fios in Douglassville, Birdsboro, Morgantown or any of the area's serviced by D&E Communications. I've seen D&E run fiber, but they appear to only offer 10mbps DSL. I'm not sure what all of that D&E fiber is for... who know's maybe they have a similar project on their drawing boards. 10mbps is good for DSL though. Maybe the fiber is just run closer to the neighborhood. |
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 BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | said by cypherstream:I heard that Muhelenburg Township (Northern Reading border) offered them the same franchise agreement Comcast has. The big sticking point is coverage area. the township wants 100% availability within 3 years to keep them from cherry picking the best neighborhoods but Verizon would not commit to a time table. So in otherwords the town said "all or nothing" and Verizon said "Ok nothing". Real smart town leaders there.
Something > nothing. Last time I checked. |
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| reply to cypherstream
oh right, let's wire up every OBSCURE house in YOUR state. why not my state? why waste money on wiring up towns that are sparsely populated that'll have much slower sign up rate? deploying fiber is already expensive, why make it more expensive and longer to pay back the invest? |
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Reviews:
·ProLog
·DIRECTV
| They can wire up your state too. Verizon can multitask. It's not the same people stringing the fiber in PA as it is in MA or any other state for that matter. It creates lots of jobs which is good for the economy. Just because Verizon is busy wiring up one state doesn't mean they can't do another one at the same time. More than 1 construction crew works for them.
It might be costly now, but they will have a state of the art network that will last the next 100+ years. Was it costly to run copper when that first came out? Probably. This is something that needs to be done, it's just were actually living through this phase. Not that we weren't around when they first started wiring the country with copper telephone lines and electric transmission lines. |
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 pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | reply to BF69
said by BF69:So in otherwords the town said "all or nothing" and Verizon said "Ok nothing". Real smart town leaders there. Something > nothing. Last time I checked. That's why I have always blamed government for the lack of broadband deployment in this country. Like it or not, there will be some places which are simply unprofitable for some companies to wire up. It isn't fair to everyone else that all other potential customers be deprived of expanded broadband deployments because government places unreasonable demands on ISPs.
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Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty |
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Reviews:
·ProLog
·DIRECTV
| Yeah especially when there's another incumbent provider already servicing the area. However the local government could give perks or special deals if they comply with certain guidelines. Like if they wire up 100% of the area within 3 years, they could be granted a tax and regulation free presence for 3 years. Verizon can choose to comply - or not. It's up to Verizon if they would want to take them up on that offer.
So let Verizon build, but grant them perks if they comply with the local franchise. |
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 jester121Premium
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL
 ·voip.ms
| reply to pnh102
That's how we ended up with the debacle that is the USF in telecom. Once someone decided that telephone service is a right, the government got involved in "spreading the wealth around" and there you have it. We now have ubiquitous telephone service, along with corruptions and billions of dollars wasted. |
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pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | reply to cypherstream
said by cypherstream:So let Verizon build, but grant them perks if they comply with the local franchise. I like that approach. As long as things like tax incentives and other perks are given after people can actually sign up for the service than I am all for it.
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Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty |
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 wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | reply to pnh102
said by pnh102:said by BF69:So in otherwords the town said "all or nothing" and Verizon said "Ok nothing". Real smart town leaders there. Something > nothing. Last time I checked. That's why I have always blamed government for the lack of broadband deployment in this country. Like it or not, there will be some places which are simply unprofitable for some companies to wire up. It isn't fair to everyone else that all other potential customers be deprived of expanded broadband deployments because government places unreasonable demands on ISPs. I was having a discussion about this just the other day. All these small municipalities demanding "100% coverage" are really only hurting the consumer. It appears that Verizon, just like ATT, will simply pass over those communities that put their socialistic principals above the good of the majority of their citizens. I will state my premise on this again, "more choices for some people is better than no choices for all people". I suppose the local government would rather see the entire town/county/etc suffer instead of letting a portion of their residents get better service. 'SHRUG' I sure as heck didnt vote for them, and I suggest the people who live there remember this next time elections come around.
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Комитет государственной безопасности
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wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | reply to pnh102
said by pnh102:said by BF69:So in otherwords the town said "all or nothing" and Verizon said "Ok nothing". Real smart town leaders there. Something > nothing. Last time I checked. That's why I have always blamed government for the lack of broadband deployment in this country. Like it or not, there will be some places which are simply unprofitable for some companies to wire up. It isn't fair to everyone else that all other potential customers be deprived of expanded broadband deployments because government places unreasonable demands on ISPs. These absurd local build out requirements will do nothing but slow down broadband deployment in this country.
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Комитет государственной безопасности
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 spewakR.I.P DadkinsPremium
join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA
kudos:1
 ·Clear Wireless
| reply to cypherstream
said by cypherstream: I'd subscribe to a very robust triple play package with MR-DVR / Home Media sharing / Fast internet , etc.. the moment the fiber is lit. Fiber is ohhh soo good Cypher! 
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The weekend is here, grab a can of beer! |
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| reply to cypherstream
Bring it on Verizon. Show the comcast guys how it is done. We here in New York are having a ball. We can chose from Cable Vision, Verizon RCN and the satellite companies. Competition is good for the comsumer. |
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 Morac
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ
kudos:1
·Comcast
| reply to cypherstream
Don't expect FIOS in all of PA any time in the next decade or so.
FIOS came to NJ first and Verizon still hasn't wired the majority of the state and NJ is way smaller than PA.
Verizon ran their Fiber lines right passed my development and didn't bother to install FIOS there. I mean I can literally see the FIOS wires on the poll from my house. |
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 marigoldsGainfully employed, finallyPremium,MVM
join:2002-05-13
Saint Louis, MO
kudos:1 | reply to cypherstream
said by cypherstream:I heard that Muhelenburg Township (Northern Reading border) offered them the same franchise agreement Comcast has. The big sticking point is coverage area. the township wants 100% availability within 3 years to keep them from cherry picking the best neighborhoods but Verizon would not commit to a time table. By federal law, they are required to offer them the same franchise agreement as Comcast. If they gave Verizon a different agreement, Comcast can come back and sue them under due process and would easily win.
I would assume the Comcast agreement has a clause that if Comcast's market share or penetration drop below a certain number, they are no longer held to buildout requirements. That same clause would apply to Verizon. If that clause is missing, they can insert it in 2010 (that section would not be voidable in negotiations), and then Verizon would be exempted.
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marigoldsGainfully employed, finallyPremium,MVM
join:2002-05-13
Saint Louis, MO
kudos:1 | reply to wifi4milez
said by wifi4milez:These absurd local build out requirements will do nothing but slow down broadband deployment in this country. Quick point on that... buildout requirements only apply to video distribution.
They do not apply to internet access, even if the internet access is carried over the same fiber as the video distribution. Verizon can run FIOS all they want without even a franchise agreement. They cannot run FIOS TV without a franchise agreement and buildout requirements.
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| reply to cypherstream
said by cypherstream:Verizon should just wire up the entire state of PA while they are at it. I'd subscribe to a very robust triple play package with MR-DVR / Home Media sharing / Fast internet , etc.. the moment the fiber is lit. Get real. This may be difficult for you to take since Reading considers itself to be a "big" city, but you must know that but for Pittsburgh & Philly, the rest of the Commonwealth may as well be Alabama as far as connectivity is concerned? Neither the baby bells nor cable gives a crap about you if you aren't in the western or southeastern part of the state. Been there. Done that. Moved to So Cal. |
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 rawgerzThe hell was that?Premium
join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA | reply to cypherstream
Have you even seen most of the state? People are too poor, old, or just don't care enough to want it outside metro areas.
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You can't make all the people happy all of the time. But it should be common sense to shoot for the majority. |
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 GeekGirl1Premium
join:2007-01-28
Morrisville, PA
kudos:2 | reply to marigolds
I wonder if anyone in the Comcast building in Center City will subscribe? |
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