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story category iProvo FTTH Growing Pains
City struggles with cold weather, fiber repair bills...
(old news - 01:37PM Tuesday Feb 27 2007)
tags: Fiber · municipal
"Faulty fiber-optic cables in iProvo's $40 million network are causing hiccups in high-speed service and are threatening to create more headaches for city finances," reports the Salt Lake Tribune. The article paints an unflattering picture of a FTTH system that's struggling with operating costs as it faces a $100k repair bill. Officials originally projected that the muni-project would break even once it signed up 10,000 customers; so far they've got 9,500 and now say it will take between 13,000 and 15,000 subs to get out of the red. Think tanks (and the incumbent operators who love them) have been quick to seize upon the city's struggles in their campaigns against municipal broadband. iProvo officials have fired back, accusing such groups of distorting the city's financial situation for political impact.

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Forums » iProvo FTTH Growing Pains
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tbaker397

join:2004-07-19
Berlin, PA

Ahh...

The growing pains of a small time provider. I hope that they can make it through this without going under. It will give hope to other small time providers giving service that they can compete against Verizon and AT&T

TK Junk Mail
Go ahead, make my day
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Margate City, NJ
clubs:
·Comcast

Look out taxpayers

If the iProvo system stays in the red, which appears increasingly likely, the taxpayers will take it in the neck to cover the city backed bond defaults. Or the system will be sold off at a discount to a large company with rate increases to follow shortly thereafter. Either way, the costs for the service will ultimately reflect the reality and costs of providing high speed service.
--
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Michieru
zzz zzz zzz
Premium
join:2005-01-28
Miami, FL

Re: Look out taxpayers

Sometimes it takes a example in order to bring out a reality.
--
The only limits we have are the one's we set ourselves.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

Re: Look out taxpayers

said by Michieru See Profile :

Sometimes it takes a example in order to bring out a reality.
Yea but its so much easier to waste $40 million when you can just simply screw taxpayers out of the money.
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk.

Michieru
zzz zzz zzz
Premium
join:2005-01-28
Miami, FL
·Speakeasy

Re: Look out taxpayers

Which is why when you create a project that will require a lot of money it is best to continue seeking for the best possible price even if you have a boatload of money behind to back it up.
--
The only limits we have are the one's we set ourselves.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

Re: Look out taxpayers

said by Michieru See Profile :

Which is why when you create a project that will require a lot of money it is best to continue seeking for the best possible price even if you have a boatload of money behind to back it up.
I would think that "knowing what you're doing" is the first order of business.
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk.

truedalife

join:2003-01-10
Brooklyn, MD

That's why I have said many times here at BBR "Government should not get involved in free enterprise businesses." The government once paid $5,000 for a toilet seat, so why would we trust them to build something as complex as a FTTH network. You'll be paying for the mess up in higher taxes or cut programs and services.

thender
Glamour Profession
Premium
join:2004-05-16
Staten Island, NY
·Verizon FIOS

Re: Look out taxpayers

said by truedalife See Profile :

The government once paid $5,000
When? Why? Where?

A lot of people complain about the military's spending. Ashtrays cost around $300-$500. The reason they do is because when you break them, they don't fly in your face, they just break, which helps when a submarine is being attacked.

Some stuff should be put into context, but it never is.
--
The Problem With Music.


Our Rationale


Time to rewrite the DMCA.

decadent
Premium
join:2002-04-02
Piscataway, NJ

Missing something

Is it normal for a fiber to behave this way during very cold weather? In the end, it is a glass and it is easy to break. What is MTTF for above ground installation of fiber?

edsgh

@optonline.net

Re: Missing something

I think the cold weather and the fiber repairs are two different problems. Those optical cables have been coated to ensure it's durability of the elements for 25+ years.

ninjatutle

join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

Amatures

This is what happens when you let a bunch of amatures provide the infrastructure.

Leave it to the pros whether it be ATT, Verizon or Sprint.
tbaker397

join:2004-07-19
Berlin, PA

Re: Amatures

If that happens, it would be 10 years before any of the residents of the network saw the speeds already offered.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

Re: Amatures

said by tbaker397 See Profile :

If that happens, it would be 10 years before any of the residents of the network saw the speeds already offered.
I find that hard to believe. According to Wikipedia, Provo has about 113k people in the city proper and about 412k people in its metropolitan area. This place doesn't exactly seem like a small town out in the middle of nowhere.

Surely one can get broadband from a private operator in Provo.
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk.
utahluge

join:2004-10-14
Draper, UT
·MSTAR
·On-Digital / JustR..

Re: Amatures

I am on iProvo and just this last week got GREAT speeds compared to before. I was breaking my 10Mb outside the iProvo network. Heck, just last week I was getting 2.5MB (YES, MB as in MegaBYTE) between a friend of mine and my house (both on iProvo). I just want to test with something like iperf so there is no HD/etc. bottleneck. I have seen a little slowing yesterday and today but thats no big deal as I now know its for repairs.

I am liking iProvo and STAYING with it.
tbaker397

join:2004-07-19
Berlin, PA

Very true, private operator though. The person above me said why not let AT&T and Verizon do it. My point was that if either of these two built in the infrastructure, that it would be 10 years before the people of Provo would see the speeds they see now.

RadioDoc
Sortofadog
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
Chicago, IL
·AT&T Midwest

If they keep having fiber failures, it'll be 10 years until the system is stable...

Sounds like a 'lowest bidder' situation to me. Hopefully they'll have some kind of recourse, unless, of course, they let the municipal sewer and water department install this in the first place instead of hiring professionals.

And ninjaturtle See Profile, it's "amateurs".
--
Toolmaster of La Grange.

ninjatutle

join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

Re: Amatures

Where I'm from, its correct. Just like colours, centres, memorise, etc.

RadioDoc
Sortofadog
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
Chicago, IL

Re: Amatures

You're from a non-English speaking land then?
--
Toolmaster of La Grange.

ninjatutle

join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

edit:
February 27th, @05:55PM

Re: Amatures

You are correct sir/ma'am. We speak a mixture of español, português and engrish.
Eric Martin

join:2005-06-19
66308

Word for the wise. Astroturfing.

Don't believe a thing that the users post on this website.

Half of them work for or own stock from the telecom industry.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

Re: Word for the wise. Astroturfing.

said by Eric Martin See Profile :

Half of them work for or own stock from the telecom industry.
I always kick myself for not being paid to shill.
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk.
dynodb
Premium,VIP
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN

ROFLMAO... yeah, that explains the daily articles and near constant bashing of the telcom industry on this site

One need not be a telcom shill to note that the iProvo project isn't going nearly as well as hoped or expected given that Provo city officials are basically saying the same thing.
ross

join:2000-08-16
·Digizip

Sounds like the Contractors problem

Whoever laid and connected the fiber and/or the manufacturer should be the liable parties. No matter what the cost of repair is, the citizens of Provo won't ultimately be the ones to foot the bill. That will fall on those who subcontracted and performed the actual installation of the fiber. Undoubtably covered under a "latent defects" clause which is standard in all construction contracts.

The Telco shills here have a tendency to gloat prematurely over every glitch suffered by municipal broadband projects, no matter how small. And, they usually blow things all out of proportion to the point of declaring whatever it may be an intrinsic and obvious fault, and predict it is an all encompassing disaster bound to doom the entire effort.

And, face it people, in the end the consumer bears the burden of all capital expenditure, whether it be public or private. They just have more control if it is public, and they tend to bleed less in that case also.

You should also remember that the bulk of problems which must be overcome in successfully beginning and completing a municipal broadband project stem from the impediments caused by the entrenched Telcos and Cablecos, and their lobbyists.

All this Telco "I told ya so" nonsense is merely the braying of dinosaurs mired in the tar pit of obsolescence, howling their defiance at inevitable change.
Forums » iProvo FTTH Growing Pains


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