 hpasian
join:2007-07-20
Friendswood, TX
1 edit | Doomed from the beginning I knew something was fishy when I noticed their website was changing and there were weird redirects to a blog they setup for SEO or something like that.
It is sad though because my friend called them many times in the past few years to ask about the status of the deployment. They kept changing their timeline for Friendswood, TX (south of Houston). The initial Spring/Summer 2006 plan eventually changed to a standard '6 months from now' response.
So I guess we are stuck with hoping that ATT Uverse will provide Houston with reasonable broadband. Comcast is a joke, Fision was obviously doomed, and Verizon is taking forever to deploy. Lacking competition sucks, especially for a city like Houston which should have better broadband choices. | |
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 |  KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Re: Doomed from the beginning Doesn't really look like there's too much hope for independent broadband or decent service in the USA anymore.
It's coming down to what it has always been. Your Telco or your CableCo and that's it. Plus, the lack of competition is inspiring them to start limiting/blocking/banning your usage in many ways, with TOS, Caps, crippled/throttled services or access, and now traffic shaping. (Not to mention things like wiretapping or monitoring...)
What a mess the Internet is becoming in the USA. "Higher (prices), Slower (Speeds/tiers/Service), Gimpier (block/banned/throttled/filtered)."
Welcome to your future as the spoon-fed slave-sumer. Now drink the Purple Kool-Aid...
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"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!) | |
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| | | said by hpasian:So I guess we are stuck with hoping that ATT Uverse will provide Houston with reasonable broadband. ..... Lacking competition sucks, especially for a city like Houston which should have better broadband choices. Houston isn't the only city with that predicament, and now your anxiously waiting for ATT....I feel bad for you! | |
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|  jwardl
join:2000-08-12
Spring, TX | Everyone kept telling me it was a pipe dream... guess the naysayers were right. I knew something was wrong when the whole deal of subletting Phonoscope's fiber network went away. What happened with that, anyway?
What a big disappointment; it was quite a promising concept. | |
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| fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | Re: Looks like Fision's fiber motorcycle ran off the road Wow!
Both my internet connections, Qwest DSL and Comcast Cable modem are lookin' HELLA good right about now. 
Fision fizzled.. just like many eager startups. It's why so many smaller companies, in the 90's, were looking to be purchased.. it was the only way they'd be able to advance.
Fision = Utopia.
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"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..." | |
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| |  woodwardXMission BroadbandVIP
join:2000-12-28
Salt Lake City, UT | Re: Looks like Fision's fiber motorcycle ran off the road Er. What? UTOPIA was in no way related to Fision and their business models are complete opposites.
I actually spoke to the OEN folk extensively a couple years back as potential partners for IPTV on our UTOPIA service. Shame this folded, it was a pretty interesting project. | |
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| | | fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | Re: Looks like Fision's fiber motorcycle ran off the road Oi!
Think outside Utah.. last time I looked, Utopia, the town project, came after, and was named with a word, that has another definition. 
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"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..." | |
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| | | | woodwardXMission BroadbandVIP
join:2000-12-28
Salt Lake City, UT | Re: Looks like Fision's fiber motorcycle ran off the road Ha! Well, if you're talking about FTTH networks and you use the word 'UTOPIA", which is coincidentally the largest municipal FTTH project in the world, you can reasonably expect confusion.  | |
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|  sporkmedrop the crantini and move it, sisterPremium,MVM
join:2000-07-01
Morristown, NJ | It takes someone with deep pockets and a huge customer base t make money on something like this.
Maybe if they went bankrupt and someone bought the remains for pennies on the dollar this could go again... | |
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|  SandSharkLong may you runPremium,MVM
join:2000-05-23
Santa Fe, TX
kudos:3 | Re: Lulz Yes, he did. I think this thread lasted longer than Fision did.  | |
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| | | | Re: Lulz Dammm I started that tread 2 years ago. Oh well | |
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 PhoenixDown-- Wants FIOSPremium
join:2003-06-08
Fresh Meadows, NY
kudos:1 | It would be awesome If Verizon purchased their assets and launched FIOS. | |
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| | Website Doesnt look like their giving up on their website; they even have an agent program started on the link in the story (above). Fision.net is the actual site now it looks like but doesnt say anything about closing. Very Interesting. Also interesting that they're using Blogspot.com for their blog instead of their own website. | |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | Isn't Fision a astro turf creation by a cable company? Isn't Fision owned by a cable company called Phonoscope? I read that Fision uses Phonoscope's network. It might as well be a cable company. I guess Fision is simply a brand that Phonoscope made so that nobody thinks that Fision is "The Cable Company" and people sign up for it to escape the evil local incumbant cable company. | |
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|  ilikemeI live in a van down by the river.Premium
join:2002-08-27
Denton, TX
kudos:1 | Re: Isn't Fision a astro turf creation by a cable company? Its a different company. It just uses their fiber network. Phonoscope does provide cable to some apartment complexes. They also have a major fiber network thru-out Houston. | |
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| hpasian
join:2007-07-20
Friendswood, TX
1 edit | Fision sales people said that they switched to a different provider due to some issues with Phonoscope. Fision had a preference for dark (unlit/unused) fiber so they could have their own network or something like that.
The schools around here get their 100mbps-1Gbps internet/wan connections via Phonoscope fiber. The fiber is labeled by yellow tags and can be seen on many telephone poles in Friendswood. My guess is the fiber is already fully utilized and new fiber would have to be run for household consumer use. | |
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 FlippantSo Much For SubtletyPremium,Ex-Mod 2000-13
join:2000-06-04
Katy, TX | Never more than a vision And that is too bad. Some great ideas, just no execution. I suspect they could never get enough investors to really make a go of things. Well on less potential fiber network source in Houston, what a shame. Now all we are left with is a gimpy u-Verse and that fat siphon called Comcast, not that this was ever a real alternative. | |
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| | Fision What are the chances that Verizon would purchase for their FiOS? | |
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| patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | Re: Fision said by Liked Fision :
What are the chances that Verizon would purchase for their FiOS?
Zero. Fision never even owned their own fiber, or a minimal amount. They rented fiber lines from other Houston-based Cable and Backbone providers. Also VZ has enough work in their hand, Fision would just be a pain to maintain because it needs different support structures than VZ ILEC FIOS. Plus VZ has enough areas they need to wire, and want to wire, but they don't have the resources (AKA need to finish other areas before they move on). | |
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 alchav
join:2002-05-17
Palm Desert, CA |  It Takes More than a Fiber Network!
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Reviews:
 ·ooma
 ·Optimum Online
 ·Verizon FiOS
| Ash-heap of history... Micro niche players really don't stand a chance anymore. If a company doesn't have economy of scale it's doomed. Earthlink, Covad and RCN have been staring at the abyss on cliff's edge for some time now.. Others such as Sprint pop out of the hole once in a while, see it's shadow and hide until another press release can pump the stock price for insiders. | |
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| | | Re: Ash-heap of history... My question is, when are they actually going to shut down my service? | |
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| | | | Re: Ash-heap of history... Hopefully they won't shut down my service before I get my phone number ported.
While I hate to go back to Comcast, Fision sucked overall. They had a great idea, but I should've known it was doomed when they couldn't even provide services Comcast can. | |
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| | En-touch Has anyone heard of En-touch? they supposedly provide fiber to the home for places like Glennloch Farms, Blackhorse ranch and plenty of others. I checked out their web-site www.entouch.net and called them. The receptionist was not aware of Fision. I was curious if Entouch would be interested in acquiring the old Fision lines? Would be great wouldn't it! | |
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| | | Re: En-touch I am really struggling to find an internet service that can compare to Fision. It was fast and reliable where I live. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Also, anyone have an idea about when they will pull the plug? | |
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| | Entouche, Uverse, etc. Has anyone contacted EnTouche to see if they would like to buy Fision?
Fision's cable line up and speeds were amazing here. We used to be on the old Clearworks/Eagle Broadband fiber system as our neighborhood was prewired with FTTH... its a shame we have a house with fiber and no company to provide anymore! 
Can Uverse run off the fiber we already have? I'm so sad. | |
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| | | Re: Entouche, Uverse, etc. I contacted En-touch and they said they were aware of Fision's demise and had no plans of acquiring the fiber customers. I think that's a lame choice on their side.
I also contacted U-Verse and spoke to a manager. In our community U-Verse is available to most homes. They are looking into to when my home will be servicable. U-Verse is actually COAX but hooks into the fiber, similar to cable. Still we would be utilizing our fiber. The prices seem reasonable and no one year contracts. | |
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Looks like Fision's fiber motorcycle ran off the road
