Louisiana Muni Battle → Failed Muni Fiber

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a report today that Marietta, GA was going to sell its fiber-optic system today at a loss of $24 million. After 8 years of operation in the Atlanta suburbs, the system only had 180 subscribers on a fiber-optic plant of 210 miles. This would certainly indicate that the public does not want and will not support municipal fiber-optic systems! Not to mention the wasted tax money!! A point that has been many times before, but no one wants to believe it. The article is posted at: »www.ajc.com/news/content ··· net.html
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said by mjcrocket:

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a report today that Marietta, GA was going to sell its fiber-optic system today at a loss of $24 million. After 8 years of operation in the Atlanta suburbs, the system only had 180 subscribers on a fiber-optic plant of 210 miles. This would certainly indicate that the public does not want and will not support municipal fiber-optic systems! Not to mention the wasted tax money!! A point that has been many times before, but no one wants to believe it. The article is posted at: »www.ajc.com/news/content ··· net.html
you will have to register to view the article (registration is free).

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maybe not in Atlanta but not true everywhere...munis are far far more sucessfull than failed..checkout click! in tacoma..among others.

said by hescominsoon:

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maybe not in Atlanta but not true everywhere...munis are far far more sucessfull than failed..checkout click! in tacoma..among others.

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Tacoma, WA? Where electrical prices shot up by 50% after the municipally owned electrical utility got into the broadband racket?

said by mjcrocket:

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a report today that Marietta, GA was going to sell its fiber-optic system today at a loss of $24 million. After 8 years of operation in the Atlanta suburbs, the system only had 180 subscribers on a fiber-optic plant of 210 miles. This would certainly indicate that the public does not want and will not support municipal fiber-optic systems! Not to mention the wasted tax money!! A point that has been many times before, but no one wants to believe it. The article is posted at: »www.ajc.com/news/content ··· net.html
you will have to register to view the article (registration is free).

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It just indicates that that city doesn't have broadband priorities and/or the offering were not right. What would have happened had they been cheaper then comcast or the local cable provider and had provided tv phone and net like verizon plans to do? We don't know.

BTW try and link to articles who don't need registrations THOSE SUCK.

Oh yeah and 8 Years ago there wasn't interest in this. Now had they gone and advertised and such they may have built a following. Mismanagement is the cause for 95% of downfalls.

said by BosstonesOwn:

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Mismanagement is the cause for 95% of downfalls.

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That's irrelevant. When a private company mismanages itself into oblivion, the only people who suffer are the shareholders who voluntarily chose to risk their money in the venture. When a publicly funded racket fails, all the taxpayers, whether or not they chose to subscribe to the service or not, end up having to pay out of their pockets.

said by pnh102:

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said by BosstonesOwn:

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Mismanagement is the cause for 95% of downfalls.

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That's irrelevant. When a private company mismanages itself into oblivion, the only people who suffer are the shareholders who voluntarily chose to risk their money in the venture. When a publicly funded racket fails, all the taxpayers, whether or not they chose to subscribe to the service or not, end up having to pay out of their pockets.

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How do you know any tax payers took a beat here. You only know they are looking to sell it at a 24 mill loss. 180 people use it and if they pay $50 a month that is almost 10 k a month.Let's say 15 for arguments sake. 15 K a month for 8 years. Now if I do the math. that is 180 K a year x 8 years. Hmm Little bit over a mill. with barely any subs. Sounds like some one didn't advertise enough and they lost interest in it.

Any which way such is business there is losses and there is gains. 1 bad fiber venture in a city that probably didn't know it existed. Such is life.

Besides we still don't know if the tax payers paid for it or if bonds were issued for it.