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Los Angeles Considers Building Broadband Network For All

Like countless other cities, Los Angeles isn't happy with the lack of broadband competition and the high prices, slow speeds, and poor customer service that result. As such, city councilman Paul Krekorian has recently been encouraging the city to study the creation of a "new publicly owned and operated department" to provide "affordable broadband internet services to residents." He's also recommending the creation of a public department to oversee the improvement of the city's broadband offerings.

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"Los Angeles owns a network of fiber-optic cable that runs through every part of the city," Krekorian said. "I want to see if we can maximize its use and ensure that everyone has access to fast, affordable internet services."

The Los Angeles push comes as San Francisco eyes the construction of what would potentially be the largest community broadband network ever built. San Francisco city officials say they're targeting speeds of 1 Gbps for the entire city, a project that could cost upwards of $1 billion.

Los Angeles has eyed the possibility for a long time, but little consistently comes of it.

Back in late 2013 Los Angeles city officials announced that the city wanted to build a fiber to the home network connecting every home, business and government office in the city with a 1 Gbps connection. Closer analysis of the program however revealed that what Los Angeles wanted was for someone to come to the city, build a 1 Gbps network almost entirely on their own dime, and then let other ISPs have open access to the network in order to compete, something larger ISPs like AT&T and Charter clearly didn't find particularly compelling.

Most recommended from 25 comments


elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

13 recommendations

elray

Member

Bread and Circuses...

From our clown of a mayor.

These guys can't do basic trash service, repair potholes, maintain water and sewer pipes, or keep the streets clean and safe for the citizens.

Instead, they excel at protecting us from lap-dances, the state of Arizona and Israel, and doing all they can to legalize crime and invite the 3rd world to live among us at taxpayer subsidy.

Once again, they sent my ultra-low-income neighbor a dunning letter demanding nearly $3,000 in city business taxes, which took four hours of legwork to unwind. The $100K clerks behind their protective plexiglass, flanked by armed guards shrugged as they admonished her for not "complying" (despite having responded each and every year.)

Sure, these are the guys to deliver broadband.
bobnoxe
join:2015-03-30
fiji

12 recommendations

bobnoxe

Member

Then they'll sell it

Once they've blown all kinds of cash on it, get it up and running, a new administration will come, and declare the city is cash poor, and sells the system (at a loss of course) to a Telco.

Rinse Repeat, I've seen this played over and over again.

Apophis
Jaffa Kree
Premium Member
join:2001-12-27
Holmen, WI

5 recommendations

Apophis

Premium Member

More big government

L.A. never seen a program they didn't thing government should have complete control of.

DocDrew
How can I help?
Premium Member
join:2009-01-28
SoCal
Ubee E31U2V1
Technicolor TC4400
Linksys EA6900

4 recommendations

DocDrew

Premium Member

Wash, rinse, repeat

Los Angeles has announced this a few times over the last couple decades, it never goes anywhere.

»arstechnica.com/informat ··· inesses/
eco
Premium Member
join:2001-11-28
Wilmington, DE

2 recommendations

eco

Premium Member

Expensive

I laud them for proposing it but if SF was going to cost $1 billion I can only imagine how much exponentially more it would cost for a city huge and sprawling as LA, especially with far fewer MDUs compared to SF, which are quicker and cheaper to wire.
SArcanine
join:2009-11-09
New York

2 recommendations

SArcanine

Member

Picture?

That looks like Kernel Sherman Potter from M*A*S*H. Where did you find that picture?