Some truth about Comcast - WikiLeaks style

Mon Dec 20 01:58:26 UTC 2010

In a message written on Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 08:20:49PM -0500, Bryan Fields wrote:
> The government granting a monopoly is the problem, and more lame government
> regulation is not the solution.  Let everyone compete on a level playing
> field, not by allowing one company to buy a monopoly enforced by men with guns.

While I like the concept, reality doesn't allow it.  When speaking
about the folks who actually run fiber/copper/coax to the home there
are a number of physical, real world issues.

Rights of way specifically easements, poll space and similar are
limited quantities.  There is both a finite number of folks who can
put in resources in any reasonable way, and an expoentially increasing
chance of them damaging each other as they pack in closer and closer.

There is also the problem that most residents get really upset if
the road between home and the grocery store is torn up this week
by AT&T, next week by Comcast, the following week by Level 3, the
next week by Cogent and is then a rutted potholed mess.  Many cities
are requring carriers to do joint physical duct builds to keep from
digging up streets repeatedly, but due to the inconvenience factor
but also because it reduces the lifespan of the streets, and thus
raises costs to residents.

After looking at many models I think Australia might be on to
something.  The model is that a quasi-government monopoly provides
the last mile physical wire, but is unable to sell services on it.
Basically they only provide UNE's.  Then, at the switching center
any ISP can pick up those UNE's and provide services.  Competition
to the end user, while the last mile is always a single povider
limiting the issues above.  Many cities are trying the same with
electric service, one companie provides the transport infrastructure
and when you select a generation provider.

Simply put, physical real world issues means there will never be
individual residences in most places where there are 6-10 wired
infrastructures coming in, so the user can select one and 5-9 can
go unused.  Huge waste, lots of problems running it that add cost
and create conditions users don't like.

I dream of a day where we have municipal fiber to the home, leased to
any ISP who wants to show up at the local central office for a dollar a
two a month so there can be true competition in end-user services.

-- 
       Leo Bicknell - bicknell at ufp.org - CCIE 3440
        PGP keys at http://www.ufp.org/~bicknell/
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