by Bob | Jun 9, 2008 | Broadband/Internet, Local Tech Notes
After months of gather and analyzing data, Redwood Coast Connect is starting to share its findings and plans. Tomorrow they will make a presentation to the Board of Supervisors. RCC has been developing information on the best ways to get broadband deployed to rural areas of the region.
If you can’t make that meeting, a similar presentation will be offered at the Redwood Technology Consortium’s open meeting this Thursday, 5:30 PM at the Humboldt Area Foundation Conference room.
by Bob | Mar 14, 2008 | Broadband/Internet, Local Tech Notes
Rich Ryan offered some exciting options in his presentation for the RTC last night. His company, Hunter Communications has a great deal of experience building fiber networks in rural areas. They seem to know the issues that confront a region like ours. They understand the physical and regulatory landscape. They also seem to be able to make economic sense out of building fiber in areas that are generally under served by the telcos.
Rich is also very community oriented and is open to partnering with anyone. He has an interest in expanding his operations in to Northern California. I am hoping we can get him started on some solutions very soon.
by Bob | Mar 4, 2008 | Broadband/Internet, Local Tech Notes
After some dire budget issues traumatized the City Council the proposed feasibility study that would give Eureka a basis for making intelligent decisions on telecommunications issues was put off once again. The motion that passed indicated that the project would be re-visited in six months. As if the budget will magically get better by then. Not with this economy, and not with state budget troubles that will roll downhill to cities.
However, they did also agree that the issue could be brought up again sooner if staff could find alternate sources of funding. It’s likely that these sources will be found, and I was surprised that these alternatives were not part of tonight’s proposal. So, we’ll see.
by Bob | Feb 12, 2008 | Broadband/Internet, Local Tech Notes
When the Governor’s Broadband Task Force released its report (PDF) a couple weeks ago there was some optimism and excitement that practical steps would be taken to advance the broadband infrastructure in the state particularly in rural and under served areas. Some of us believe that government needs to take the lead as clearly the free market is failing us as we fall further behind the rest of the world.
But the Eureka Reporter managed to find someone who thinks otherwise. In an opinion piece by Daniel Ballon of the Pacific Research Institute, the report’s recommendations a likened to Senator Ted Stevens’ (R – Alaska) boondogle bridge to nowhere. The Pacific Research Institute appears to be a think tank with a mission to”…champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility for all individuals by advancing free-market policy solutions.”
While Mr. Ballon makes some interesting arguments, his conclusions make little sense. In the face of the Broadband Task Force’s conclusions and all evidence he claims “Only in the absence of government interference can the state achieve service that is both universal and competitive.” If this were true, why does the U.S. keep falling behind countries where governments have realized that public investment is necessary to advance deployment, boost speeds and keep prices reasonable for the very individuals the Pacific Research Institute purports to support?
by Bob | Oct 15, 2007 | Local Tech Notes
Thank goodness at&t revised its recently revised terms of service so that I can once again feel free to write critically about the company (and all of its associates which is what, over 50% of the businesses in the world?). Just in time, too since at&t just won a sweet decision from the FCC that says it is free to charge whatever it wants for broadband service. Here’s a juicy quote from the article:
AT&T had sought relief from government imposed rules because it said that sufficient competition existed in the high-speed Internet, or broadband, market and therefore such price caps weren’t needed anymore.
And then there’s this: “…the agency’s two Democrats disagreed with the decision, saying the evidence to grant relief was “altogether underwhelming.” They added granting relief could lessen competition in certain areas.” Really? Certain areas like Humboldt County, perhaps? As the sole provider of the sole fiber optic line, at&t currently has a choke hold on the region. Suddenlink already claims it pays more for it’s backhaul here than any other region they serve. Cox had the same complaint.
If multiple fiber outages weren’t enough to convince us that we need another connection to the Internet backbone, then perhaps the idea of increased competition with the behemoth telecommunications company may be just the extra kick we need.
