http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r8765492 en Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:09:55 EDT Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:09:55 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,8765492 lesopp : I agree. Quoting from the white paper. (link at the bottom of the opening post) These are probably the two most valid reasons to support UTOPIA.

"The industry could replace its copper wire and coaxial cable networks with a virtually unlimited-capacity fiber optic infrastructure but business imperatives keep them from doing so. The long-term return on investment wouldn’t meet investors’ short-term profit demands. It is not cost-effective for each company to implement fiber in every area, and forced infrastructure sharing has not gone well among providers forced to use competitors’ systems. Also, many sparsely-populated areas that are expensive to serve likely would be left out because serving them simply doesn’t make financial sense."

"All major elements of infrastructure development have been sponsored by government efforts in one form or another, including:
-Financing (railways, power plants, highways)
-Granting franchises (power, telephone, cable TV)
-Construction (airports, roads, interstate highway systems)
-Operating (sewer, water, roadways, airports)"

Food for thought:
Assume for a second we had left it to the automotive industry to build roads, in all but the largest cities we would still be driving on single lane gravel roads. Those with pavement and those with connecting paved roads would would have to pay unreasonable funds for the privilege of using a "state of the art" paved road. There would probably be "speed tiers" so you could travel faster but there would be limits on the amount of cargo you could haul. Too many trips to the grocery store could cost you for exceeding your limits. Finally, when the "left behind" community's attempt to band together and make their own paved municipal roads the automotive industry would either buy legislation or force the municipalities to unnecessarily spend funds on frivolous litigation in attempts to kill the competitive efforts.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,8765492 Fri, 12 Dec 2003 13:02:28 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,8757625 MarkyD : and I'll say it again. Utah is doing this right. In 3 years, Utah is going to be the most advanced state in the USA when it comes to broadband communications. Not to mention, UTOPIA is going to open the network to lots of providers (not initially, but after trials) which means lots of competition and great prices! I'll move to Provo to get my 10/10.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,8757625 Thu, 11 Dec 2003 17:16:53 EDT