JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD
clubs: |  Task Force on Telecommunications Innovation
The full report of the Task Force on Telecommunications Innovation is on Seattle's website (pdf):
»www.seattle.gov/cable/docs/SeaBTF.pdf |
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a
@qwest.net | everyone has the answers but all i read are complaints. i guess that is the only thing the general public is REALLY good at. |
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moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to JTRockville
A few interesting points:
"Two thirds of Seattle citizens think cable service and high speed internet service is too expensive."
Considering the economy and the limited income of younger people, this could be an issue. How much would fiber cost?
Another point brought up was the arrival of Click! to Tacoma and the reduction of cable prices (about 35% less!)
Also mentioned was the Philadelphia UTOPIA project.
What concerns me is the heavy mention of HDTV and 2 way HDTV linkups. One scenario is a child, recovering from surgery, using a 2 way hookup to keep up with his class. Where is the camera going to come from and will this family be a subscriber to the HDTV tier.
I see where they are going with this and I support it. But, don't count your tax revenues before they hatch. 
What I wonder is whether or not Comcast has a franchise agreement. If they do, when it comes up for renewal, either get firm dates for FTTH (with sizable penalties for non-deployment (remember Verizon/PA?)) or let someone else come in (with the same conditions for deployment.) |
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JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD
clubs:
 ·LINGO
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·surpasshosting
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Comcast was granted a 5 year extension in King County this past December:
»seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/203···e14.html
An article from Red Nova offered this criticism of the deal:
"Jeff Sterling, who helped King County negotiate its existing franchise agreement with Comcast predecessor AT&T Broadband, said the new agreement would reward the cable company for failing to meet its peering obligation under the existing contract."
I don't know about elementary schools in Seattle, but here in Montgomery County MD, I think most of our schools have video equipment and CC television. I have no idea how prepared we'd be to implement an interactive classroom though. |
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moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| said by JTRockville  :I don't know about elementary schools in Seattle, but here in Montgomery County MD, I think most of our schools have video equipment and CC television. I have no idea how prepared we'd be to implement an interactive classroom though. The classrooms wouldn't be the problem. The student at home would be the issue.
I can see how Comcast got a bit of stuff here and there.
My guess is that Qwest won't do anything cause they are the phone company and Comcast can bully anyone it wants. Time for a muni project. |
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garner11
join:2004-08-01
Concord, NH | reply to moonpuppy
said by moonpuppy:
Also mentioned was the Philadelphia UTOPIA project.
UTOPIA is a fiber project in Utah. The Philadelphia project you mention is a wireless project in a Pennsylvania. |
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JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD
clubs:
·LINGO
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·surpasshosting
·Verizon FIOS
| The task force mentioned both UTOPIA and Philly Wi-Fi, as well as a few others:
quote:
Other cities’ involvement in the provision of broadband
The Task Force heard presentations about other cities’ broadband strategies, investments and services, and learned that a number of major cities are deploying, or planning, advanced broadband networks. Philadelphia is actively pursuing development of a citywide municipal Wi-Fi network. UTOPIA, a consortium of 14 suburban Salt Lake City, Utah, cities, is funding and building an FTTP network that will serve up to 160,000 subscribers. Tacoma’s municipal electric utility, Tacoma Power, installed, operates, and provides some retail services over a hybrid fi ber-coax network. (After Click! entered the market, Comcast’s rates in Tacoma went down. Today the cost of Comcast’s most popular service tier is 35 percent lower in Tacoma than in Seattle.) Spokane is developing a Wi-Fi network that will support the city government’s mobile workforce and others. Chelan Public Utility District is building a fiber-optic network that is available to retail service providers to offer services to the public. In March 2005, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved a $300,000 feasibility study for implementation of a municipally-run broadband/Internet project. Tokyo and cities in South Korea have invested heavily in public fi ber-optic networks. Amsterdam is building a public network.
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