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demontop
join:2001-08-21
Chicago, IL
 ·AT&T DSL Service
|  The Un-Asked Question...
In skimming through the replies, it occurs to me that nobody seems to be asking another pertinent question. Most assuredly the Tri-cities have conducted at least a little research into the feasibility of this venture. Could they be motivated by revenue? Sure they'd issue their bonds and take at least a short-term hit to their credit rating or whatever, but if it takes off in their area, and they continue to grow in size the way they are, why couldn't they actually profit from the broadband network? And what's stopping them from building their network and then turning around to outsource content, support and management? Didn't Mayor Daley (Da Mare for any other current or former Chicagoans out there) have a similar plan to build a Chicago municipal network and then wholesale bandwidth back to ISPs ?
Competition vs. monopoly (oligopoly) or Free-enterprise vs. government regulation arguments aside, I think the kernel of the matter lies in how this "21st Century Technology" with such a potential for improving quality of life is implemented with such enormous disparity...in ways that seemingly defy logic, reason and basic economics. Regardless of the misleading, unethical and dubious legality of the survey in question, is it right for the Tri-cities to try and block Comcast or SBC or anybody else while they try and float their own broadband venture? Conversely, should the Comcast's or SBC's of the world be able to kill their competition while still in the womb?
Additionally, and ironically enough, after all the dialogue and controversy about the "digital divide" (which I do believe exists, but on a different level) I find it funny that Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles have been languishing in this broadband black hole considering how their average household income and property values stack up against the neighboring communities and the rest of the state.
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batageek
Slave To The Duopoly
Premium
join:2003-01-25
Batavia, IL
| The outsourcing issue does not allow the cities to keep a hold of the costs and therefore would not happen. These towns have also owned their own electric utilities for the past 100 years for the same reason. Their electric rates are some of the lowest in the state.
It's the same reason franchise agreements are worthless to cities. The common response is "deny them a franchise" until they come around. It doesn't work. The cities have no control of the rates charged to residents or the level of service provided. Because Comcast is the only game in town for Cable (notice no internet or voice service - they're just upgrading the system after 5 years of dancing around the issue) and SBC for voice, they don't really care.
In regards to the survey, it's not the issue of doing a business survey. It's the point that in several cases the "surveyors" have represented themslves as asking the questions on behalf of City Hall or the Mayors or the Aldermen. Citizens have been faked out.
The Cities themselves did surveys on many of the same questions (without the obvious "Should your government subsidise porn" question) months ago.
You're right though about the demographic though. There is cash to be spent on these services, but the incumbents have made little effort to step up to the plate until the cities started making lots of noise. The Cities, though, are "languishing" in a broadband black hole. | |
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