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Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

nytimes.com

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Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#331

Post by ams6110 »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #123
AnthonyMouse wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why not skip the middle step and just have the municipalities provide it to the customers directly? Because monopolies are wasteful and horrible at things like customer service. The fiber in the ground is a natural monopoly. Connecting that fiber to the rest of the world isn't. You don't want the monopoly to extend one inch more than it has to, regardless of whether the natural monopoly is municipal or Comcast.

Do you have any proof Comcast being the monopoly is "better" than your municipality (who doesn't have to show a profit)? Or is this just how you feel?

Your municipality can make you pay for it whether you want it or not. Comcast can't do that.

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#332

Post by bogomipz »

rayiner wrote: post #204
kmicklas wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No urban area in the U.S. is as dense as Stockholm's (3,500). NYC is at the low end of that range (2,000), and is less dense than a bunch of Swedish cities with just ~50-100k people. Wat. NYC is over 10k/km^2. Manhattan is over 25k/km^2.

The "NYC" urban area encompasses NYC + Westchester + Long Island + Newark + parts of CT. Half of the population that lives/works in/around New York lives outside of the city proper.

>"The "NYC" urban area encompasses NYC + Westchester + Long Island + Newark + parts of CT."

Not it does not, that is the "Tri-State" area. I have never heard anyone use the term "NYC Urban area." What you are saying makes it sounds as if those places are suburbs of New York City and none of them are. New York City is 5 boroughs.

Also I think you are confusing Manhattan and New York City. Half the daily population of Manhattan are commuters:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/commuters-nearl...

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#333

Post by ralph84 »

randomguy23 wrote: post #239
Spooky23 wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, it's locally monopolized with a single provider. Sometimes you can get DSL, but since Verizon employees get fired for fixing outages now, that will be gone soon.

Interesting, I had to go searching, but here's the info on the firing of Verizon employees: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/10/verizo...

Meh, this is just union posturing to try to save obsolete jobs.

"The wireless home phone service, VoiceLink, is not a proper replacement for copper phone lines because it doesn’t work with security alarms, fax machines, medical devices such as pacemakers that require telephone monitoring, and other services, the union said."

Really? Verizon should be maintaining and repairing obsolete infrastructure so people can keep using fax machines? GMAFB.

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#334

Post by refurb »

amazon2 wrote: post #275
neuromancer2701 wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't people/mile still incorrect because you basically have islands of large dense cities with roads between them that nobody lives on.

People still live in the countryside. Rural areas aren't some uninhabited wilderness. If your aim is to provide broadband to all, you'll have to build there too. Sweden aims to do 100 Mbps to 90% of the population by 2020. Can't do that by just covering urban areas.

Rural areas aren't some uninhabited wilderness

Try driving through Wyoming some time (on a highway!). You can easy drive for an hour or two and there is nothing but BLM (gov't) land all around you. No one lives there.

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#335

Post by refurb »

RankingMember wrote: post #280
markbnj wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you say "citizens of the US" you're talking about a continent that would take roughly five days to cross at highway speed, driving ten hours a day. You may as well say "citizens of Europe." If you haven't done that drive, by the way, you should. It will add some perspective to these comparisons. A more reasonable comparison would be between Sweden (population 9.5m) and the state I live in, New Jersey (population…

A nitpick, but crossing the US takes much closer to 4 10-hour days than 5 (New York to Los Angeles): https://goo.gl/maps/dmL1f421DMP2

A nitpick, but that would assume you eat in the car and pee in a jug.

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#336

Post by StillBored »

synthetik wrote: post #313
SEJeff wrote: post #13

Well google announced they were exploring a fiber rollout in Chicago. Now both AT&T along with Time Warner Cable have 1G service throughout parts of the city. Alternatively, one can look at this not as a failure, but as a success. The point of Google fiber was to force carriers to get faster internet to everyone. It appears that it has been working. This benefits google directly as their properties such as Youtube ca…

I've been trying to get Time Warner Cable for 7 years now. The fiber runs on my street, but they refuse to connect my house and won't give a real reason why. Living in the middle of San Antonio, TX, I rely on tethering and the hope that T-Mobile doesn't terminate my line for going 20 times over the 10 GB limit. While the Fiber influence is nice, it's not doing a vast amount for last mile access.

Have you checked the metro collusion agreement? Here in Austin we have TWC (now spectrum) and Grande. There are places where grande and TWC are literally right across the street, next door, etc and you can't get service from one of them because the other has the franchise agreement.

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#337

Post by refurb »

guelo wrote: post #127
markbnj wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you say "citizens of the US" you're talking about a continent that would take roughly five days to cross at highway speed, driving ten hours a day. You may as well say "citizens of Europe." If you haven't done that drive, by the way, you should. It will add some perspective to these comparisons. A more reasonable comparison would be between Sweden (population 9.5m) and the state I live in, New Jersey (population…

> I have no complaints. Very few people have no complaints when it comes to Comcast, one of the most hated companies in the country. And you have no alternative besides Comcast. If it were regulated like a utility that would be one thing, but you're at the mercy of a powerful monopoly which has been know to play all kinds of anti-consumer tricks. I'd recommend keeping a close eye on your bill.

Very few people have no complaints when it comes to Comcast

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones? I've had them for years now and no real complaints. I'm certainly not blow away by their customer service, but they came and setup the internet when they said they would and I've had maybe one outage that lasted less than an hour (in 5 years).

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#338

Post by refurb »

technofiend wrote: post #101
staticelf wrote: post #12

That sucks for citizens of the US. I think the Swedish (Nordic?) model for bringing internet connectivity to it's citizens is superior. The municipalities own (most of) the networks and all the fiber cables, letting companies use them for a small(ish) fee. These companies later sell it to customers. This help people to get the best deals and ensure that the networks are continually upgraded. For example, I have 250/1…

We've tried, man. Billions of dollars were given to Verizon, AT & T, etc to build out infrastructure. They took the money and did little or nothing. We have "regulatory capture" which is where an incumbent lobbies and gets state or federal regulations that blocks competition. A widely cited figure states that the average broadband customer costs Comcast less than $2/month for broadband internet. Yet they charge more…

A widely cited figure states that the average broadband customer costs Comcast less than $2/month for broadband internet.

Sure it's $2/month if you ignore any fixed costs. Net margin after interest and taxes is high single digits.[1]

[1]http://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=CMCSA

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#339

Post by refurb »

chimeracoder wrote: post #223
a_thro_away wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anything that is done at cost by the government is viewed by many as a lost potential profitable and taxable business; one that would drive up the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a well used measure of an economy. Problem with using GDP, in my limited understanding, is that taxing things, even your breathing air, increases the GDP - I'd rather it not.

> Anything that is done at cost by the government is viewed by many as a lost potential profitable and taxable business; one that would drive up the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a well used measure of an economy. No, that's not how GDP works. The GDP measurement is independent of whether the action is performed by the private or public sector. > Problem with using GDP, in my limited understanding, is that taxing thi…

Surprised you're getting downvoted.

It's true, if the gov't performs a service, it's included in GDP. And no, taxes don't increase GDP.

Re: Google Fiber Cutting Jobs and Halting Rollout

#340

Post by refurb »

cgvgffyv wrote: post #148
DasIch wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do wonder what would happen, if networks for water, waste, electricity or even streets would have to be build on a large scale in the political climate of the US today.

Implying the political climate has ever been any different. Something something past, rose-tinted glasses. Political climate is a function of the people in charge. People in charge, due the nature of power and its effects, are always the same. Therefore the political climate is always the same. You're just inadvertently filtering out.

This is actually quite true. Read about the 1964 Presidential election and you'll see not much has changed.
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