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Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

arstechnica.com

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Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#221

Post by dominotw »

treesknees wrote: post #157
dominotw wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its a misleading title. Govt 'built ISP', this guy led the effort.

No you are incorrect. If you read the article and the original article they did in Jan 2021, the original effort was completely funded by him and his neighbors (as in they'd pay $X that will cover future monthly bills later.) This article is about how he has obtained additional government funding to supplement the efforts he was already doing on his own.

but i was responding to this

> fiber network that can reach 600 houses

GP wasn't asking about 'original effort' .

Title mentions 'hundreds of homes'

Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#222

Post by amazingman »

Bloating wrote: post #101
mmastrac wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is literally how societies function - you contribute a small amount to the general pool, you use small amounts from the general pool. In some cases bigger chunks go for bigger works like ISPs or bridges. I certainly hope you don't want a world where every road, bridge and traffic light is independently owned.

Well, there is a lot of legal graft in society

What exactly are you advocating as an alternative? Leaving the unserved homes unserved?

Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#223

Post by duncan-donuts »

Bloating wrote: post #33
TrueGeek wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the article: he had $2.6MM in help from the "American Rescue Plan's Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds". He's being paid by the government to bring Internet access to homes in the state that aren't currently wired for it.

Gotta pay your fair share, so it can be granted out for someone elses gain

This is also why USPS is crucial for rural areas. The Government should be subsidizing this work because if they don't people in rural areas are left behind.

Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#224

Post by amazingman »

Bloating wrote: post #88
xavxav wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Today you help finance someone’s fiber, tomorrow they help finance your hospital/fire dept/etc, that’s the whole idea of public works.

Sounds more like how crony politics for personal gain works. Alternatively, you could finance the hospital, fire depart, or whatever without an middle man siphoning off "their fair share"

In this case the "middle man" is literally doing the work. Money doesn't build things. It goes to entities so that they can build things. I suspect you know this, but it _seems_ like you don't.

Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#225

Post by amazingman »

Bloating wrote: post #82
beeboop wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you also concerned about your tax dollars paying for roads in the next neighborhood over?

The neighborhood developer paid for that. The roads connecting, donated many many years ago by the landowners at that time

Good thing roads are permanently in working condition!

Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#226

Post by boplicity »

He's getting $2.6 million to set up access to 417 homes. That works out to $6,235 per home. At $55 per month, it would take 113 months, or over 9 years just to get $2.6 million in revenue.

Horrible economics! What a crazy business to be in. No wonder grants like this are necessary.

Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#227

Post by Tsukiortu »

H1Supreme wrote: post #203

> 1Gbps with unlimited data for $79 a month Wow, sign me up. Comcast, which has a monopoly on my market, charges me a few bucks more per month, for 150mbps.

I only can use Windstream as the other providers are right on the edge of my area and refuse to move in. I only get “50Mbps” (It's never gone above 45) for $90+ a month, and they have been forever increasing it because well, what choice do we have.

Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#229

Post by r00fus »

capableweb wrote: post #207
H1Supreme wrote: post #203

> 1Gbps with unlimited data for $79 a month Wow, sign me up. Comcast, which has a monopoly on my market, charges me a few bucks more per month, for 150mbps.

The costs for internet in the US still surprises me, how on earth can it be so expensive?! I understand some countries, but in the US, it seems high costs are because "because we can", not because it has to be like that. In comparison, you get 1 Gbps symmetric fiber connection in most countries in Europe for under ~$30/month. In some, you even get it for under $10/month (like Romania, which has surprisingly awesome i…

This is what happens when your government regulatory agencies gets captured [1] by corporate interests.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture

Re: Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

#230

Post by voidmain0001 »

capableweb wrote: post #207
H1Supreme wrote: post #203

> 1Gbps with unlimited data for $79 a month Wow, sign me up. Comcast, which has a monopoly on my market, charges me a few bucks more per month, for 150mbps.

The costs for internet in the US still surprises me, how on earth can it be so expensive?! I understand some countries, but in the US, it seems high costs are because "because we can", not because it has to be like that. In comparison, you get 1 Gbps symmetric fiber connection in most countries in Europe for under ~$30/month. In some, you even get it for under $10/month (like Romania, which has surprisingly awesome i…

As much as I hate the high price where I live (Canada) I assume that Internet and wireless phone service is expensive because the country is so large that the build out cost is expensive. The USA is running 3/4 in the list of largest countries by land area and Canada is 2nd[1]. Maybe I'm naive in my thinking but I have family in a teeny tiny European country and they all have 1Gb fibre optic service for cheap-cheap.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependen...

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