Municipal Broadband Roundtable

Submitted by blackdynomitesnewbag t3_z73won in CambridgeMA

The Cambridge City Council is holding a Roundtable to discuss Municipal Broadband today, Monday November 28 at 5:30PM, in the Sullivan Chamber (the usual City Council meeting room) at City Hall.

Please attend the meeting in person if you can, or join online via Zoom. Note that there is no public comment but our presence will be felt by the councilors and the city manager and city staff.

It is important that the councilors understand that there is a broad base of support for municipal broadband in Cambridge. You can send an email to individual councilors or the whole council and the city manager this weekend so they will get it before the Monday meeting. Personalize your message with the reasons you are looking forward to Municipal Broadband.

Are you eager to switch from your current provider (Comcast) but there isn’t an alternative? Are you unhappy with the terms of service, e.g. lengthy contract, teaser rates, data caps, poor service, etc.

Upgrade Cambridge sent this messageto the council members and the city manager.

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Comments

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stannenb t1_iy4khii wrote

From the presentation to be given to Councilors. Resident support for municipal broadband is extraordinary, with 66% supporting it, even if tax subsidies are required.

https://preview.redd.it/vcrfsokm0s2a1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=1cdaad66998d468626b4aee7453a330cb3a93782

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[deleted] t1_iy524it wrote

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stannenb t1_iy52tw4 wrote

So, you have no evidence and your proposed alternative - knock on random doors - doesn't pass the laugh test.

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asaharyev t1_iy6sf61 wrote

I bet that if you went door-knocking, you'd actually get pretty wide support for municipal broadband, too.

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ghost_in_the_ssh t1_iy907dh wrote

yeah we should probably rig the question so that we get the answers you want, right?

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noob_tube03 t1_iy4p0bp wrote

This needs to be stickied! Of all the things residents should care about, this should be top. Please please please email your councilors

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LxTRex t1_iy7wjpy wrote

It drives me nuts that I live in between Harvard and MIT and have to deal with Comcast.

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upgradecambridge t1_iy4k5ar wrote

The next steps for creating a municipal fiber are in the city council and city manager's hands! They need your support to move this process forward.

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smashey t1_iy56dcq wrote

Please attend these meetings. Seriously. Local politicians have like zero feedback from their constituency. It is amazing how the mere presence of a resident spurs them to action.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Just show up. Sign up for the zoom and log in when they say to do so. The presentation will be boring.

Just show up. I don't even live in Cambridge and I might log in.

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stannenb t1_iy53hrt wrote

The full presentation to the Council can be found here: https://cambridgema.iqm2.com/citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=3769&Inline=True

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[deleted] t1_iy564l2 wrote

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stannenb t1_iy579ao wrote

You mean the company that's laid off half its staff and has been warned about delisting from the Stock Exchange because its price has plummeted? That Starry?

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[deleted] t1_iy5a532 wrote

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stannenb t1_iy5agab wrote

So, your answer is "Yes, that Starry."

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[deleted] t1_iy5cqvs wrote

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blackdynomitesnewbag OP t1_iy5hcg4 wrote

You can't negotiate with a monopoly

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[deleted] t1_iy5i8rd wrote

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blackdynomitesnewbag OP t1_iy5j4pt wrote

> no expertise

We can hire people who have it

> No infrastructure

That’s the problem we’re trying to solve

> No economies of scale

Scale is relative. City wide fiber is a plenty large scale to see benefits. It’s not like you and I are running fiber down the cloths line out back.

Also, the point isn’t to make money, although some models show that we can undercut Comcast and still make a profit.

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Pleasant_Influence14 t1_iy659t9 wrote

My parents have municipal broadband in Colrain ma and it’s wonderful.

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j_parkour t1_iy54u70 wrote

From upgradecambridge.org: "About the price of a new school in Cambridge"

Uh oh. A few months ago the Tobin Montessori project asked for $49 million. Which might seem like a lot, but it feels small compared to the $250 million already budgeted.

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[deleted] t1_iy55sth wrote

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blackdynomitesnewbag OP t1_iy58cdo wrote

That was actually considered the worst case scenario if we had absolutely no existing fiber, conduit, or telephone poles. We have all of those things, so the true cost won't be known until the feasibility study is completed, which will hopefully be by the end of the year.

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[deleted] t1_iy4wiwq wrote

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upgradecambridge t1_iy4z57c wrote

Most municipal fiber projects are successful. That is false that most cost-benefit analysis say this municipal internet is shit. Even when the municipality is losing money on the fiber network, if they successfully deploy it, the economic benefits tend to out way the loses.

A working fiber network would be better that what we have right now. At the very least we would have symmetric upload speeds. For example there is no incumbent ISP with fiber infrastructure to the existing residents.

While there is risk with any large project like this. This meeting is specifically about evaluating the costs and benefits with municipal fiber projects. Our councilors and city manager tend to be conservative. This is part of the reason municipal fiber is taking so long, they are slow to evaluate and won't start a project they think won't succeed.

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