A Grand Stimulus Proposal: High-Speed Fiber Optic Network For All of Glendale, California 1

Tonight’s City Council meeting agenda contains a long list of approved infrastructure proposals Glendale could submit to Washington now. Missing on the list is an attention-getting, grand vision for the city’s future in the information age.

I’m suggesting one here: A Glendale, California initiative to construct its own high-speed fiber optic network, empowering businesses and residents to access and profit from superior internet connections at low cost. This plan has some great side benefits:

• Puts locals to work
• Uses existing power line rights-of-way or offers underground options
  
• Eliminates the (non-)choice between DSL and cable
• Discourages carriers like T-Mobile, who want to gain broadband/video market share via cell towers.

We are missing an opportunity, which it seems most of the United States has missed so far, to take advantage of existing (and yes, expensive) technology for rewiring our information infrastructure. The United States currently trails “more than a dozen countries in broadband speed, availability, and price,” according to Karl Bode of BroadbandDSLreports.com. A major technology policy report gives the details. Bode derides our cable industry hype, expense, and limitations:

While it’s true that Comcast has promised to wire 100% of their markets with DOCSIS 3.0 by the end of 2010, they represent the pinnacle of DOCSIS 3.0 achievement. And that achievement comes with some caveats: namely that Comcast is charging users $140 or more for 50Mbps service with a 250GB/month cap — and a fancy new throttling system that slightly cripples your connection should you actually choose to use it.

Meanwhile, most other cable operators are only planning to deploy DOCSIS 3.0 “tactically” (read: not to poor, rural neighborhoods). Time Warner Cable have yet to announce a serious DOCSIS 3.0 upgrade timeline. Charter Communications will probably file for bankruptcy protection next week, and lacks the cash to upgrade to DOCSIS 3.0 — just like countless smaller carriers across America.

Many countries, who have made information infrastructure a national initiative have greater service, lower costs, and more competition. Bode cites Japan:

Japanese carriers already offer 1Gbps fiber connections for prices as low as ¥5,460 (US$51.40) per month, and are already working toward 10Gbps connections. The 160Mbps provided by initial flavors of DOCSIS 3.0 will of course be shared between multiple customers and their respective thirsts for HD content. 1Gbps cable service will eventually happen, but the fact is it’s several years away — while Japan is offering 1Gbps fiber to the home now.

Geoff Daily joins in the skepticism over cable technology in this long and enlightening post which highlights the conflict between society’s goals and providers’ quest for company-specific, short-term profits.

EDUCAUSE’s Blueprint for Big Broadband called for government incentives and funding for private companies or municipalities to build high-capacity fiber optic networks. At a seminar this month, the organization updated its funding vision for the plan because of the economic downturn.

To our city council: take a look at these ideas and get a plan ready for future government funding.