Monticello wins fight over broadband

The way has been cleared for the city of Monticello to build its own state-of-the-art phone, video and Internet broadband service to compete with local phone and cable companies.

[Catcher InTheRye]

Good deal for the people!

[Frustrated]

Catcher InTheRye wrote:

Good deal for the people!

I am leery of cities running such systems. Monticello did it the right way by privately financing the system. My concern is how municipalities will look at this service in the long run. Will they start applying the 'we have to supply this service to everyone, so if some can not pay for it, you will pay for their access too.' Essentially running it in the welfare paradigm. Will my tax bill in that scenario be worse than what I am currently paying to Comcast? Especially when I only use one out of the three services they talk about providing over this fiber.

[EqualCivilRights]

Anything that will break Comcast's monopoly is welcome news. What I pay each month to that company is insane. A friend of mine has a winter home in Tampa-St. Pete. Down there, he pays roughly 1/3 to the local provider as compared to what he pays to Comcast in MN (for the same service) simply because there are several providers in that FL metro.

[Bob the Bilderberg]

This is not the role of government. Your tax money will subsidize the service, undercutting Comcast's price, causing them to eventually close shop. Then you'll be stuck with only a government-run system that will be antiquated in 2-3 years with no money to upgrade it unless they raise property taxes. Nice move morons.

[Nancy Pal Osi]

Bob the Bilderberg wrote:

This is not the role of government. Your tax money will subsidize the service, undercutting Comcast's price, causing them to eventually close shop. Then you'll be stuck with only a government-run system that will be antiquated in 2-3 years with no money to upgrade it unless they raise property taxes. Nice move morons.

Government is the solution not the problem. We need more government involvement and running more and more of our businesses so everyone will be treated equally.

[Sarah D]

Bob the Bilderberg wrote:

This is not the role of government. Your tax money will subsidize the service, undercutting Comcast's price, causing them to eventually close shop. Then you'll be stuck with only a government-run system that will be antiquated in 2-3 years with no money to upgrade it unless they raise property taxes. Nice move morons.

I think the whole cable and Internet industry needs to be revisited.

Comcast has a virtual monopoly in many areas and they take advantage of it by jacking the price up higher and higher for old customers while luring in new customers with wonderful sounding "special prices".

Have you noticed that Comcast ads never tell you what your price will be AFTER the introductory time is over? That's because the price will be a huge jump from the introductory price.

Comcast is one of the most hated corporations in the country. And their monopoly is precisely WHY a lot of municipalities are looking into providing service themselves.

I agree that it's not the best solution. The best solution is to break the monopolies and then invite in competition. But really Comcast and other companies like it have brought this on themselves.

[Bob the Bilderberg]

Sarah D wrote:

<quoted text>
I think the whole cable and Internet industry needs to be revisited.
Comcast has a virtual monopoly in many areas and they take advantage of it by jacking the price up higher and higher for old customers while luring in new customers with wonderful sounding "special prices".
Have you noticed that Comcast ads never tell you what your price will be AFTER the introductory time is over? That's because the price will be a huge jump from the introductory price.
Comcast is one of the most hated corporations in the country. And their monopoly is precisely WHY a lot of municipalities are looking into providing service themselves.
I agree that it's not the best solution. The best solution is to break the monopolies and then invite in competition. But really Comcast and other companies like it have brought this on themselves.

But they don't have a monopoly. Dish Network, DirectTV, Quest, HughesNet are all viable alternatives. I haven't used Comcast in 10 years.

Government should be the answer of last resort in most things.

[Sarah D]

Bob the Bilderberg wrote:

<quoted text>
But they don't have a monopoly. Dish Network, DirectTV, Quest, HughesNet are all viable alternatives. I haven't used Comcast in 10 years.
Government should be the answer of last resort in most things.

Maybe those aren't available in Monticello. I used Comcast as an example because it's one of the largest providers of cable, Internet and phone service that has the most complaints.

I'm not even sure if Comcast is available in Monticello.

But if a majority of voters in Monticello approved of it that must surely indicate a great deal of disapproval of the service they've been getting.

Also Monticello is relatively small (12,000 residents) so it wouldn't be as expensive to maintain the system as it would be for a much larger entity.

It might be moot. If a few more relatively smaller municipalities do the same thing that might be enough to scare the larger providers into being more reasonable with their prices and providing better service.

Last I heard, Comcast was in no danger of bankruptcy.

[Timmyboy]

We'll have state run everything else. Mise as well have state run TV.

[Sarah D]

Timmyboy wrote:

We'll have state run everything else. Mise as well have state run TV.

Last time I looked, Monticello was not a state.

[NorthSaintPaul]

Just wait all you foolish people who think government can solve all your problems.

You only think your going to get cheaper services.

Nonsense, they will charge prevailing rates or whatever they can get away with so the city can profit and fund pet projects.

[sorb]

Bob the Bilderberg wrote:

This is not the role of government. Your tax money will subsidize the service, undercutting Comcast's price, causing them to eventually close shop. Then you'll be stuck with only a government-run system that will be antiquated in 2-3 years with no money to upgrade it unless they raise property taxes. Nice move morons.

It's the end of the world as we know it! Head for the hills!

[EqualCivilRights]

Bob the Bilderberg wrote:

<quoted text>
But they don't have a monopoly. Dish Network, DirectTV, Quest, HughesNet are all viable alternatives. I haven't used Comcast in 10 years.
Government should be the answer of last resort in most things.

But why should Comcast be the ONLY cable alternative? They DO have a cable monopoly and use that monopoly to drive up prices while providing no significant increase in options.

[Wheelchair Charley]

EqualCivilRights wrote:

<quoted text> But why should Comcast be the ONLY cable alternative? They DO have a cable monopoly and use that monopoly to drive up prices while providing no significant increase in options.

What-a-country! The economy is in the tank, the government is looking to run banks and businesses and we arguing whether or not comcast is a monopoly...how about just disconnecting and discontinuing providers like comcast. By the way I agree NO MORE GOVERNMENT RUN BUSINESS ENTITIES...and in fact the government should remove their hooks from GM and the banks.

[EqualCivilRights]

And, Bob, I should have also mentioned that while I live in a east metro county, I cannot get Quest. As for Dish Network and DirectTV, both have told me that because of my location, I cannot get optimal satelite reception here...and I also do not want an ugly satelite receiver mounted on my house or in my yard. Cable is my only option which leaves me with monopolistic Comcast.

[sorb]

Wheelchair Charley wrote:

<quoted text>
By the way I agree NO MORE GOVERNMENT RUN BUSINESS ENTITIES...and in fact the government should remove their hooks from GM and the banks.

Good point. Don't know why Bush took over Fannie and Freddy and AIG. He's such a socialist.

[EqualCivilRights]

GM is one issue and the banks are quite another. It is clear from this economic meltdown that banks need more and tighter government regulation. And no bank, or any other business, should be permitted to grow so large that the government cannot allow it to fail because of potential damage to the economy. Whatever happened to enforcement of the anti-trust laws in this country?

[Wheelchair Charley]

sorb wrote:

<quoted text>
Good point. Don't know why Bush took over Fannie and Freddy and AIG. He's such a socialist.

The only hope we have is to throw both parties out!

[Catcher InTheRye]

The Internet should be a utility like electricity and water.

[Joe]

O'Neill counters criticism about government encroachment on private enterprise with this question: "Would you rather trust government, which can be voted out, to provide your service? Or a private corporation, which is accountable to shareholders and not to the needs of people?"

Yeah, who needs a private corporation not taking the needs of people into account. Dipstick.