Comments on: Opening the paying field

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:30:41 +0000

Each technology has its best uses. Fiber is a great technology for long haul transport of data — stretches of 40 miles or more. In short, it’s useful for the backbone and in many cases for the “middle mile.” (I, as a last mile provider, do have excessively high costs because I cannot tap into it locally, due to market concentration and refusal to deal.)

But wireless is far better for the last mile in most locales — not just in Santa Barbara. It’d be great for you in the Boston area.

By: Doc Searls

Doc Searls — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:26:01 +0000

Brett, my post was primarily about competition using examples from what’s available in places where I live. (Near Boston and in Santa Barbara.) But you’re right that I was wrong not to mention wireless. It might be a good solution in Santa Barbara.

And I’ll cop to a prejudice toward fiber. I think we should have far more fiber infrastructure running out as close as possible to the end points. I think that would give independent enterprises like yours far more backhaul choices to work with.

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:56:54 +0000

Doc, the posting above shows an unwarranted prejudice toward fiber and does not even mention wireless. Why? Not only does wireless offer strong competition for any other medium — it has no need for cables on poles, so there is nothing unsightly to bury. And you can’t knock it down with a truck before you’ve buried it or cut it with a backhoe afterward. Finally, it’s worth remembering that both cable and fiber are nothing more than wireless inside a very expensive tube. I say, cut the cords!

By: Jared Goralnick

Jared Goralnick — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:54:35 +0000

Can’t agree more. I’m probably going to switch to FiOS in the next few months…I’m very lucky in the DC area to have many choices.

Unfortunately one of my co-workers (just a couple hours away) doesn’t have any choices. Well, I guess he chooses between dial-up and…satellite. So he has satellite, which is pathetic in both its latency and its overall performance (especially during storms). Not to mention that it’s *really* expensive…and things tend to break.

I know that his situation is unusual, but I hope in the process of competing and working with state and federal departments, options open up for the parts of this country that are still completely off the high speed grid.

By: Don Marti

Don Marti — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:15:39 +0000

Dan Williams explains mobile broadband cards. (I would check for good Linux support in a hardware product even if I were buying it to run with another OS. Bad or missing Linux support is often a warning sign of poor-quality workarounds, dependence on third-party code that the hardware vendor doesn't understand, or general customer inattention.)