TongueTiedLabourerfromtheLandoftheLittlePeople
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https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/08/man-who-built-isp-instead-of-paying-comcast-50k-expands-to-hundreds-of-homes/
crateo
Wait, so in usa fiber infrastructure is not public?
ihaveanouttie
They told my parents 100k because they live up in the middle of nowhere. Fuck em. They have tons of neighbors.
fredrikzilla
Swede here, rural villager, we payed abt $1200 for our fiber installation which was way more than 0.5 mile to run. Socialism at its best.
SomeDetroitGuy
As someone who currently lives just at the edge of rural Washtenaw County these days - fuck Comcast.
Luthierfer
Hope he makes it out to me, as well.
NeutralForest
As someone in this line of work, hell yeah.
brianbrian4566
Comcast is the worst
nojustsayitdont
$2.6 million for 70 customers is 37,142$ per customer. On the taxpayers dime. Bet these asshats vote against socialism.
ItsACrazyWorld
Comcast will prob sue him for some bullshit reason or force him to sell. I hope he keeps fighting.
bourbonandbaddecisions
When comcast tech support pisses you off to the point you star your own isp.
Marsmallowmancer
Comcast will find a way to sue him. This is exactly the kind of competition proper capitalism demands but American capitalism crushes
akeste
Co-op electric companies popped up in the west because the people wanted it.
zHurk777
That's Communism !!! - magas who get their electricity from a co-op but don't know it. ha ha.
Bam906
This is in South Western Michigan roughly. Near Ann arbor. The guys doing a good thing
BigTex1
@ComcastLover
acetothermus
See also: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/10/comcast-wanted-210000-for-internet-so-this-man-helped-expand-a-co-op-fiber-isp/
StandingOutsideABrokenPhoneBoothWithMoneyInMyHand
Sounds like something Canada could use what with their Telco monopolies.
LittleRobot71
It sucks, in Ontario the main ISPs try not to compete with each other. Some towns are served by Bell, some Rogers. My town has an
LittleRobot71
independent company running fibre, and it's alright but has no competition and has bean stagnating for years.
Thornaxe
Several homes where they had to put a whole half mile of wire in for one house? That’s not really rural at all. In my area there’s a 1/2
Thornaxe
Number of homes where they plowed in 4-6 miles for just one home.
wadatahmydamie
I mean it’s one [ISP] Michael. What could it cost, [$50,000]?
tzxAzrael
comcast: "but there's no way we could do that. just don't have the money!" public: "so like, what if you had spent the money that >>
tzxAzrael
...the government gave you specifically because you promised to do this, instead of stuffing it in the exec's pockets?"
tzxAzrael
comcast: -suddenly REALLY quiet-
HoochIsCrazzy
So want my municipal gas & electric company to offer residential internet over fiber. They just don't think there is enough interest :(
TK421isAFK
A municipal system would be great, but I do NOT want PG&E getting into the ISP business here in California.
HoochIsCrazzy
from what I've heard of them, I completely understand
BentwanJameson
I have that, and it's great. 1GB service, and they just rolled out options for 2.5 & 10GB. So nice to tell Comcast to get bent.
HoochIsCrazzy
so jealous
tiderfish
That guy is the shit! I wonder what his fiber connects too and if he is able to use the telephone poles, as they are often owned by powerco
Omestra
I'm gonna build my own internet service! With blackjack and hookers!
EllisHobbs
shepahrdjhon
Great job but rural Michigan? Washtenaw is not rural, its part of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
Luthierfer
I'm 45 minutes out of A² (in Wasttenaw Co.) and my only options are dish, Elon and mobile.
shepahrdjhon
I have seen some of that area. I am not sure why it it could be considered the same county other than gerrymandering out Ann Arbor's votes
hydrocarbon82
A half mile of fiber or cable would probably be better served with some form of wireless link on a big pole. But if it was in the bid...
taskinroe
Hashbrown123
TC's doing something!
FuzzyX
On the long distance remote homes I would have thought it better to use a microwave link, dish to dish, as long as line of sight.
HangingOnTheEdgeOfTomorrow
He called it what? He could have called it Mauch Speed Fiber LLC.
TheMeatIncident
roflmao fuck comcast
DidItForScience
Fuck Comcast, but please don't take out all your hate on the bottom tier support agent who is being ground into dust for nearly min wage.
Bigdaddykane99
FUCK comcast. They are predatory to seniors and fuck them over all the time. I know from personal exp with my elderly mom.
Diftel
I work for BT in the UK and same. So many old people call.in confused why a sales agent changed their bills.
Chezoso
If the government is going to allow cable/Internet monopolies they should have to provide service to every resident regardless of cost
DrNick
The government already funded a full fiber infrastructure project and has seen almost nothing for it.
Chezoso
The monopoly should be funding it... Not us
Zimno
They do, but it's cheaper for the companies to pay the fines then to actually run the lines.
TsubakiTragic
everyone should.
jennym123
I used to work for comcast. 100% agree with this statement.
THEREALSTEVEHOLT
There's never been a statement I agree more with
JackScagnetti1
Comcrap the antichrist
endfreq
YES
maststick
What are those c^^ts going to do to him to stop him
Varenvel
a lot , i had friend in US(we no longer friends but) he told me comcast cut their ISP internet cable many times , deliberately during work
Varenvel
who would not only leave them without internet without days , but also allegadly they not raported it ether. , i herd they do lots scummy>
Varenvel
stuff to make sure people are unhappy with other ISP's
barbarian818
Others have tried setting up their own networks only to have utilities and existed ISPs block them at the muni bylaw level. Hard to build a
barbarian818
network when you can't get permission to use the poles or dig in the utility allotments
Renza0
I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of anti competition laws out there to try to prevent people from doing this.
SaltyEsq
I assume they hire people to take care of the wet works
LeSethX
I could see them try to legislate it to stop him. Our utility (fuck PG&E) once tried a city ballot to say solar isn't renewable energy to
AFelineMassofEyes
"Fuck PG&E," it's the new Californian salute.
LeSethX
stop the city from making it's own public energy
saturatedcottonballs
If this was a red state they'd be using their lobbyists to introduce laws banning future Mauch's. Curious what MI will do though
ProcrastinatorMasturnater
They do that in blue states too. Corruption is everywhere its just more obvious on the red side.
dasoffendor
that happens in plenty of blue states too unfortunately. Money talks.
shepahrdjhon
Good thing is at least Washtenaw is very blue. Ann Arbor is more blue than Detroit.
rgraz65
Crazy thing is, Washtenaw surrounds much of Ann Arbor and Ypsi. But I was shocked when I moved there in 2002 and found so many dirt roads.
BL4UPUNKT
It should already be illegal to try remove future competition, capitalists are weird.
Thornaxe
Market capture is very real. And actually quite “capitalist”. A “free market” doesn’t maximize profits very well.
ChrisWsrn
I tried something like this a few years ago. I got shut down by the county because I could not serve 100% of the county on day one.
ChrisWsrn
They required us to provide service to EVERYONE when the incumbent providers only served the town. Comcast and Verizon only served town.
ChrisWsrn
I found out a few months ago from the dude who I did this project with (Who is now a party chairman) that lobbying was done against us.
ChrisWsrn
The incumbents lobbied to kill our project. We were building a AE network in a rural area that would support 1G and 10G day 1 in 2012.
ChrisWsrn
The incumbents were ADSL and Cable providers that were both under 40M. Our network was subsided by some rich people who wanted internet.
threenotch23
Very likely they will just buy his network. That is what has gotten us into this mess the amalgamation of companies by big corporations.
TheYoungerChrisEvans
He'd have to sell, though, right? Not like they can force him to
threenotch23
Yeah one can always hold your company, unless it’s publicly traded or deep in debt.
Sandyundertones
Companies were never very good at expanding especially to rural areas. Most of it has been done through Federal spending.
threenotch23
I was referring to the consumption of the small cable companies by the national corporations. The Bells did so to local phone companies. >
threenotch23
Comcast did the same through the early 2000s and is even now trying to own every provider.
Losgunna
I can promise that won't happen.
threenotch23
Maybe. I don’t know his financials or age or family. They might hold on to it no matter what. Maybe.
Casually
Sounds like Lamborghini. They were a tractor manufacturer where the owner thought they could build a better sports car, so they did.
RuricOrhlandis
https://youtu.be/hkspsIwUAZU
TheUtahn
Did they though?
MisterRichard
It's even pettier and more amazing than that. He wanted parts from Porsche, and they told him 6mos, and he was like "fuck you"
thelegendofthetwistednavigator
It was ferrari and he was complaining that the gearbox was the same as in his tractors
TehSpirit
gonna assume you meant ferrari
MisterRichard
Oh yeh that's the one
blaghart
He complained about the quality of the gearbox and Ferrarri told him to fuck off because he was a "tractor maker"
comacomacomacomachameleon
and then he finds out Ferrari uses the same clutch as his tractors, which is why they always fuckin broke
sambaah05
With his spend, in reality the 50k Comcast wanted seemed to be about at cost, only difference is he's using tax payer funds to do it.
TheZommie
"only difference" implies that comcast doesn't do it either, they do, and that is misleading
sambaah05
Of course they do exactly what he did, get funding for rural expansion. I never said they didn't.
illegalacorn
except they don't build em just take the money
MufinMcFlufin
As opposed to Comcast who's going to take tax payer funds to build infrastructure and still charge customers at cost for infrastructure.
sambaah05
Comcast wouldn't build here though. They don't charge a separate fee if they don't have to build, so that doesn't apply.
PupDiogenes
as opposed the Comcast using tax payer funds and then charging
sambaah05
That would be illegal. The tax payer funding comes with really tight restrictions, read the article on this guy, he talks about the process.
ZackWester
you think. Comcast care they already received millions of dollars to build mile of fiber and then built zero.
sambaah05
Interesting, I didn't see that. Source?
ToasterDent
Lamborghini tractors suck though. Too low to the ground so can't see over tall crops like corn, and the ground clearance is terrible.
mcjp420132718
Yeah but your can clear a 40 acre field in 20 sec
rmsrmsrms38
But are they good for European crops? Honest question. For example, in Korea, tractors r smaller b/c main crop is rice & roads r smaller.
Bioman998
Maybe suck for that use case, would be interesting to know the popular crops at the time of their introduction
storysails
Don’t worry, I missed it at first too ?
disgruntledtruckdriver
I think hes making a joke about using a Lamborghini car as a tractor
Schmerbie
Honest question. Is it a good use of taxpayer money to spend 30K to get 1 home high speed internet?
nojustsayitdont
I'm OK with it, because eventually more people will live there. But these assholes probably vote Trump because Democrats are socialist.
TheobromineAddict
Just as good a use as providing gas, water, electric, telephone. All those utilities get government subsidies and tax breaks.
dobe0TieDancer
Yes. That infrastructure will already be there when the neighbors want internet too.
EggFooYung
That was how it was with Ma Bell. No matter how much they had to build, they would get you a phone. And you'd still pay the normal rate.
IrrationalNumber
How much is that per federal taxpayer?
UselessFacts
Have plenty of spare fibers, extra empty conduit on the pathway, and vaults every 200 ft. You will be able to cover any future expansion.
ShamanOfHigh
it's not a bad idea since the price of the house itself will also go up depending and it's not like it's common to be that expensive
FuzzyX
My idea would be to use microwave dish to dish link provided there is line of sight.
zerovanity59
No it isn't. Homesteading in America was a mistake and was only the economic option for about 30 years. 1/
zerovanity59
Homesteading only made since when, when the owner had a good enough weapon and no infrastructure was needed. 2/
zerovanity59
Instead of rural electrification, the government should have consolidated housing into towns with the farms outside, like everywhere else. 3
BobTheWeak
Companies no. But cities plan decades in advance, so in that timeframe, the $30k will pay for itself. Plus all the non-$ benefits it brings.
Volpe42
Cities, this a city
tarnok
Yes. Ask yourself if these same homes deserve water or electricity
KyraLee
Government services are meant to provide service and not profit. Too many governments have failed to remember that.
madeejit
They haven't serviced one house, they've serviced a half mile of road. Future development is at least possible, if not likely.
KyraLee
Providing this service will also increase property values and raise tax income that way. The government will make their money back.
TheZommie
but that is long term stuff, most people who vote want short term gains and long term losses, since they are so old and will die soon anyway
zerovanity59
You are assuming no maintenance costs. Most infrastructure needs installation cost every 30 years. That is $83 a month for a $30000 install.
gooblegobbleoneofus
This is the type of shit I would do as a billionaire. Fix all the little guy shit instead of becoming a villain.
TheJudgeHasItBackwards
They would have asked the same thing about electrification in the 40's and 50's. Government services aren't intended to turn a profit.
zerovanity59
That was a mistake. They should have payed for farmers to move into town, which is the standard farming development pattern of humans.
end100
then who will farm?
astrangehop
Robots. Robots with dial up.
zerovanity59
Throughout history most farmers lived in a village with close buildings, but worked in separate fields. Live in town. Not on the farm.
skincancerisfun
For one person, no. But when everyone has it, it opens a lot of doors. Suddenly businesses can open in rural areas where they couldnt before
zerovanity59
Business should not be in rural areas unless they serve the rural area. They have less competition without tele-competition.
skincancerisfun
O..Kay? Those are my thoughts too. There's certain industries where large expanses of cheap land are needed. I'll give you an example: car
skincancerisfun
Parts. You could transport car wrecks to remote areas, and advertise the parts online. Then you hire people in the area to remove the parts
skincancerisfun
And ship them. But for that to work, you need reliable internet and post services.
MisterRichard
Yes, it is. The reasons to (and not to) are all complicated, full of nuance, and too long to go into on imgur in detail, but...
sambaah05
Or maybe it's not good for people to live that far away from our infrastructure. I get your point, but what's the limit? 100k?
Totalwombat
Only increases the average for the other 100k homes by $1(rough bad maths I know).
sambaah05
That assumes, there's only 1 like that...9
MisterRichard
Depends on how crucial the service, the future value of the infrastructure, how crucial the area being serviced is, and the standards we set
sambaah05
So without much more info, 30k for 1 house, still sounds good to you? And if that's the case, why not just have Comcast have taxpayers pay
MisterRichard
I am uncompelled by arguments that people should not have utilities because they don't live in convenient spots. 30k is a very small amount
TheZommie
comcast DID have tax payers pay for it though, and they continue to at every opportunity
sambaah05
For their system, since it's worth it? This guy gets to keep the profit from his ISP.
MisterRichard
We all benefit when we set a standard and try to lift everyone to it. It always pays off in the long run.
MisterRichard
And honestly, paying $30k per person that isn't trapped in an ISP megamonopoly is probably going to seem like a steal at some point.
zerovanity59
This is still a local monopoly, just a small one.
MisterRichard
If you and a PTA meeting's worth could force Comcast to change, sell or go bankrupt, I would accept the parity.
sambaah05
Yikes. I pay 75 per month to AT&T for GB fiber. 30k is 41 YEARS of service for me. And this is just for hookup, theyll still pay for service
heavenstomurgatroyd
Man that must be nice. I pay AT&T $80/month for ~28Mbps