[GRLUG] LUSFiber

[Bob Kline]

>From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LUSFiber

**

In 2004, the city announced its proposal for a municipal fiber network
providing broadband internet, cable tv telephone services to the City of
Lafayette. 70 percent of residents, and 80 percent of businesses responded
positively to a market survey conducted by LUS. The city's telephone and
cable to providers, BellSouth </wiki/BellSouth> and Cox
Communications</wiki/Cox_Communications> pushed
for state legislation preventing local governments from providing these
services. Then-GovernorKathleen Blanco </wiki/Kathleen_Blanco> brought both
sides together, and crafted the Local Government Fair Competition Act,
making it possible for local governments to run fiber networks.

However, Lafayette wasn't in the clear yet. The state cable association,
along with BellSouth, sued Lafayette, wanting the city to hold a public
referendum. After losses in the district and appeals courts, Lafayette moved
to hold a referendum. The big firms were trying to kill the proposal,
knowing that by law, the city couldn't run its own promotional campaign.
However, that law didn't apply to citizen's groups, and soon, the grass
roots group Lafayette Coming Together came to the project's support. The
group launched a campaign explaining to benefits of fiber-to-the-home to the
residents of Lafayette.
**

But the good folks of Lafayette, LA,
did prevail, and can now get 50 Mbps
Internet service for $58 a month.
100 Mbps service is available.

The courts said, in effect, that the
locals could spend their tax money
any way they wanted to.  The big
companies both would not have
provided fiber, and didn't want the
locals to either, but I think this now
sets a precedent.

I met a fellow during a trip to Texas
who is from Lafayette, and has the
50 Mbps - something Comcast will
sell you over co-ax for $190 a month.
He said the town is seeing economic
benefits as well, attracting businesses
who use a supercomputer facility in
town.   Peer to peer rates are 100 Mbps,
presumably if you have the 100 Mbps
service.  One movie company that
shoots in the town uses the computer
facility.

Anyway, it's not clear whether other
towns could duplicate this achievement.
GR  could not even bring off a 1.5 Mbps
WiFi system.  But for those towns and
cities that have the foresight and
management to install fiber, and don't
want to be wallflowers and wait and hope
that Google hands them something,
Lafayette has shown the way.

    -- Bob
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