Comments

1
How do you obtain and gain power? Create a nation of laws, and then write laws that serve you. He who writes the laws, wins.
2
there never was a question that it [broadband owned by the people] would be great; it would be big-rock-candy-moutain great. that's a given.

the problem, of course, is the money. even without having to fight the vast armies of corporate lawyers and lobbyists and corrupt regulatory officials, you're looking at hundreds of millions of dollars of infrastructure. and this in a state that can't get the government to fund a simple damn bus system that's already in place! money will be the death of this, as it has nearly always been. now, s'cuze me i'm off to sit upon the ground and tell tales of the death of kings.
3
Where will the money come from to build it, the hobo-fund?
4
@2 The money comes from bonds; presumably, City Light revenues would be pledged to pay them off. As the 2007 study determined, municipal broadband would require 24 percent market penetration (at rates 20 percent below market) to cover bond payments.

This, of course, isn't debt available to take on for non-revenue producing purposes. The city couldn't just borrow the money and spend it on schools, unless there was some revenue source (tax or ratepayers) dedicated to repayment. That's the way these things work.
5
Is Microsoft still working with those hard right-wing fuckers?
6
@4 can't be done. that violates various state rules put in place against municipalities entering into unfair business practices. you'd have to pass laws in Olympia to allow that. it would be easier to earmark corporate/dreamed-at-marijuana tax revenue to this project and still you're blocked by the state republicans (and democrats wearing republican underwear).

more power to ye to pursue this! i'd love to see it succeed. but it's a thousand to one when one fully realizes the vast resources arrayed against it. city, county, state, federal; there are well-bought blockages to this at every level. even McGinn finally realized this.
7
@6 Um... don't know where you're getting that idea. Tacoma does municipal broadband. Perfectly legal.

McGinn wasn't prepared to fight for taking on $400 million of debt as the city was entering the Great Recession, so he attempted to find some way to attract private investment by leveraging city-owned dark fiber. Didn't work.
8
Tacoma did its work before the corporate lawyers and "lobbyists" worked their magic. and even then it was a sort've under the table accomplishment. they are to be commended. but that train has left.

But for now just ignore me. i'm just a crazy voice in the wilderness, that's easiest for now, and proceed with all dispatch. you have no doubts i'm utterly blowing smoke; but you can start with bruce-harrell's spouse, then round up at least $500million in non-leveraged non-earmarked revenue (just as McGinn said he tried to do), then contemplate comcastic campaign contributions at the county and state level. this simply shall not pass. but this doesn't reduce a whit the admiration that i have for your optimism.
9
@7, he had a complain promise to put light rail on the ballot within 2 years of taking office.
10
Comcast and Centurylink already depend on municipal infrastructure to deliver their service.

Seattle's advantage is that our poles, our power company, are not commercially owned. We have a precedent for infrastructure, and stringing up homes with cables and wires.

Goldy's story is about what usually happens, the nature of the fight. Most are fought at state legislatures and won by corporations.
The fact that Tacoma already does this, and to some degree, Seattle does this by leasing its fiber, minimizes the threat from the duopoly.

In order to make this transaction to happen you have to get an almost simultaneous commitment between the city to fund it and the citizens and businesses to buy it.
A roundup of businesses throughout the city to recognize the demand would help.
A current survey of citizens would help.
An inventory of what we, the public, has and who is using it would help.
11
@10, you mean like this, except louder ?
http://gigabitseattle.com/signup/
13
@11, almost. That reaches a subset, of a subset.
An actual survey of citizens and businesses, that includes people that don't have internet service.

The 2009 report had some pretty good data, it just needs updating.
14
Comcast purchased NBC / Universal for a reason.
They will make money either way.
16
Goldy, c'mon now, this is sloppy writing. Stop using the same cheap tricks as the cable news channels, using dogwhistles to shut down thought. Agreeing with someone who is frequently wrong, or who you frequently disagree with, should not be a reason to reverse your opinion, if you had any initial confidence in your opinion.

You could have instead just highlighted what was going on as a warning about what we may face if we wanted to do this here.

Please wait...

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