I know that the Seattle Times editorial board is just desperate to brand Mayor Mike McGinn a failure, and sure, he has failed at some things (who hasn't?), but honestly, when it comes to the mayor's "failed broadband promise," they simply don't know what the fuck they are talking about:

On broadband, McGinn promised big, delivered small and hopes voters won’t notice the difference this election.

First of all, Gigabit Seattle's 100 Mbps up/down service for only $45 a month, $80 for 1000 Mbps? That's what the editors are branding a failure? I pay more for less than a tenth of that bandwidth. As Slog commenter Ben put it:

Oh god, I got the biggest boner reading this.

Please mark NSFW.

Second, as I've previously explained, the Gigabit Seattle partnership is entirely consistent with the broadband strategy that McGinn has been pursuing for at least the past couple years. McGinn has always pursued a carrot/stick approach, offering access to hundreds of miles of city-owned dark fiber as an incentive for private companies to build out high-speed broadband, while retaining the possibility of a city-owned broadband utility as a threat against inaction. There's nothing new here. Except for Gigabit's kick-ass pricing.

I mean, what would the market-enamored editors at the Seattle Times have preferred? That McGinn risk hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars competing with private enterprise in the service inflexible ideological rigor? Apparently:

McGinn’s big idea from 2009 was expensive, and telecom companies would have fought it. Instead of fighting for this campaign pledge, McGinn spent two years fighting the Highway 99 tunnel.

So a city-owned broadband utility would be too expensive and would invite litigation. But McGinn should have pursued it anyway. Because he promised! Though no doubt had McGinn followed through, that would have invited an equally scathing editorial.

Personally, I like my elected officials—especially those in executive office—to display a little adaptability. Sometimes good ideas aren't as good as they first might seem. Sometimes better ideas come along. Sometimes circumstances change. Don't get me wrong: I can be as quixotic as the next guy, and I sure do love me some collective ownership of the means of production. But give me reliable 100 Mbps broadband for only $45 a month, and I don't really care who I'm writing my check to.