http://nela-isc.net/blog/2010/03/02/the-right-to-own-internet-connections/ Members and Neighbors Welcome Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:36:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://nela-isc.net/blog/2010/03/02/the-right-to-own-internet-connections/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Jared Hardy Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:36:15 +0000 http://nela-isc.net/blog/?p=4#comment-8 Thanks for your input! One advantage we have in Los Angeles is that tens to hundreds of Tier-1 Internet broadband providers have equipment and cross-connect infrastructure already located in downtown L.A., including international and trans-Pacific networks, all under 50 miles away from our subscribing members. I am hoping that if we reach our connections out to these providers, they will compete to gain our cooperative member's business. Having a majority of residential subscribers will mean that they can save money on traffic, from our customers to their businesses subscribers, by signing free peering agreements with our cooperative. The cooperative could negotiate as a group with these providers for wholesale access, or serve as a marketplace for an unlimited variety of broadband and other Internet services. That will ultimately be up to the voting membership. By organizing as a non-profit 501(c)(12) Cooperative Utility, owned and operated by the public it serves, I am hoping we can also avoid some of the pitfalls of other municipal or private ISP projects like the one you mention. Giving all subscribers an equal vote is the best way to insure that their interests are served first. Thanks for your input! One advantage we have in Los Angeles is that tens to hundreds of Tier-1 Internet broadband providers have equipment and cross-connect infrastructure already located in downtown L.A., including international and trans-Pacific networks, all under 50 miles away from our subscribing members. I am hoping that if we reach our connections out to these providers, they will compete to gain our cooperative member’s business. Having a majority of residential subscribers will mean that they can save money on traffic, from our customers to their businesses subscribers, by signing free peering agreements with our cooperative. The cooperative could negotiate as a group with these providers for wholesale access, or serve as a marketplace for an unlimited variety of broadband and other Internet services. That will ultimately be up to the voting membership. By organizing as a non-profit 501(c)(12) Cooperative Utility, owned and operated by the public it serves, I am hoping we can also avoid some of the pitfalls of other municipal or private ISP projects like the one you mention. Giving all subscribers an equal vote is the best way to insure that their interests are served first.

]]> http://nela-isc.net/blog/2010/03/02/the-right-to-own-internet-connections/comment-page-1/#comment-7 Tim Wessels Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:06:32 +0000 http://nela-isc.net/blog/?p=4#comment-7 Excellent post. This is exactly what I'd like to see happen in southwestern, NH. We have a group of towns and other organizations who formed an organization to apply for Federal stimulus funding to build the "last mile" for Internet access using fiber-optic cabling. I'm suspicious that they they apparently explored using a cooperative as the vehicle and there stated plan to solicit for-profit ISPs to pay a fee to gain access to the "last mile". These would be the same ISPs who won't provide us with service now. Check out this link to see I'm talking about. http://www.newhampshirefastroads.net/ Thanks for your post. Excellent post. This is exactly what I’d like to see happen in southwestern, NH. We have a group of towns and other organizations who formed an organization to apply for Federal stimulus funding to build the “last mile” for Internet access using fiber-optic cabling. I’m suspicious that they they apparently explored using a cooperative as the vehicle and there stated plan to solicit for-profit ISPs to pay a fee to gain access to the “last mile”. These would be the same ISPs who won’t provide us with service now. Check out this link to see I’m talking about. http://www.newhampshirefastroads.net/
Thanks for your post.

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