On Sat, Dec 27, 2003 at 03:29:31PM +1300, Juha Saarinen said:
The next question then is, why hasn't anyone done it already?
There are two major issues that, if solved, would ease the construction of new community networks. 1) the abolition of the KiwiShare. It's got to go, it's a massive disincentive for anybody wishing to setup voice services in competition with Telecom. For better or worse, you need to be able to offer voice and teev and data to cover the cost of your fibre rollout - the KiwiShare makes this pretty difficult. 2) the support of local territorial authorities - access to ducts, mandating trench sharing, and so forth. Local councils can make it very easy, or impossibly difficult, for new network operators to invest in infastructure.
I don't want to sound defeatist, but I think I'll be withered and dead long before there's an affordable alternative to DSL outside the Auckland CBD.
<shrug> Stand for your council, and make a difference - if you could get 1% of the cash spent on Auckland roads spent on Auckland fibre to the home, you'd be awash in high speed data. Cheers Si