How two cities brought fiber to the home when the carriers couldn't [View all]

[Renew Deal]

It would be hard to find two cities that are more dissimilar than tiny Leverett, Mass., and Stockholm, Sweden, 3,700 miles across the Atlantic. Even so, they have more in common than cold winters: Both sport high-speed fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks built by local governments when privately owned carriers were either indifferent or simply not up to the job.

There are many differences, of course. Stockholm's FTTH network is older, and although it was built by the city, it is leased and run by private carriers. Leverett's locally run FTTH network will go live later this year, made possible by the foresight of the state of Massachusetts, which built "a middle mile" fiber network that previously isolated communities can tie into.

Other U.S. cities are considering their own FTTH networks, and it's no surprise to me that carriers, aided by the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), are trying to stop them. Publicly owned infrastructure may not be ideal, but it's not like private enterprise is delivering. Despite a lot of hype and a very clear need, the carriers are moving toward FTTH at only a glacial pace. Google has had some success with pilot FTTH projects in a few cities, but it's unlikely to ever become a full-fledged national carrier.

Homes and businesses in the United States are still stuck with connection speeds that are far lower and at prices that are higher than in many developed countries in Europe and Asia. Our feeble connectivity is a drag on the economy, education, and government -- not to mention a maddening inconvenience. Maybe it's time to try something different.
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http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/how-two-cities-brought-fiber-the-home-when-the-carriers-couldnt-233793