The city of Bountiful, Utah voted to build a $48 million fiber network to provide affordable gigabit broadband for its residents and businesses. Regional internet providers Comcast and CenturyLink opposed the plan and tried to force a public vote through a taxpayer group they fund. However, communities often build their own networks because existing options are inadequate. Data shows that community-owned networks provide better, faster, cheaper service than monopolies. While big internet providers claim community networks are a boondoggle, they are just another business plan that often succeeds due to quality proposals and local accountability. Comcast and CenturyLink did not want to provide the high-speed internet Bountiful needed, but also tried to block the city from doing so itself.
You love to see it. Do you have community Internet available where you live?
My area got super lucky. The VAST majority of the metro area I’m in is dominated by one for profit electric co and 2 for profit “big name” ISPs that have barely implemented fiber. I was forced to use one of them and got 3Mbps Down and 1Mbps up advertised DSL. I was generally lucky to see half of that.
I live just outside the metro center in a more rural area. We have an electric coop that is extremely affordable. When the federal gov pushed out millions in broadband grants, the coop jumped on it. Built out a massive fiber core and buried all the fiber they could. What they couldn’t bury, they ran on their electric poles. Now have symmetric gigabit fiber to the home and incredible local support.
Fuck major ISPs and their bullshit. They tried to block our coop and got told to eat shit.