The Ecology of Freedom -
The Emergence and Dissolution of Hierarchy by Murray Bookchin
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Friday, 19 May 2017
quote [ Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal has joined a bipartisan effort to introduce a new infrastructure financing authority to help municipalities secure private funds for projects.
Blumenthal, joined by fellow Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Montana, says the bill addresses the investment shortfall in maintaining the nation’s declining infrastructure ] This pisses me off on soooooo many levels. First and foremost, this country has tried private infrastructure. It worked so well and was so good for the economy that the state took over funding it.(see: "shunpike") Goddamn government just wants to fuck up anything good and pure.
Secondly, please don't tell me it's le Trompe and the republicans that are destroying this country. They have plenty of help. I believe these assholes DO accurately represent their districts. I work in the pointy end of government services. People DO NOT WANT TO PAY FOR THE SERVICES THEY DEMAND. Think that's not so?, fuck you, come in to work with me for a day.
I despair.
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LurkerAtTheGate said @ 1:52am GMT on 21st May
Southeast US - Municipal fiberoptic network. Zero taxpayer funding, carefully organized and documented to win the multiple lawsuits of them misusing taxpayer money (plaintiff being the giant Cable providers). Decent article about it here.
Most people here describe EPB Fiber as an outstanding success. They're well above the break-even point, and announced they'll have the deployment loan repaid in a fraction of the time they'd planned. When non-locals move into town and get satellite or cable, they're asked if they're ignorant or just dumb...and every one of them I know has converted and preached EPB's virtues after just a couple months. Comcast is being pushed out, not just because of competitive pricing, but the quality of service (100 or 1000 Mb/s lines clock frequently at least 10% over and symmetric vs Comcast which is frequently 15-30% of promised, and upload is 10% of download) and outstanding customer service have basically shamed Comcast out of town. So the public/private partnership worked great.
Which is why Comcast engaged the lobbyists and the campaign donations, and the state legislature banned any other group doing what EPB did, an limited EPB's growth to the areas they currently serve (note that we're near the state border -- EPB has continued to grow across the state line, the devious lovely bastards).
LurkerAtTheGate said @ 1:54am GMT on 21st May
Southeast US - Municipal fiberoptic network. Zero taxpayer funding, carefully organized and documented to win the multiple lawsuits of them misusing taxpayer money (plaintiff being the giant Cable providers). Decent article about it here.
Most people here describe EPB Fiber as an outstanding success. They're well above the break-even point, and announced they'll have the deployment loan repaid in a fraction of the time they'd planned. When non-locals move into town and get satellite or cable, they're asked if they're ignorant or just dumb...and every one of them I know has converted and preached EPB's virtues after just a couple months. Comcast is being pushed out, not just because of competitive pricing, but the quality of service (100 or 1000 Mb/s lines clock frequently at least 10% over and symmetric vs Comcast which is frequently 15-30% of promised, and upload is 10% of download) and outstanding customer service have basically shamed Comcast out of town. So the public/private partnership worked great.
Which is why Comcast engaged the lobbyists and the campaign donations. The state legislature banned any other group doing what EPB did, and limited EPB's growth to the areas they currently serve (note that we're near the state border -- EPB has continued to grow across the state line, the devious lovely bastards).
<-- Entry / Current Comment
LurkerAtTheGate said @ 1:52am GMT on 21st May
Southeast US - Municipal fiberoptic network. Zero taxpayer funding, carefully organized and documented to win the multiple lawsuits of them misusing taxpayer money (plaintiff being the giant Cable providers). Decent article about it here.
Most people here describe EPB Fiber as an outstanding success. They're well above the break-even point, and announced they'll have the deployment loan repaid in a fraction of the time they'd planned. When non-locals move into town and get satellite or cable, they're asked if they're ignorant or just dumb...and every one of them I know has converted and preached EPB's virtues after just a couple months. Comcast is being pushed out, not just because of competitive pricing, but the quality of service (100 or 1000 Mb/s lines clock frequently at least 10% over and symmetric vs Comcast which is frequently 15-30% of promised, and upload is 10% of download) and outstanding customer service have basically shamed Comcast out of town. So the public/private partnership worked great.
Which is why Comcast engaged the lobbyists and the campaign donations. The state legislature banned any other group doing what EPB did, and limited EPB's growth to the areas they currently serve (note that we're near the state border -- EPB has continued to grow across the state line, the devious lovely bastards).
