5 ms·

I suspect this would be more effective if these towns offered free gigabit internet access for 5 years if you moved to them.

skj 6y ago
Somewhat less expensive than $15,000.
- Justsignedup 6y ago
  Sometimes it is not, not if you wanna pay someone to wire you up. Also sometimes it is just literally impossible to even ask.
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  I've been quoted in the $10k+ range just to get fiber installed, if the street or area doesn't already have fiber running through it.
- btrautsc 6y ago
  just did the math here, $4,200 for 5 years. I'm forwarding this thread to some local leaders to see if we can get a similar relocation package here (Chattanooga, TN)
btrautsc 6y ago
You could have this today basically in any home in Chattanooga, TN. I think the most recent price is $68.99/ mo. 10gig is $299 It's a big county. You can live downtown. Suburban. Or quite rural all within access to the 'smart grid' / gig.
- gh02t 6y ago
  As someone who recently (-ish) moved to Oak Ridge, TN where we still have shitty Comcast and AT&T service I really wish we had what Chattanooga has. I love the area, but I do not love the internet service providers I have to choose from.
  - SteveGerencser 6y ago
    I live at the other end of the state outside of Lexington TN and would gladly suffer Comcast and AT&T rather than TDS and their glitchy DSL service.
    - gh02t 6y ago
      Very true, I could have it much worse. Honestly Comcast isn't that bad, but I deeply resent their ridiculous bandwidth cap when their service is so expensive.
- ChuckMcM 6y ago
  So 10g would be $18,000 for 5 years of service. Less for 1G of course. There were people I knew who moved to Kansas when Google installed fiber there because they wanted a lower cost of living and could work from anywhere if they had good internet service. If someone wants a decent side hustle a service for finding places to live that have 1G+ internet + enough amenities for your typical engineering type might make decent bank with referral fees. Collecting all that into one location.
  - danenania 6y ago
    Sounds like Nomad List: https://nomadlist.com/ https://nomadlist.com/
  - znpy 6y ago
    Governors underestimate the importance of internet connectivity in any area. Making sure there's FTTH at at least 1gbps down / 200mbps up is key. 15k to move in a depressed area sounds like a dumb bribe attempt to me.
- austincheney 6y ago
  How could you possibly make any use of 10g at your house? I guess you could run a web hosting business.
  - kristopolous 6y ago
    I wonder how many customers actually do the networking on their end to make sure they aren't the bottleneck (10g ports/proper cabling and switches) versus people who just think "it's a bigger number and I have the cash... Sure"
  - AdrianB1 6y ago
    Residential Internet almost never guarantees speed to the Internet backbone, it is just advertising the Ethernet link speed. There are subscriptions with guaranteed performance, but at a different price. My home Internet connections are 1 Gbps and 300 Mbps (2 links from 2 providers, I work from home and I need the uptime) for less than $10 each, but the transfer speeds are close to these numbers only for local servers, getting out of the country is about half these speeds.
- echelon 6y ago
  > Chattanooga, TN. Such an awesome city, too. It's close to Atlanta and Charlotte, I just wish they'd fund the high speed rail network meant to connect the three cities.
  - btrautsc 6y ago
    I got really into this idea a few years ago. It still gets floated from time to time (I recently saw high speed rail maps making the rounds). IF/ when ATL > Chattanooga > Nashville are connected by a leg, it will absolutely change the region. I have "heard" - completely so-and-so said - that much of the needed infrastructure exists. The key is repurposing existing rail lines and getting right of way. I think there was a study commissioned that laid out the whole plan for a (3-5 stop) between downtown ATL and Nashville with a stop in Chattanooga.
ukd1 6y ago
You can get 10g in Utah, it's only ~$250/mo...
- ChuckMcM 6y ago
  Apparently not in Logan sadly.
sudosteph 6y ago
Best internet I ever used was the municipal fiber in Wilkes County NC (a mostly rural mountain county in NW NC, it does have one larger town which is economically struggling). It was actually better performing and more reliable than the gigabit I used in a skyscraper in Seattle. That's about the only thing Wilkes county has going for it though. Well, that and housing costs that are much more affordable than most of the more touristy mountain counties nearby.
topkai22 6y ago
That is really insightful and kind of brilliant. I agree what would be a great way for these programs to differentiate themselves.

skj 6y ago

Somewhat less expensive than $15,000.

Justsignedup 6y ago
Sometimes it is not, not if you wanna pay someone to wire you up. Also sometimes it is just literally impossible to even ask.
lotsofpulp 6y ago
I've been quoted in the $10k+ range just to get fiber installed, if the street or area doesn't already have fiber running through it.
btrautsc 6y ago
just did the math here, $4,200 for 5 years. I'm forwarding this thread to some local leaders to see if we can get a similar relocation package here (Chattanooga, TN)

btrautsc 6y ago

You could have this today basically in any home in Chattanooga, TN. I think the most recent price is $68.99/ mo. 10gig is $299 It's a big county. You can live downtown. Suburban. Or quite rural all within access to the 'smart grid' / gig.

gh02t 6y ago
As someone who recently (-ish) moved to Oak Ridge, TN where we still have shitty Comcast and AT&T service I really wish we had what Chattanooga has. I love the area, but I do not love the internet service providers I have to choose from.
- SteveGerencser 6y ago
  I live at the other end of the state outside of Lexington TN and would gladly suffer Comcast and AT&T rather than TDS and their glitchy DSL service.
  - gh02t 6y ago
    Very true, I could have it much worse. Honestly Comcast isn't that bad, but I deeply resent their ridiculous bandwidth cap when their service is so expensive.
ChuckMcM 6y ago
So 10g would be $18,000 for 5 years of service. Less for 1G of course. There were people I knew who moved to Kansas when Google installed fiber there because they wanted a lower cost of living and could work from anywhere if they had good internet service. If someone wants a decent side hustle a service for finding places to live that have 1G+ internet + enough amenities for your typical engineering type might make decent bank with referral fees. Collecting all that into one location.
- danenania 6y ago
  Sounds like Nomad List: https://nomadlist.com/ https://nomadlist.com/
- znpy 6y ago
  Governors underestimate the importance of internet connectivity in any area. Making sure there's FTTH at at least 1gbps down / 200mbps up is key. 15k to move in a depressed area sounds like a dumb bribe attempt to me.
austincheney 6y ago
How could you possibly make any use of 10g at your house? I guess you could run a web hosting business.
- kristopolous 6y ago
  I wonder how many customers actually do the networking on their end to make sure they aren't the bottleneck (10g ports/proper cabling and switches) versus people who just think "it's a bigger number and I have the cash... Sure"
- AdrianB1 6y ago
  Residential Internet almost never guarantees speed to the Internet backbone, it is just advertising the Ethernet link speed. There are subscriptions with guaranteed performance, but at a different price. My home Internet connections are 1 Gbps and 300 Mbps (2 links from 2 providers, I work from home and I need the uptime) for less than $10 each, but the transfer speeds are close to these numbers only for local servers, getting out of the country is about half these speeds.
echelon 6y ago
> Chattanooga, TN. Such an awesome city, too. It's close to Atlanta and Charlotte, I just wish they'd fund the high speed rail network meant to connect the three cities.
- btrautsc 6y ago
  I got really into this idea a few years ago. It still gets floated from time to time (I recently saw high speed rail maps making the rounds). IF/ when ATL > Chattanooga > Nashville are connected by a leg, it will absolutely change the region. I have "heard" - completely so-and-so said - that much of the needed infrastructure exists. The key is repurposing existing rail lines and getting right of way. I think there was a study commissioned that laid out the whole plan for a (3-5 stop) between downtown ATL and Nashville with a stop in Chattanooga.

ukd1 6y ago

You can get 10g in Utah, it's only ~$250/mo...

ChuckMcM 6y ago
Apparently not in Logan sadly.

sudosteph 6y ago

Best internet I ever used was the municipal fiber in Wilkes County NC (a mostly rural mountain county in NW NC, it does have one larger town which is economically struggling). It was actually better performing and more reliable than the gigabit I used in a skyscraper in Seattle. That's about the only thing Wilkes county has going for it though. Well, that and housing costs that are much more affordable than most of the more touristy mountain counties nearby.

topkai22 6y ago

That is really insightful and kind of brilliant. I agree what would be a great way for these programs to differentiate themselves.