4 ms·

Start with the cost of 2500’ of fiber + whether it is trenched (surveys, trencher crew) or on poles ($250/hr for a lineman). Am sure that’s at least $5k.

kfrzcode 5y ago
I'm not an expert to be fair, but I'm thinking we're talking about twisted-pair coaxial, not fiber; I'd love that option. That said I don't really know what I'm talking about.
- sidpatil 5y ago
  I've never heard of twisted-pair coaxial.
  - kfrzcode 5y ago
    I probably am making it up, sorry -- it's whatever "cable internet" at say 500mb/50mb speed would run on; as opposed to "fiber" proper, with symmetrical speeds. I am learning a lot different things than I thought I would by buying a new home :D
    - sidpatil 5y ago
      Ah yeah, that would most likely be one of the RG coaxial cables then. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable#Standards https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable#Standards I'm not sure if (a)symmetry is due to the physical properties/limitations of the cable itself, or if it's just a business decision by the ISP.
      - prirun 5y ago
        Asymmetry is because of how the channels are allocated to up/down stream: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21007799 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21007799
  - SigmundA 5y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinaxial_cabling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinaxial_cabling
- icedchai 5y ago
  The cable network is hybrid fiber and coax (HFC.) It's fiber from the head end to the "neighborhood" node, then coax to the home. You may be out of range from an existing node, so they'd have to run fiber, install a new node, run power for it, then obviously run coax to connect you to the node. That's a lot of equipment and labor for one home.
  - kfrzcode 5y ago
    That MAY be what we're looking at. Will know more when the tech calls, if they do.
    - icedchai 5y ago
      Good luck! In my experience getting any real technical details out of the cable company is almost impossible, unless you have an inside connection, like a friend who works there. The "house" techs don't deal with the cable plant / stuff on the poles: they handle from the "drop" on down. The "plant" techs don't seem to talk directly to customers: that's not their job (at least not around here.)
- hindsightbias 5y ago
  Well, he said fiber. But isn’t above ground coax $1/foot?
shoo 5y ago
For Australia's national fibre rollout, from about 8 years ago, back-of-the-envelope costs for running fibre were something like AUD 20 / metre to run aerial lines between existing poles, around AUD 100 / metre for new trenching, and perhaps AUD 30 / metre for installing fibre into existing underground duct with enough free capacity in an existing trench. That wont directly translate into costs in the US, I believe Australia's cost of labour is relatively high. I don't believe the costs would be dramatically different for installing different kinds of wired comms connections other than fibre, most of the cost would be labour & moving earth out of the way, etc. Some of those per-meter cost estimates may implicitly assume that you're constructing new fibre network at scale with a multi-billion dollar construction budget. So $7100 might be plausible for the up-front cost of running new line 800m or so aerially along existing poles just to connect your house. Another potential issue could be if the telco is able to cheaply get access to reuse existing poles. If the new line would pass a number of premises who could potentially also become new subscribers, then clearly the telco could amortise the construction cost across a number of new potential or actual subscribers rather than trying to lump you with the whole thing. But I don't have any tips about how to negotiate (unless you can convince a bunch of your neighbours to go in with you as potential new subscribers and collectively try to reach a bargain).

kfrzcode 5y ago

I'm not an expert to be fair, but I'm thinking we're talking about twisted-pair coaxial, not fiber; I'd love that option. That said I don't really know what I'm talking about.

sidpatil 5y ago
I've never heard of twisted-pair coaxial.
- kfrzcode 5y ago
  I probably am making it up, sorry -- it's whatever "cable internet" at say 500mb/50mb speed would run on; as opposed to "fiber" proper, with symmetrical speeds. I am learning a lot different things than I thought I would by buying a new home :D
  - sidpatil 5y ago
    Ah yeah, that would most likely be one of the RG coaxial cables then. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable#Standards https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable#Standards I'm not sure if (a)symmetry is due to the physical properties/limitations of the cable itself, or if it's just a business decision by the ISP.
    - prirun 5y ago
      Asymmetry is because of how the channels are allocated to up/down stream: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21007799 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21007799
- SigmundA 5y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinaxial_cabling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinaxial_cabling
icedchai 5y ago
The cable network is hybrid fiber and coax (HFC.) It's fiber from the head end to the "neighborhood" node, then coax to the home. You may be out of range from an existing node, so they'd have to run fiber, install a new node, run power for it, then obviously run coax to connect you to the node. That's a lot of equipment and labor for one home.
- kfrzcode 5y ago
  That MAY be what we're looking at. Will know more when the tech calls, if they do.
  - icedchai 5y ago
    Good luck! In my experience getting any real technical details out of the cable company is almost impossible, unless you have an inside connection, like a friend who works there. The "house" techs don't deal with the cable plant / stuff on the poles: they handle from the "drop" on down. The "plant" techs don't seem to talk directly to customers: that's not their job (at least not around here.)
hindsightbias 5y ago
Well, he said fiber. But isn’t above ground coax $1/foot?

shoo 5y ago

For Australia's national fibre rollout, from about 8 years ago, back-of-the-envelope costs for running fibre were something like AUD 20 / metre to run aerial lines between existing poles, around AUD 100 / metre for new trenching, and perhaps AUD 30 / metre for installing fibre into existing underground duct with enough free capacity in an existing trench. That wont directly translate into costs in the US, I believe Australia's cost of labour is relatively high. I don't believe the costs would be dramatically different for installing different kinds of wired comms connections other than fibre, most of the cost would be labour & moving earth out of the way, etc. Some of those per-meter cost estimates may implicitly assume that you're constructing new fibre network at scale with a multi-billion dollar construction budget. So $7100 might be plausible for the up-front cost of running new line 800m or so aerially along existing poles just to connect your house. Another potential issue could be if the telco is able to cheaply get access to reuse existing poles. If the new line would pass a number of premises who could potentially also become new subscribers, then clearly the telco could amortise the construction cost across a number of new potential or actual subscribers rather than trying to lump you with the whole thing. But I don't have any tips about how to negotiate (unless you can convince a bunch of your neighbours to go in with you as potential new subscribers and collectively try to reach a bargain).