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Something I don't see addressed in many of the discussions around broadband (and a question I have) is how infrastructure already in place impacts the cost to p
by sailfast 13y ago
Something I don't see addressed in many of the discussions around broadband (and a question I have) is how infrastructure already in place impacts the cost to provide faster service.
Obviously countries that skip the middle steps and go straight to, say, mobile phones without wiring up the country on hard lines have a better capability for less sunk cost. How much is this phenomenon impacting current US broadband? Are we still using crappy cable wiring from the 80s, or are we just being taken to the cleaners because we can? Appreciate anyone that may have more insight or experience taking a crack at the question.
- breischl 13y agoWe definitely have some problems with old infrastructure, particularly when you're talking about phone lines and DSL. Some houses still have really old lines running to them and even older lines inside them (I swear my previous house had phone cable from the 1940's). Tearing out and replacing all that stuff is quite expensive. This is sometimes called the "last mile problem." [1] On the other hand, mobile phones are not a great analogy. Going straight to mobile allows you to skip digging up all the streets in town, but any sort of wired internet you have to put the wires somewhere. Putting in fiber right off the bat is certainly better, but you still had to do all that digging and installing. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile#Existing_delivery_system_problems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile#Existing_delivery_sys...