tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78742592010-02-08T12:26:33.903-06:00Our rambunctious take on the play by play, day by day, events of the Lafayette Fiber to the Home fight. Supporting <a href="http://www.lafayetteprofiber.com/"> LafayetteProFiber.com</a>.FiberFolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03931024146374854439noreply@blogger.comBlogger1720125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-89423087709622862002010-02-08T02:03:00.002-06:002010-02-08T02:10:03.180-06:00

Who DAT! You Dat! :-)If you're recovering from Saints fever I have just the antidote. A long post on the latest in Lafayette's fiber fortunes. If you're starting to think that maybe anything is possible, well, read on.Amanda McElfresh over at the Advertiser has an article up that apparently derives from following up remarks made by Joey Durel in his state of the city-parish address. In that

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-25437521951415853112010-02-03T01:28:00.003-06:002010-02-03T14:20:59.855-06:00

Well, LUS won its rate increase...about 15% over two years, the first rise in electricity costs since 1998. If you want to see the sausage being made you can tune in to AOC or download the video off UStream.The central story tomorrow will be that increase, of course. And that is probably all you'll see in the papers. I'll leave any detailed reporting on the back and forth to them.On the other

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-43590989367537453512010-02-02T10:55:00.001-06:002010-02-02T11:12:18.438-06:00

Ok, just can't resist the Saints madness of the moment here in South Louisiana — I saw a tie-in to our local network pop up on the SaintsReport Forum. A Lafayette Saints partisan says that they're switching to LUS, links to the LUS Fiber pages on internet and TV and asks if any fellow fans are going to switch. The ensuing banter is informative and refreshingly free from the trolls that infest the

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-33720316722740177792010-01-28T13:36:00.001-06:002010-01-28T13:37:19.510-06:00

Early this morning I posted the good news that a small rural carrier in northeast Louisiana was building out a fiber to the home network for its customers using stimulus money. What made it news was that a poor rural area was getting advanced connections.Today the Advocate carries the bad news story that rural residents in St. Mary parish are complaining that they can't get a decent internet

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-78651652449345921862010-01-28T00:35:00.002-06:002010-01-28T13:08:18.495-06:00

Hey, it's true...Northeast Louisiana Telephone Company up in Morehouse Parish is going to rebuild its aging copper network and roll out FTTH in rural parts of the parish. It serves customers in Collinston, Bonita, and Jones. They are up in the NE corner of the state outside Bastrop.Read all about it in the Monroe News Star. The heart of the story:The Collinston-based company will replace its

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-78906092532045128132010-01-20T23:01:00.001-06:002010-01-20T23:02:08.860-06:00

If you missed the story Je’Nelle Chargois and her computer rebuilding project then you need to take a look at the story in the Advocate. The project exemplifies all those grassroots, community-driven public/private ideals you hear about so often—and so seldom see in full-blown action. Here's the gist of the story; one that will hopefully drive you to read the whole thing—and maybe even

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-13367759189043659522010-01-15T11:42:00.003-06:002010-01-15T12:02:36.348-06:00

What's Being Said departmentLUS Fiber is serving as an example of a real community fiber network in places like Champaign-Urbana Illinois that want to start their own fiber network. Now I admit to having a soft spot for C-U for both personal and technical reasons—it was my first "real" professorial appointment and it was the original home of ideas foundational to our current tech surround— like

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-48770171295575175062010-01-13T00:06:00.003-06:002010-01-13T00:19:45.447-06:00

That title might better be: "Dore commits to LUS rate hike."According to the Independent blog Sam Dore is now a committed supporter of the LUS rate hike and will both vote for it himself and work for its passage. Dore explains it as less a shift in position than a matter of timing but that commitment changes the odds on the measure's passage.In a LPUA meeting late last year Dore was sided with

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-86221217965620660012010-01-08T00:34:00.001-06:002010-01-08T00:35:41.849-06:00

LUS will be going back to the City-Parish Council for another go at a rate hike on January 19th. Or so report the Independent, (not once but twice), the Advertiser and KLFY.Of the early reports the most interesting has come from the Independent's Walter Pierce who starts looking into the background politics of the matter. His speculations focus on shifts toward rate hike support from Purvis

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-33614850483943908822010-01-07T23:04:00.001-06:002010-01-07T23:04:14.491-06:00

Christopher Mitchell, the best researcher/commentator on municipal fiber in this country bar none (IMHO) has an outstanding essay up on Ars Technica today that you ought to read.http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/municipal-fiber-needs-more-fdr-localism-fewer-state-bans.arsIt holds Lafayette up as the premier example of a city that has done the right thing by its citizens. I have to

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-92194305544785840212009-12-20T11:13:00.000-06:002009-12-20T11:13:21.382-06:00

Pat Ottinger is the happy new subscriber in this photo. It came with the following note:Is this a great country, or what?Can't wait to deliver my boxes to Cox.Merry Christmas, PatPat is the city's attorney and was our local lawyer in the many delaying lawsuits brought by the incumbents and their allies. (Like the one we won with a unanimous decision of the state supreme court.) He has earned his

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-44097953710051912082009-12-18T18:16:00.003-06:002009-12-18T19:14:02.753-06:00

From the Independent blog:"If you’re paying $39.95 a month for LUS’ 83-channel expanded basic cable service, breathe a sigh of relief. You’ll watch the undefeated Saints take on the Dallas Cowboys (8-5) on Channel 38 Saturday night at 7:20 p.m. But if you’re one of Cox Communications’ approximately 100,000 Acadiana customers who subscribes to expanded basic, 72 channels for $52.99 per month, it’s

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-43975188200235742982009-12-15T01:26:00.001-06:002009-12-15T01:31:49.930-06:00

I continue to hear stuff like "Broadband is not a utility" and "broadband is a luxury" all of which is supposed to lead to the conclusion that we should all stand back and let the the incumbent duopoly do whatever they want. That has always seemed like a stunningly short-sighted and unimaginative position to me. Happily Glenn Fleishman over at Publicola in Seattle (where their new mayor is

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-869387908623065032009-12-04T00:51:00.001-06:002009-12-04T00:59:07.559-06:00

The Free Utopia blog out of Utah posts a note that rings familiarly in the ears of Lafayette's citizens. That complaint concerns a flyer mailed to the residents of Brigham City by their local astroturf/disinformation group, the Utah Taxpayers Association. It goes out at the last minute in advance of a city-council vote that seems destined to approve a way to allow any citizen in the city who

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-23051432319356091532009-11-14T11:28:00.004-06:002009-11-18T18:06:04.481-06:00

Today's "Curtis" syndicated comic, found in this morning's Advertiser could easily have been inspired by the marketing tactics we're seeing Lafayette... (The story line involves young Curtis hoping to con his dad into a special cable "deal.")A friend tells me he was recently offered 3 months of free cable service when he called to cancel his Cox service and move to LUS. That, apparently, is just

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-28520078663285150582009-11-10T19:29:00.002-06:002009-11-10T23:20:07.400-06:00

Thought this post might be about Durel? No, but it's not just Lafayette's Mayor who has benefited from a firm profiber stand.Mike McGinn, the outsider candidate whose campaign platform featured a municipal FTTH plank beat out a T-Mobile vice president to become the new Mayor of Seattle.You'll excuse my wry grin when I say I didn't think I'd see the day when we could say about any technology that

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-20791114843275381002009-11-05T17:57:00.001-06:002009-11-05T18:00:18.456-06:00

The Independent, the Gonzales Weekly Citizen and the Baton Rouge Business Report all have up stories based on a Cox press release that announces rate increases for both cable and internet packages in South Louisiana starting December 8th. Price increases range from 2 to 3 dollars on each effected service...with 1 dollar bumps on some (unspecified) premium packages. So if you get both internet and

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-37646830296631416142009-10-28T00:08:00.003-05:002009-10-31T12:19:18.701-05:00

Congratulations to Lafayette and Lafayette Utilities System....Their recovery act grant application returned $11,630,000 dollars to the city in order to install a smart electrical meter system in the city. This has been something that LUS director Huval has long sought and winning the grant means that it can go forward much sooner. The "Brief Project Description" put up by the grant-giving agency

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-75674604794580424092009-10-22T17:36:00.001-05:002009-10-22T17:37:37.571-05:00

Some days there's not "a" story but several stories taken together that tell the tale. I suspect that today is such a day.Here's a list of marginally interesting stories that have hit today: Firm relocating to Lafayette (Advocate), City lands corporate office (Advertiser), LUS Fiber expands Internet service (Advertiser), Lafayette, LA: Best places ranking: #2 among midsize metro areas (CNN Money

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-4851681429320616562009-10-22T16:44:00.000-05:002009-10-22T16:46:33.772-05:00

In the Only in Louisiana Department:What to do if your commercial fishing ecology is threatened by an invasive new creature that might breed wildly....How does the state department responsible for such problems react?Well, only in Louisiana: You publish a recipe. ;-)From the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, via the IND blog:Broiled Lemon and Garlic Tiger Prawns 1 1/2 pounds

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-13551386161764540492009-09-25T10:43:00.001-05:002009-09-25T10:44:12.559-05:00

Glenn Fleishman has an article up that mentions Lafayette as the premier example of a city that has built a network in order to bring advanced technology to all its citizens:In Lafayette, Louisiana, the city fought a multi-year battle against incumbent providers for the right to build its own fiber network. It won, and the FTTH network went live for the first phrase of the city–with about a fifth

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-55505892412300926132009-09-21T23:39:00.005-05:002009-09-25T10:52:54.251-05:00

Tommorrow—September 22nd—is "One Web Day" and it will be celebrated in grand style here in Lafayette. One Web Day celebrates the power of internet connectivity and will be observed in cities throughout the world. From the national press release:OneWebDay was founded in 2006 as an all-volunteer campaign to build a constituency for the Internet in the United States and around the world. Originally

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-18269860364925409022009-09-14T00:34:00.006-05:002009-09-14T22:18:45.751-05:00

Back in January, I posted here about how I my Internet connection (then with Cox) spent New Year's Day making three attempts to upload a 1.69 gigabyte Quicktime file to an email transfer site and to a website via FTP.The future arrived at our house this past week in the form of LUS Fiber and, as luck would have it, I was finishing up on a project that (at its core) contained that same Quicktime

Mike Stagghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11487046644375429855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-90428916418110592642009-08-26T01:32:00.004-05:002009-08-26T11:50:11.516-05:00

WBS Dept. In my catchup from being in B.R. series...two moreOne of the more interesting (and, ok, personally gratifying) things that have resulted from the fiber fight and the creation of LUS Fiber is that Lafayette has gotten a pretty iconic status in the admittedly small (select?) world of high speed internet mavens. Lafayette is seen as something of a touch-stone...people watch and people

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874259.post-35875259187920080262009-08-26T00:26:00.005-05:002009-08-26T00:58:48.444-05:00

In my catchup from being in B.R. series ...Lafayette Gets It...in two sensesFirst off, just like those big cites Lafayette now not only has traffic, hey Lafayette has Google traffic tracking! Aren't we big time. (Well actually, only the Interstates' traffic get tracked so far as I can tell by tinkering around with it, but still it marks some sort of coming-of-age.) From the map page click

Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04577901049540355311noreply@blogger.com0