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In Virginia, Delivering Broadband To the Customers Big Telecom Forgot

Posted by timothy on from the bouncy-bouncy dept.

cheezitmike writes "A Washington Post story tells how former automotive engineer Paul Conlin just wanted to get broadband at his rural home in Fauquier County, Virginia, and ended up forming his own wireless ISP: 'Paul Conlin, the proprietor of Blaze Broadband, is not a typical telecom executive. He drives a red pickup and climbs roofs. When customers call tech support, he is the one who answers. Conlin delivers broadband to Fauquier County homes bypassed by Comcast and Verizon, bouncing wireless signals from antennas on barns, silos, water towers and cellphone poles.'"

4 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Wait for it... by postbigbang · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There's no revenue there. That's why they didn't run expensive stuff. The last mile, when it's rural, is the most expensive. That's why, in the US, there was a tax to subsidize rural phone after it worked for rural electric. Coops are a great idea when the fat cats are distracted by low-hanging fruit.

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    ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
  2. Been doing this since 2004 by pcjunky · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Climb roofs and towers, run cables mount radios, answer tech support phone calls...done it all.

    Hard way to make a living, but very grateful customers. Two other WISPs in town could not make it.

  3. Re:there are no monopolies by houghi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    won't post their prices, because they're not anywhere near competitive.

    I would say they ARE competitive.

    A guy walks into a store and asks what the price for potatoes is. 2,50EUR a kilo. "That is crazy, the store around the corner only ask 25 cents a kilo".
    + "Go buy there", says the store owner.
    - "They don't have anything left"
    + That's just crazy If I don't have anything left, my prices drop to 15 cents per kilo

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    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  4. Re:Wait for it... by plopez · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You are naive. The corps will not pay for the last mile but they will pay lawyers and lobbyists to crush competition. I think it was Pittsburgh that wanted to set up a city run wireless service when the big boys didn't show up to the party. The (mostly Republican) state legislature passed legislation preventing the plan after being bought.... um, I mean bribed.... um, I mean "incentive-ized" by the wireless companies.

    That's how the real world works.

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