This is a partial reconstruction of the Lafayette Pro Fiber blog that John St. Julien ran for many years, chronicling the grassroots fight for and establishment of LUS Fiber in Louisiana. Many of the links have gone bad and images are missing, but most of the ideas are here and we believe well worth preserving. Site archived by the Community Broadband Networks program of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
Some of the articles that have disappeared are still available via the WayBack Machine.
The Advertiser reports on the happy local buzz about the new community fiber-optic network. Ron Guidry is heard promoting a series of workshops for small business owners, I exhibit enthusiasm about our enhanced ability to communicate with each other, and Tim Supple now frets about LUS being too successful (an encouraging change from his earlier tune).
What’s Being Said Dept.
Karl Bode over Broadband Reports is another that has been tracking Lafayette’s trials for years and his take on the long-anticipated launch is similar to others who have been watching. It was a fight; one that the citizens won:
We’ve been tracking the deployment of municipally-owned fiber in Lafayette, Louisiana for years, the project being particularly notable for some of the sleazy efforts made by Cox and AT&T (then SBC) to kill it. Those efforts, back in 2005, included everything from hinting at exporting local support jobs if the deal was approved, to hiring push pollsters to try and convince locals that the government-controlled project would result in politicians rationing consumer TV viewing. Needless to say, Cox and Bellsouth lost.
Bode also notes that we’re getting something for our efforts:
A few weeks ago, Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) unveiled their pricing for the service, offering triple play bundles ranging from $84.85 to $200, with downstream broadband services ranging from 10Mbps to 50Mbps (all symmetrical). LUS offers standalone symmetrical 10Mbps for $28.95, 30Mbps for $44.95, and 50Mbps for $57.95. There’s no caps, no contracts, and no installation fee.
Those prices handily beat not only local competitors Cox and AT&T (it’s now pretty clear why they fought so hard), but carriers in other markets too. Comcast offers a 50Mbps tier in select markets for $139.95 (when bundled), but its upstream speed is 5Mbps. Verizon’s 50Mbps/20Mbps service costs $144.95/month standalone, or $139.95 when bundled. The fastest speed AT&T currently offers customers is 18Mbps/1.5Mbps, which is $65 a month if you bundle TV service.
But the real treat for locals is the unalloyed envy exhibited by the usually raucous and dismissive crowd of commentators at the site. The first commentator says: “I would literally murder someone to get symmetrical 50Mbps…” and the ensuing debate continues with a review of which body part other discussants would give to have that access.
As a special treat Joey Durel logs in and plugs the 100 meg peer-to-peer network:
Thank you all for your comments. We are excited by the possibilities this brings to our community. We put together a very conservative business plan and should easily be able to sustain our pricing. Of course as programming costs go up, our prices will go up, and so will the competition. One thing not mentioned is the fact that we are also giving 100MBS peer to peer, for FREE. And, if this initiative doesn’t live up to the expectations, my neck is on the chopping block. I think it is worth the minimal risk. And, by the way, this is not backed by the government, so taxpayers are not at risk. These are revenue bonds backed by our utilities system, and while there is some risk it is actually very low. Thanks again,
Joey Durel
Lafayette City-Parish President
And, hey, on top of all that it is sunny and warm in the hub city.
What’s Being Said Dept.
Marguerite Reardon over at CNet has been following the Lafayette Fiber saga since the beginning (and posted on-target pieces both on the fight and on the victory) so it’s not surprising to see that she’s capped that with a good piece on “Lafayette, La., finally gets its fiber network.”
After nearly five years of planning and fighting with local cable and phone companies, the Lafayette Utilities System opened its fiber-optic broadband network for business.
Whew! I thought it was more than “discussions”….. and, on CNet’s account the fight was actually about something:
It’s easy to see why Cox Communications, the local cable operator, and AT&T, which bought local phone company BellSouth, are threatened by LUS. Pricing for the new triple play services are very competitive. Consumers can get a triple play bundle from about $85 to $200 a month. And the broadband services offer download and upload speeds between 10Mbps to 50Mbps. The standalone broadband service costs about $29 for symmetrical 10Mbps downloads and uploads; $45 for 30Mbps, and $58 for 50Mbps service. The service doesn’t require a contract and there’s no installation fee.
The maximum download speed offered by AT&T is 6Mbps for $43 a month. And it’s cheapest is a 768Kbps service for $20 a month. Cox only offers Internet download speeds up to 15Mbps. Depending on what specific services are selected, bundled pricing from AT&T and Cox is comparable. The big exception is that AT&T and Cox offer these prices as part of a promotion, whereas LUS prices are the actual standard prices and will not expire.
Lafayette is just one of many cities that has tried to build it own broadband network. Other cities and regions such as Provo, Utahhave attempted to do the same thing. In nearly every instance, cable and phone companies have tried to prevent these network build outs.
Now just why is it that to get coverage that notices the real history, the actual fight, a succienct comparison of the offerings, and the real reasons why the incumbents (rightly) feared a community network we have to a national tech news source?
All the local media have at least a short reaction to yesterday’s surprise evening launch of Lafayette’s Fiber To The Home network branded “LUS Fiber.” If you’d like to cruise through the regional media outlets, here is the quick click list: The Advertiser, The Advocate, KATC, KLFY.
The Advertiser, while still resolutely refusing to acknowledge that there was anything more than “discussion” involved in the battle to secure Lafayette’s network, has a good story laying out the basics and even better (online only) sidebars with a wealth of specific info. The juiciest bits for those hungry for the service might be the hints at how fast the “soft rollout” might pick up. Says Huval:
Beginning today, LUS will begin mailing out notices to customers in the first phase of the controlled rollout to let them know how to sign up for the services.
“What we will do is in the beginning stages, we’re going to be putting a smaller number of invitations out there to customers,” Huval said. “We want to make sure we continue to learn the process and give them time to make their decisions. As we get more proficient at it, we’re going to pick up the pace.”
Huval said he expects the number of mailouts to gradually increase in the next month or so, and LUS Fiber should be moving at its maximum pace shortly after that.
Also of note, from the comments section at 9:51 this morning:
Between phone and internet (ATT) and cable( Cox HD/DVR and all digital tiers and HBO/Starz) I am paying $217 per month. The VIP gold package at $199 offers over 10 times faster internet and all the movie channels. There are a few differences, but none that I noticed would affect my viewing. If I changed a few things I’m sure my savings would be much larger, but right now it is a no brainer for me to switch. I can’t wait until I get the card in the mail that my street is active. I won’t have any problem dumping Cox and ATT (who is now Yahoo internet).
I need to try to figure out a similar comparison for my situation . . . .
The Advocate polls in with its own story and adds a tidbit about the projected wait between ordering service and switching on the new service and how that will change over time:
Huval said interested residents should wait until a card arrives in the mail announcing availability.
He anticipates there will initially be a two-week turnaround from the time a resident calls to when service is connected.
“It will be slow to begin with and then faster as it goes,” Huval said.
The Advocate also posts a rather dry quote from mayor Durel (I’m missing that ol’ time testifying):
“This infrastructure will allow Lafayette to continue making great enhancements to our city during a time when many areas are experiencing a slowdown in development,” Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel said in a written statement.
“Beyond these initial services, the LUS Fiber infrastructure will favorably position Lafayette for economic development and other opportunities to move our community forward.”
Both KATC and KLFY post short bits to the web without video. I guess the jackrabbit launch left ’em with no time to work up an interesting visual, and B-roll of holes in the ground isn’t too visually exciting. To some people. 🙂
The Advertiser is up with a brief breaking news story, a pdf of the description sheet, and—most interesting—the channel lineup.
Basic Tier ($17.00)
2 Channel Guide
3 Acadiana Open Channel 1
4 Acadiana Open Channel 2
5 KATC / ABC
6 KADN / FOX
7 KPLC / NBC
8 QVC
9 EWTN
10 The Weather Channel
11 KLFY/ CBS
12 KLPB/ PBS
13 KLAF/ MYNetwork
14 CSPAN
15 KLWB/ CW
16 WAFB/ CBS
17 WBRZ/ ABC
18 Louisiana Connection Network (KLFT)
19 LPB+
20 KAJN/ FAM
Expanded Basic Tier ($39.95)
2 Channel Guide
3 Acadiana Open Channel 1
4 Acadiana Open Channel 2
5 KATC/ ABC
6 KADN/ FOX
7 KPLC/ NBC
8 QVC
9 EWTN
10 The Weather Channel
11 KLFY/ CBS
12 KLPB/ PBS
13 KLAF/ MYNetwork
14 CSPAN
15 KLWB/ CW
16 WAFB/ CBS
17 WBRZ/ ABC
18 Louisiana Connection Network (KLFT)
19 LPB+
20 KAJN/ FAM
25 Home Shopping Network
26 TNT
27 TBS
28 Noggin
29 USA
30 FX Network
31 Fox Sports Southwest
32 ESPN
33 ESPNews
34 ESPN Classic
35 ESPNU
36 ESPN2
37 Cox Sports
38 NFL Channel
39 Golf Channel
40 Disney
41 Toon Disney
42 ABC Family
43 Nickelodeon
44 TV Land
45 SciFi
46 Black Entertainment Television (BET)
47 MSNBC
48 CNBC
49 CNN
50 Headline News
51 ABC News Now
52 Fox News
53 Hallmark Channel
54 Shop NBC
55 A&E
56 The History Channel
57 Animal Planet
58 Discovery
59 TLC (The Learning Channel)
60 Travel Channel
61 Comedy Central
62 Biography Channel
63 Lifetime Movie (LMN)
64 Lifetime
65 SoapNet
66 Oxygen
67 E! Entertainment
68 Bravo
69 America Movie Classics (AMC)
70 Turner Classic Movies
71 TV 5 Monde
72 Style
73 Fine Living
74 Food Network
75 HGTV
76 Versus
77 DIY
78 Spike TV
79 G4
80 Tru-TV
81 TV One
82 MTV
83 VH1
84 Great American Country
85 Country Music Television
86 History Channel International
87 MTV2
88 Univision
Digital Basic Tier ($51.44)
1 Video On Demand
2 Channel Guide
3 Acadiana Open Channels 1
4 Acadiana Open Channels 2
5 KATC/ ABC
6 KADN/ FOX
7 KPLC/ NBC
8 QVC
9 EWTN
10 The Weather Channel
11 KLFY/ CBS
12 KLPB/ PBS
13 KLAF/ MYNetwork
14 CSPAN
15 KLWB/ CW
16 WAFB/ CBS
17 WBRZ/ ABC
18 Louisiana Connection Network (KLFT)
19 LPB+
20 KAJN/ FAM
25 Home Shopping Network
26 TNT
27 TBS
28 Noggin
29 USA
30 FX Network
31 Fox Sports Southwest
32 ESPN
33 ESPNews
34 ESPN Classic
35 ESPNU
36 ESPN2
37 Cox Sports
38 NFL Channel
39 Golf Channel
40 Disney
41 Toon Disney
42 ABC Family
43 Nickelodeon
44 TV Land
45 SciFi
46 Black Entertainment Television (BET)
47 MSNBC
48 CNBC
49 CNN
50 Headline News
51 ABC News Now
52 Fox News
53 Hallmark Channel
54 Shop NBC
55 A&E
56 The History Channel
57 Animal Planet
58 Discovery
59 TLC (The Learning Channel)
60 Travel Channel
61 Comedy Central
62 Biography Channel
63 Lifetime Movie (LMN)
64 Lifetime
65 SoapNet
66 Oxygen
67 E! Entertainment
68 Bravo
69 America Movie Classics (AMC)
70 Turner Classic Movies
71 TV 5 Monde
72 Style
73 Fine Living
74 Food Network
75 HGTV
76 Versus
77 DIY
78 Spike TV
79 G4
80 Tru-TV
81 TV One
82 MTV
83 VH1
84 Great American Country
85 Country Music Television
86 History Channel International
87 MTV2
88 Univision
201 KATC/ABC HD
202 KPLC/NBC HD
203 KLFY/CBS HD
204 KADN/FOX HD
205 LPB/PBS HD
500 DMX – Symphonic
501 DMX – Lite Classical
502 DMX – New Age
503 DMX – Tranquility
504 DMX – Smooth Jazz
505 DMX – Jazz
506 DMX – Gospel
507 DMX – Contemporary Christian
508 DMX – Modern Country
509 DMX – Traditional Country
510 DMX – Hit Country
511 DMX – Roadhouse
512 DMX – Golden Oldies
513 DMX – 70’s Hits
514 DMX – 80″s Hits
515 DMX – Flashback New Wave
516 DMX – 90’s Hits
517 DMX – Adult Contemporary
518 DMX – Soft Hits
519 DMX – Coffeehouse Rock
520 DMX – Adult Alternative
521 DMX – Hottest Hits
522 DMX – Classic Rock
523 DMX – Alternative
524 DMX – Album Rock
525 DMX – Dance
526 DMX – Subterranean
527 DMX – Urban Beat
528 DMX – Edited Rap
529 DMX – Hot Jamz
530 DMX – Urban Adult Contemporary
531 DMX – Classic R&B
532 DMX – Blues
533 DMX – Reggae
534 DMX – Childrens
535 DMX – Holidays & Happenings
536 DMX – Hurbano
537 DMX – Salsa
538 DMX – Rock en Espanol
539 DMX – Latin Contemporary
Digital Plus Tier ($63.31)
1 Video On Demand
2 Channel Guide
3 Acadiana Open Channel 1
4 Acadiana Open Channel 2
5 KATC/ ABC
6 KADN/ FOX
7 KPLC/ NBC
8 QVC
9 EWTN
10 The Weather Channel
11 KLFY/ CBS
12 KLPB/ PBS
13 KLAF/ MYNetwork
14 CSPAN
15 KLWB/ CW
16 WAFB/ CBS
17 WBRZ/ ABC
18 Louisiana Connection Network (KLFT)
19 LPB+
20 KAJN/ FAM
25 Home Shopping Network
26 TNT
27 TBS
28 Noggin
29 USA
30 FX Network
31 Fox Sports Southwest
32 ESPN
33 ESPNews
34 ESPN Classic
35 ESPNU
36 ESPN2
37 Cox Sports
38 NFL Channel
39 Golf Channel
40 Disney
41 Toon Disney
42 ABC Family
43 Nickelodeon
44 TV Land
45 SciFi
46 Black Entertainment Television (BET)
47 MSNBC
48 CNBC
49 CNN
50 Headline News
51 ABC News Now
52 Fox News
53 Hallmark Channel
54 Shop NBC
55 A&E
56 The History Channel
57 Animal Planet
58 Discovery
59 TLC (The Learning Channel)
60 Travel Channel
61 Comedy Central
62 Biography Channel
63 Lifetime Movie (LMN)
64 Lifetime
65 SoapNet
66 Oxygen
67 E! Entertainment
68 Bravo
69 America Movie Classics (AMC)
70 Turner Classic Movies
71 TV 5 Monde
72 Style
73 Fine Living
74 Food Network
75 HGTV
76 Versus
77 DIY
78 Spike TV
79 G4
80 Tru-TV
81 TV One
82 MTV
83 VH1
84 Great American Country
85 Country Music Television
86 History Channel International
87 MTV2
88 Univision
100 TBN
102 Hallmark Movie Channel
103 Independent Film Channel
104 Game Show Network (GSN)
105 Cartoon Network
106 Sprout PBS Kids
107 The N
108 Nicktoons Network
109 Boomerang
110 CNN International
111 Discovery Kids
112 LPB Create
114 Nick 2
115 Jewelry TV
116 Discovery Health
117 Family Net
118 Lifetime Real Women
119 Inspiration
120 Inspirational Life
121 Gospel Music Channel
123 Fit TV
125 Women’s Entertainment
126 Fox College Sports – Atlantic
127 Fox College Sports – Central
128 Fox College Sports – Pacific
130 Fuel
131 Speed Channel
132 The Outdoor Channel
133 Fox Soccer Channel
134 The Tennis Channel
135 TVG
136 Fox Business
137 Bloomberg
138 Fox Reality
139 National Geographic
140 The Africa Channel
141 BBC America
142 BBC World News
143 Military History Channel
144 The Science Channel
145 The Military Channel
146 Planet Green
147 Investigation Discovery
148 Crime & Investigation
149 Chiller
150 Sleuth
151 Logo
152 CSPAN-2
153 MTV Hits
154 MTV Jams
155 MTV TR3S
156 FUSE
157 MTVU
158 VH1 Classic
159 VH1 Soul
160 CMT Pure Country
161 BET on Jazz
201 KATC/ABC HD
202 KPLC/NBC HD
203 KLFY/CBS HD
204 KADN/FOX HD
205 LPB/PBS HD
206 ESPN HD
207 ESPN-2 HD
209 Showtime HD
211 The Movie Channel HD
212 STARZ! HD
213 Encore HD
214 CNN HD
215 Animal Planet HD
216 Disney HD
217 ABC Family HD
218 Planet Green HD
219 Discovery HD
220 Discovery HD Theatre
221 The Science Channel HD
222 TLC (The Learning Channel) HD
223 TNT HD
224 TBS HD
225 USA HD
226 Lifetime Movie (LMN) HD
227 SciFi HD
228 QVC HD
229 Lifetime HD
230 HGTV HD
231 Food Network HD
232 MHD
233 A&E HD
234 History Channel HD
235 Outdoor Channel HD
236 NFL Channel HD
238 BIO HD
500 DMX – Symphonic
501 DMX – Lite Classical
502 DMX – New Age
503 DMX – Tranquility
504 DMX – Smooth Jazz
505 DMX – Jazz
506 DMX – Gospel
507 DMX – Contemporary Christian
508 DMX – Modern Country
509 DMX – Traditional Country
510 DMX – Hit Country
511 DMX – Roadhouse
512 DMX – Golden Oldies
513 DMX – 70’s Hits
514 DMX – 80″s Hits
515 DMX – Flashback New Wave
516 DMX – 90’s Hits
517 DMX – Adult Contemporary
518 DMX – Soft Hits
519 DMX – Coffeehouse Rock
520 DMX – Adult Alternative
521 DMX – Hottest Hits
522 DMX – Classic Rock
523 DMX – Alternative
524 DMX – Album Rock
525 DMX – Dance
526 DMX – Subterranean
527 DMX – Urban Beat
528 DMX – Edited Rap
529 DMX – Hot Jamz
530 DMX – Urban Adult Contemporary
531 DMX – Classic R&B
532 DMX – Blues
533 DMX – Reggae
534 DMX – Childrens
535 DMX – Holidays & Happenings
536 DMX – Hurbano
537 DMX – Salsa
538 DMX – Rock en Espanol
539 DMX – Latin Contemporary
Digital Hispanic Tier ($5.00)
180 Telemundo (Mundo)
182 Mun2
183 SiTV (coming soon)
184 Discovery En Espanol
185 Discovery La Familia
186 CNNe
187 ESPN Deportes
189 The History Channel in Espanol
HBO Premium Movie Suite ($12.80)
301 HBO east
302 HBO west
303 HBO Plus east
304 HBO Plus west
305 HBO Comedy east
306 HBO Family east
307 HBO Latino
308 HBO Signature east
309 HBO Zone east
Cinemax Premium Movie Suite ($6.08)
310 Cinemax east
311 Cinemax west
312 MOREMax east
314 OuterMax east
315 Action Max east
316 Thriller Max east
Showtime Premium Movie Suite ($8.47)
317 Showtime east
318 Showtime west
319 Showtime Too east
320 Showtime Beyond east
321 Showtime Extreme east
322 Showtime Showcase east
323 Showtime Family east
324 Showtime Women east
325 Flix
326 The Movie Channel east
327 TMC Xtra east
Starz!/Encore Premium Movie Suite ($7.43)
328 Starz!
329 Starz! Cinema
330 Starz! Kids & Family
331 Starz! Comedy
332 Starz/ Edge
333 Starz! In Black
334 Encore
335 Encore Action
336 Encore Drama
337 Encore Love
338 Encore Mystery
339 Encore Westerns
340 EncoreWAM
Hey LUS Fiber has launched! We don’t know exactly where those blue notification post cards that let the lucky few in the controlled rollout know that they are among the select will go. Nor does the the link in the email bring you to a place where you can find the interim cable line-up—the lack of which was what was holding up the launch. Not splashy, not a high profile celebration style launch…but, hey, we can celebrate on our own.
The eagle has landed. The payoff is here.
LUS Fiber is officially “Open for Business” – providing video, Internet and phone services from our 100% fiber optic network to Lafayette residents. This community-owned infrastructure will offer residents and businesses enhanced television programming, the fastest Internet speeds, and crystal-clear phone services.
The most recent development of our network launch included release of the channel lineup. Additional channels will be released in the near future. Our team has successfully worked with many local and national programmers to negotiate agreements to make these channels available to LUS Fiber subscribers. With this, we are ready to begin offering video, Internet and phone services. Our initial offerings are only the beginning, as more features, channels and services will continue to be added to our network.
Providing services to new customers will be done through a controlled rollout. Residents will receive notification in the mail when LUS Fiber services are available to their home. Once received, customers can call us at 99-FIBER (993-4237) to sign-up for service or visit our Customer Service Center at 705 W. University.
Visit LUSFIBER.com for more information regarding our robust service offerings and competitive pricing. You can also find information on our city-wide build-out plan and sign-up for updates. We look forward to serving Lafayette.
Sincerely,
Your LUS Fiber Team
LUS has missed its deadline to serve the first customers in January of this year. They point to uncompleted contracts for cable channels as the reason for the delay—contracts LUS has signed but the folks that control the channel packages have not returned. All the recent coverage has hinted at such a delay: Huval has said for at least a month or six weeks that the only thing standing in the way of a launch was those contracts.
———–
As to the story and the situation: Arrrgh. Let’s start with the headline.
“LUS Fiber delays start”? Start? Really? How ’bout “LUS Fiber delay starts”? *(See update below) See what a difference the accurate placement of a single letter can make? I’ve complained endlessly and without effect about the tendency to sensationalize in the Advertiser so I won’t belabor the point today. Just note that it’s not a new frustration. I’ll also take the opportunity to renew the plaint that the Adverstiser not ignore what has really delayed this project for years: the unremitting opposition of the incumbent providers: AT&T and Cox. As story about “delays” that carefully doesn’t mention the source of years of delay is simply suspect reporting.
Ok, glad to get that off my chest. Still, there’s a bit more complaining to do. 🙂
The story does report on a real question that does need to be covered. The only thing worse than sensationalism would be to not cover it at all: LUS has missed its self-imposed deadline to serve the first customers by January of this year. And it let that date pass without making a public announcement in advance of the event. That’s just not good public relations—or marketing. Better, much better, would be to hold a press conference lay it all out explicitly and to put it in the context of a huge project the people have been patiently waiting for — and a minor delay in comparison to the other painful delays that have occured as a consequence of outside interference. Get ahead of this sort of thing is the advice I would have given. My honest hope is that LUS intended announce this at last Tuesday’s Council meeting—but if so I think they were mistaken to have honored the council’s request to put it off. Granted the Council was right about their agenda and that did turn out to be an ungoodly long meeting. But LUS and the administration would have been smart to have asked for 5 minutes of the council’s indulgence for a quick update that covered the change in plans if they could not stomach a full press conference. I strongly suspect that we will hear about it tonight’s council meeting…I do expect that LUS will send out those promised blue announcement cards as soon as possible; possibly even this week. But the PR mistake will linger.
—————
Beyond my frustrated complaint about the way the Adverstiser and LUS have handled this affair there is likely a really interesting story to tell. Or several. Which contracts with national providers have not completed signing? (We know the ones with local stations are done—including one that ended up in an FCC complaint.) What factors are playing into the decision to not launch with an incomplete linup? What is the source of the dispute? Was there another way to handle these contracts? Any one of these would make a useful story.
The question of which providers have neglected to return signed contracts might be interesting because we know that some packages are actually owned by incumbent cable providers who might well think it useful to embarass a standard bearer for municipal broadband. For instance, Time-Warner includes among its subdiaries major cable provider Time-Warner Cable as well as a huge set of cable channel packages including HBO, Turner Broadcasting (TMC), WB, CNN, and the Cartoon network. Comcast owns Cox owns the Travel channel. It’s not a big stretch to think the cable companies might find this an easy tactic to use: Comcast, for instance, is famous for using its control of various sporting channels and contracts to its advantage in larger contract negotiations.
Why not just launch without the last few channels? You could always give a price break/rebate on the portion of the final package that customers don’t get. The factors that are in play in deciding to delay the launch, and bear the cost of bad publicity, must include the so-called “Fair Competion” Act that the incumbents initially wrote and the legislature finally passed. The purpose of the act was far from “fair competition,” instead it consists of a series of restrictions that apply only to the publicly-owned competition. (Only LUS in our state.) One of the elements in that law starts a time clock with dire consequences for LUS if it doesn’t make a paper profit by a particular date. So any slow start imposes penalties by law…LUS needs to start off fast, and could easily conclude that not having the channel lineup complete would lead people to take a “wait and see” stance—not something they can afford to encourage.
If there are contracts outstanding one has to think that there have been disputes over carriage terms. LUS has apparently not just accepted anything that they are offered and have tried to hold out for good terms. The most obvious reason to hold out might well be simple cost: there is some push and pull on cost and providers naturally want to get as much as possible for their product and could well think that LUS doesn’t have as much to bargin with as the monster companies like Cox or Comcast. But there may well be more subtle and even more disturbing possibilities. We here in Lafayette think its a great thing to get a 100 meg intranet and set-top boxes with even limited internet capacity. But content providers in this country are well known for their at-times irrational response to the rapidly growing dominance of the internet and all digital media. They’ve been noticeably antsy about IPTV (Internet Protocal TV as opposed to RF-based cable) and I’ve heard that the mention of opening the settop boxes through which “their” media flows to the evil internet for digital divide reasons causes them some irrational spasms. Trying to step in and dictate local policy as to who does and does not get internet access under the guise of protecting their interests would be all too in-character for an industry everyone has learned to disdain. (Video owners would be wise to learn from the painful experience of the music industry.—Standing in front of the engine of change and trying to slow it down only gets you run over.)
Finally, LUS initially intended to join a coop to get its programming and probably could do so in the future. But at the moment they became set on trying to write their own contracts that window was closed by an odd set of events that temporarily closed the coop to new membership. I’d heard that they’d actually managed to secure some improved deals on the contracts they were able to close early on…but that may not have proven a consistent consequence. They may eventually decide to backout and take advantage of the coop offerings in some cases—contracts that might be cheaper or have fewer use restrictions. This is a murky area, but like I said, an interesting one to follow-up on.
Laigniappe: There’s also a story on the line cuts that have followed digging up a big chunk of the city. While any breaks in service, and especially gas breaks, are disturbing they are also inevitable as the utility digs up a huge chunk of the city.
Update 12:42 am 2/4: My wife suggests another interpretation of the headline “LUS Fiber delays start” that points out that “delays start” is ambiguous it could mean that the delays are beginning (what I took umbrage at) or that the startup is delayed (a fair depiction). The first she primly informs reads delay as a noun and starts as a verb while the latter reads delays as a verb and starts as a noun. She’s the grammarian. My best guess is that the misinterpretation is mine and the headline poorly written but not mean-spirited. Mea culpa. (She now leans over and insists I say that she brought in the paper and supplied the initial interpretation. True enough…but I wrote it up without noticing anything else. Partners. 🙂 )
