Google Fiber Was Doomed from the Start

Re:Google Fiber Was Doomed from the Start by mmanfrin on Wednesday March 15, 2017 @04:22PM (#13879422)

  The same kind that provide telephone, cable and electric service

Telephone: deeply regulated.

Cable: deeply unregulated.

Electric: deeply regulated.

There's an odd-man-out here.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Google Fiber Was Doomed from the Start by mjevans on Wednesday March 15, 2017 @04:41PM (#13879577)

I think you've got your categories wrong and very selectively chosen.

  * Water / Sewer: Regulated OR 'off grid' (EG: well + septic field)
  * Roads: Local roads always regulated (taxpayer provided)
  * Hospital: Many areas only have one, denser areas may have a small handful; in an emergency you don't choose.
  * Electricity: Regulated (Possibly a choice of generation providers, usually never a choice of 'line transmission' providers.)
  * Natural Gas: Regulated, one provider.
  * Schools: Regulated, there's a basic default option.
  * Police: Regulated, there's a basic default option.
  * Fire: Regulated, there's a basic default option.
  * 'Emergency': Your 911 call goes to one place* (for a source area)
  * Data: Many municipalities have //regulated// a monopoly (sometimes a duopoly)
          Yet they don't regulate the performance of that monopoly sufficiently.

[ Parent | on HN ]