The driving force behind the idea for a city-wide fiber optics network in
Monticello, MN was economic growth. READ MORE about the economic benefits
experienced by Cedar Falls, Iowa through a fiber optics network.
NEWS ARTICLES on Fiber Optics:
Article: Burlington, Vermont shows the way with broadband via fiber optic network.
Christopher Mitchell's Interview on Future Tense
September 17, 2007
Listen to the Podcast located at: http://www.newrules.org/info/futuretense.html
Article: Who Will Own Minnesota's Information Highways?
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, June 2005
Competitive broadband service and pricing is within reach of most Minnesotans if anti-
competitive polices and practices are removed and municipal governments build
broadband infrastructure.
"Fiber Optic Network Telephone Ownership Needs Voters Backing"
St. Cloud Daily Times Newspaper, September 16, 2007
"Finish the on-ramp to a fiber-optic Net" StarTribune, February 5, 2007
True broadband is literally not far away. But building the last link to our homes
and
offices will require investment and forward-thinking policy makers.
"Broadband Internet Access as infrastructure"
Minnesota Real Estate Journal January 2007
"Leveraging Broadband" League of MN Cities Magazine, October 2006
Communities that deploy and use broadband based technologies grow faster
than communities that do not. Exciting choices await community leaders that
want their communities to be global competitors.
Wired in Wabasha: Internet brings swift current of change Star Tribune, November 6, 2006
In Wabasha, residents and civic boosters say that fiber-optic Internet service will help them
avoid the economic decline of many rural Midwestern towns, while making Wabasha an
attractive vacation and retirement destination for city folk who love its charm but aren't willing
to give up urban amenities. "This is a system that a lot of big cities would love to have," said
City Council Member Joel Carlson. "As a rural town, you need every advantage you can get.
This gives us a chance."
The city of Monticello checks out fiber optics Monticello Times, August 24, 2006
The City of Monticello is currently considering installing a fiber optics network throughout the
city that could potentially have the capability of providing high-speed Internet service to all
businesses and residents.
Broadband gap looms as Net loss for U.S. economy. StarTribune, February 22, 2006
The Minnesotans who deal in knowledge are learning that the speed of Internet connections
is critical to competing globally.
Paving the cyber sidewalks: Cities debate fiber optics. StarTribune, March 23, 2006
Metro-area suburbs, worried that their economic development could be stunned by slow
Internet connections from phones and cable TV, are debating whether to push for new
fiber-optic networks for their communities that would be 10 times faster.
Fiber Optics in Minnesota:
Minnesota Communities that have implemented fiber optics to the home
The State of Minnesota had 30 Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Deployments as of November 2006.
How Fast is Fiber Optics?
Time required to download a two-hour, DVD-quality movie:
56k dial-up modem . . . . . . . . . . .13 days
DSL (5 megabits) . . . . . . . . . . . .3 hours, 22 minutes
Cable modem (8 megabits) . . . . 2 hours, 6 minutes
Optical fiber (100 megabits) . . . . 10.4 minutes
Source: Utopia, a fiber-to-the-home Internet consortium
Visit these web links which demonstrate a test of your current Intermet speed:
http://help.sbcglobal.net/dsl/speedtest/
http://speedtest.mn.charter.com/
How are we doing compared to the rest of the world?
 THE U.S. VERSUS the WORLD:
• In terms of broadband penetration rates the U.S.
was #1 in the 1990s.
• By 2001 we had fallen to #4.
• In latest count of 2005 we have fallen to #16.
China & India:
• Last year China graduated 375,000 engineers.
• India graduated 150,000 engineers.
• The U.S. graduated 75,000 engineers,
and
half were foreign students.
Japan: is currently rolling out fiber-based ultra-high
speed (100MB) connections at $40 per month and
already has 1MB to 2MB connections with cell phones.
All of this innovation is the result of a concentrated
effort by the government to make broadband available.
Fiber is the best choice for delivering true broadband. Everybody including municipalities must be allowed to compete. If private firms won’t or can’t do it,
the government needs to step in like the leading broadband countries. |
Once a leader in broadband high-speed Internet, the United States is now falling behind countries like Japan and Korea, where more broadband users are upgrading from DSL to fiber-to-the-home connections. There average speeds are roughly 10 times as fast as in the U.S.
Previous
U.S. Rankings
|
Current rankings for average speed in megabits per second: |
2001: 4th
2002: 7th
2003: 11th
2004: 13th
2007: 14th |
1. Japan – 61 Mbps
2. Korea – 45.6 Mbps
3. Finland – 21.7 Mbps
4. Sweden – 18.2 Mbps
5. France – 17.6 Mbps
|
6. Netherlands – 8.8 Mbps
7. Portugal – 8.1 Mbps
8. Canada – 7.6 Mbps
9. Norway – 7.4 Mbps
10. Austria – 7.3 Mbps |
11. Belgium – 6.2 Mbps
12. Iceland – 6 Mbps
13. Germany – 6 Mbps
14. U.S.A. – 4.8 Mbps |
Source: Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a non-partisan think tank in Washington D.C., which based its rankings on data from the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development.
Net Neutrality, an article found on the eBay website.
Large cable and telecommunications companies that own broadband networks in the U.S. are proposing to replace the open Internet with a system where the large providers can pick and choose which websites will operate on their new "closed" networks. In this world, special access charges will be levied on Internet content providers as well as consumers. Read more
Net Neutrality Issue: "At stake: The Net as we know it."
Article from Business Week Online, Dec. 15, 2005 - Read Article
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