[semi-OT] Review: Comcast Workplace cable Internet

[Bruce Dawson]

Ben Scott wrote:
> On 9/10/07, Bruce Dawson <jbd at codemeta.com> wrote:
>   
>>>   There were some one-time costs related to getting a line run on the
>>> poles to our facility.  These will not generalize to anyone else's
>>> experiences, so I'm not going to post them.
>>>
>>>       
>> Ack! Phht. Don't assume this!
>>     
>
>   Oh, what the hell.  If you really want to know, it was around $500.
> Three poll spans, I think; maybe 350 feet.  There was a hard line
> (semi-rigid cable) on the street they tapped from, and they ran what I
> think is RG-11 down the street to us.  Originally, they quoted around
> $1000, but I worked them down by arguing that there were a few other
> potential subscribers on the street they might be able to sell to.
>
>   This has about nothing in common with your situation.  :)  Different
> state.  Different sales division.  Our run was very short and didn't
> need much in terms of equipment.  You're at the end of your street;
> we're not (so there's opportunity for further expansion).  You're out
> in a rural area; we're in a city (albeit a small one), so we're closer
> to where the trucks already are.   I don't think they did anything but
> put the tap box at the end of the line for us; your run would need
> amps/repeaters at least, if not a new fiber node.
>   
Different indeed. They ran "semi-rigid" cable over 6 poles (I think -
we've eliminated a few since then) and crossed a "street" (actually our
town-maintained "driveway"). I *think* they installed an amp at the
beginning of our run - at least there's a "fat spot" in the wire down there.
>   Note that I'm not attempting to justify what Comcast charged you in
> particular.  Just emphasizing that one cannot generalize specific
> experiences to other situations.  Call and get a quote.
>   

I'm not asking for numbers for justification. I just wanted people to
have hard data (well, data at least) so they can evaluate their own
position in the situation. In some towns there's a
permitting/licensing/utility change process too, so the town gets
involved, not just Comcast. And Comcast usually has "monopoly license"
to a town, so that has to be factored in.

You're right - every situation will be different. We didn't get Comcast
to come down from their $30K original verbal quote to a more realistic
quote until we convinced them to come out and do a survey. In our
situation, we were the only new potential customer (at the time), so
they really didn't have any incentive to expand the line - nor were they
obligated to by their contract with the town.

However, now that we have it, we're able to do most of our work from
home. And that has "saved" us in many ways.

--Bruce