Re: Some truth about Comcast - WikiLeaks style

[Leo Bicknell <bicknell () ufp org>]

In a message written on Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 02:31:09PM -0500, Joe Provo wrote:
> Everywhere that had enough paying-humans-per fiber-mile, so primarily
> the Northeast corridor (Metro DC through Metro Boston).  Parts of the
> SF Bay, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit... google "cable overbuilder"
> (RCN, WOW and several others).  Nontrivial capital is required for the 
> build-and-maintain of physical plant, so most all have shrunk since the 
> bubble popping.

Interesting, I figured a few major cities would have a second
provider, being able to high a large high rise or apartment complex
might make the economics make sense.

From the first google result for "cable overbuilder"
(http://www.satelliteguys.us/live-industry-news-feeds/62015-cable-overbuilders-stage-comeback-near-death.html)
cuz "I'm feeling lucky". :)

  As the biggest cable overbuilder and the 12th largest MSO in the U.S.,
  RCN now boasts about 409,000 overall customers in its large urban
  markets, which include Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington,
  D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

So if you cherry pick for where an overbuild makes sense, you get
409k subscribers.  To compare, Comcast has 23 million subscribers
(video only, see http://www.cmcsk.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=523403)
and in fact lost 275,000 _in the third quarter_ alone
(http://broadcastengineering.com/news/comcast-loses-subscribers-internet-takes-toll-20101101/).

Which brings us back to the argument at hand, the problem is a
combination of factors, regulatority (franchise issues), physical
(plant in ground, and cost) and money (no one will finance it), but
the net result is that even just adding one provider makes sense
in only the smallest fraction of the country.  Allowing more folks
to put plant in the ground is simply not useful to getting real
compeition to the vast majority of American homes.  We need to share
the plant that is already there....

-- 
       Leo Bicknell - bicknell () ufp org - CCIE 3440
        PGP keys at http://www.ufp.org/~bicknell/

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