Marin Avenue and Martin Luther King (Under-grounding Streets) and Fiber

[digitalbitstream]

Certain key evacuation streets are priority for utility undergrounding. The Marin Avenue project includes undergrounding under Rule 20A. Is Sonic in on this? Will the project include the necessary conduit, and rules, to allow Sonic to serve Marin Avenue?

http://www.albanyca.org/departments/pub ... rgrounding

Does Sonic need any political support to ensure future undergrounding leaves room for fiber drops?

[digitalbitstream]

Here's the City of Berkeley undergrounding plan:
https://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploade ... Packet.pdf

Note they conclude that in the future :

• Internet can be delivered via WiFi or Wireless
  Cable TV will be replaced by Internet TV

Thus they're interested in micro-grid power, but not fiber.

[dane]

As I understand the structure today, telecom/cable is not included in Rule 20 funding for undergrounding. As such, we'd typically exit the market for streets where cities trigger undergrounding efforts.

We'd love to see an effort to correct this. Berkeley seems to be putting their faith in wireless for internet though, so I wonder if they'd support that.

[digitalbitstream]

Dane;
This is where you can mobilize your followers. Berkeley is small enough to be politically malleable. Explaining this issue to the department and Council is not impossible. Ten people showing up a public works meeting or hearing is a lot. It makes every sense to run dry conduit "for whatever" in an undergrounding project, even if that means City funds not 20 funds. It need not be seen as specifically for fiber.

[dane]

Dane;
This is where you can mobilize your followers. Berkeley is small enough to be politically malleable. Explaining this issue to the department and Council is not impossible. Ten people showing up a public works meeting or hearing is a lot. It makes every sense to run dry conduit "for whatever" in an undergrounding project, even if that means City funds not 20 funds. It need not be seen as specifically for fiber.

Yes, agreed. And I'm sure that if/when there is a specific undergrounding project occurring, when end-users get notice they're losing service that they'll all call their council members.

[apl]

we'd typically exit the market for streets where cities trigger undergrounding efforts.

This is pretty discouraging for those of us on streets where utilities are already underground.

Support had previously told me (via twitter)

Underground utilities are a bit of a technical and physical struggle for us at current. We are working on solutions but nothing concrete as of yet.

which left some room for hope, but now it sounds like this just isn't a priority at all.

[dane]

This falls into the basic formula, which is driven by member uptake, density, and construction cost. Underground costs a lot more than aerial, so it must meet much higher density and uptake values to be prioritized over an aerial region.

SF though is a unique case: they do not currently permit any new underground utility construction using conventional trenchless methods, so it's not possible to build there at all, until that's resolved. There is some legislation and policy changes in the works that we expect may resolve this in future.

[steelgaze]

... now it sounds like this just isn't a priority at all.

Without an accessable path forward, there is no reason for this issue to be a priority when they can be actually building in other areas that do not have these issues. You are all bascailly in limbo until the rules in SF change and that's not something Sonic can do.

[digitalbitstream]

Dane;
This is where you can mobilize your followerss.....

Yes, agreed. And I'm sure that if/when there is a specific undergrounding project occurring, when end-users get notice they're losing service that they'll all call their council members.

That's a rear guard action.
Far better to mobilize now, and ensure three sets of conduit (telco, cable, other) are installed. The marginal cost of installing an additional conduit is really small. Cities I think can understand the value in having the path open for the future.


So:
If there is City owned conduit, will Sonic install fiber?
Will Sonic install fiber in Albany on Marin Avenue, in the undergrounding zone?

[apl]

You are all bascailly in limbo until the rules in SF change

I am in Berkeley, and the original poster in this thread is in either Berkeley or Albany.
Rules in SF have nothing to do with it.