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First case of Sonic fiber to be torn out, due to CPUC regulation.

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 7:14 pm
by digitalbitstream
This Summer (2019) may mark Sonic being forced to retreat from a market, ripping out installed fiber infrastructure. See a map here: https://www.berkeleyundergrounding.com/ ... eak-summit Sonic is just finishing up the fiber install in almost the exact area. That fiber will be ripped out Summer 2019 when PG&E takes down the poles.


There's a renewed push in California to underground utilities. The way it works is the incumbent companies are required to tax their users, to fund "Rule 20A" undergrounding projects. The money supports the project costs, including a "joint trench" in which each company is assigned a set of pipes. Unlike with PG&E poles and AT&T copper, there's no rule saying the incumbents have to allow access. So we have a tax on the public going to pay the cost of locking out all future competition from using public roads. Really? Yes really.

Sonic as an upstart was built on the rule that the incumbent carriers had to lease wires (for DSL) and space on poles (for Fiber). The lease rates give a profit to the owners of the wires and poles. But there's no such rule for underground projects.

I'm collecting a mailing list of folks interested in this issue. I hope to raise the profile of this issue, and eventually (long term) push for changes to the CPUC rules. Just ask to be invited, and say a bit about why you care:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum ... -utilities

Re: First case of Sonic fiber to be torn out, due to CPUC regulation.

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 7:19 pm
by digitalbitstream
In 1895 when the first power delivery poles were built in California, nobody anticipated that later cable TV would be invented, and that a cable company would pay for access to the poles. It seems really unwise to me to assume that we know the future well enough, to be putting utilities underground with no spare space for the future.

Re: First case of Sonic fiber to be torn out, due to CPUC regulation.

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 1:03 pm
by cmeisel
Given that PG&E will file (or has already ? ) for bankruptcy, we'll see what projects they still have money for vs. not. I believe underground when I see it start. This talk has gone on for years and years.

Re: First case of Sonic fiber to be torn out, due to CPUC regulation.

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:07 am
by dane
cmeisel wrote:Given that PG&E will file (or has already ? ) for bankruptcy, we'll see what projects they still have money for vs. not. I believe underground when I see it start. This talk has gone on for years and years.
We wonder too. On the City of Berkeley's website, this project is still "TBD", and the resolution dates back to the mid '1990's, so it's unclear where it stands from their perspective.

Re: First case of Sonic fiber to be torn out, due to CPUC regulation.

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 5:04 pm
by cmeisel
If it is their usual speed, it will take another 10 years :)
The city is great in collecting money for neighborhood projects but terrible in starting them. We paid for a park project that was not started until 8 years later or more even. And that was cheap underground will cost them a lot so maybe never.

Re: First case of Sonic fiber to be torn out, due to CPUC regulation.

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2019 9:12 am
by jcrben
Sounds disappointing. Happy to put my name on some sort of petition that would go out to my state representatives.