Now up to 4 buried communications utilities. i3broadband bought

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100+ OP
~ 10 hrs ago

Now up to 4 buried communications utilities. i3broadband bought out by T-Mobile last year. Now Frontier by Verizon is putting in their own fiber along side T-Mobile. They're tearing up yards and I think they hit the gas line earlier today.

POTS, Comcast cable, T-Mobile fiber, and now Verizon fiber is 4 communications. Electric and gas makes 6. Water and sewer are deeper but that makes 8. It must be harder and harder to not hit an existing utility each time a new one is added.

Why can't we have one larger buried conduit that multiple utilities can all use? I believe the city could make this happen. It may not be too late for your neighborhood. Imagine the mess when fiber company #3 decides to come in.

mypeez and PeoriaIllinoisan reacted

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10k+17.1 yrs
~ 10 hrs ago

That is a similar count to our neighborhood, just a few different providers in the mix. Ironically Verizon is queuing up for a similar install. We didn't want their landline or DSL service, what makes them think we'll want their fiber?

100+ OP
~ 9 hrs ago

*Edited

What they're not saying is that they may be planning for future 5G street corner level mobile access points. When T-Mobile bought out i3, that might have been a sign to Verizon that they better act now or risk being left behind. That's where the big money is in the younger generation, that plugs their parent's "wifi cable" (yes really) in to their xbox, or connects it through their own mobile hotspot and then downloads a 50GB game and is stuck paying the extra data charges.

Anyway, could something be done at a political level? Not having a shared conduit also limits future companies who could come in cheaply without tearing up the neighborhood.

10k+14.6 yrs
~ 8 hrs ago

Who is POTS? Never heard of that company. Do they provide same Internet, TV/streaming/voice services as Comcast/Xfinity?

As far as buried cables, anytime someone needs to dig, the property owner or the company is supposed to call USIC or similar firm to come out, detect where the cables are, and put down those multi-colored flags we see when construction is about to happen.

25k+19.4 yrs
~ 4 hrs ago

I'm surprised these companies are going this route. My parents' T-Mobile data internet is as fast as my I3 without the expense of tearing up yards, streets, etc. I'm looking at Starlink mini for camping and roadtrips. I've been to two campgrounds that are already using it.

5k+17.5 yrs
~ 2 hrs, 50 mins ago

Don't forget about private fiber like Ameren and IDOT. All those IDOT cameras are connected via a private fiber network. All Ameren substations are connected via a private fiber network.

The state has started requiring utilities to locate their own lines due to companies like USIC and Stake Center low quality work. Part of the problem is USIC pay per job and not hour.

Oh and add BrightSpeed to the list. They are spreading thru the area quite quickly.

10k+17.1 yrs
~ 32 mins ago

@kraziebill : Didn't we have a fiber glut in the mid 90s? I think those skipped the last mile though. I still some of these old companies show up on JULIE design calls from time to time.