Back to School Brain and Broadband infrastructure

Readers who want only the pithiest of RantWoman's pithy analysis so far are invited to scroll down to the bottom. Readers who want a little better trail of conceptualbreadcrums, just read on.

RantWoman has yet really to weigh in on the recent announcement that Century Link will be rolling out gigabit broadband in selected Seattle neighborhoods. This initiative depends on the Seattle city council enacting an ordinance to change the Director's rule.

More detailed information about the proposal and the needed legislation can be found here.
http://murray.seattle.gov/mayor-murrays-broadband-plan-already-yielding-results/#sthash.15okpVWO.KWGiIZaH.dpbs

A post collecting some previous media links, noted without comment or endorsement of the points of view reflected:
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2014/08/century-link-announcement-today.html

RantWoman's main comments:
--The availability of technology that hangs new telecomm infrastructure off existing light poles opens up possibilities for many service providers. RantWoman generally considers competition and consumer choice a good thing.

--Hanging telecomm boxes off light poles solves the problem of telecomm providers being required to pay the costs of street upgrades whenever a set volume of dirt is displaced. RantWoman notes that ADA compliance and improved walkability remain important concerns regardless of telecomm infrastructure. RantWoman wishes she had time to read the ordinance to see what if anything it says about this point. Maybe...

--RanWoman recognizes that getting good broadband infrastructure in Seattle will mean providing good affordable services, good value for different market segments, large businesses, small business, schools, community organizations, individual households. Beyond the comment above about light poles, RantWoman is not opining about how the current proposal relates to different market segments.

--Most important, RantWoman has Back to School Brain. RantWoman again notes that 90% of students in Seattle Public Schools qualify for Free or reduced price lunches. RantWoman notes that lots of youth travel long distances on buses to go to better schools outside their neighborhoods. RantWoman notes that in some households multiple people share one bus pass. Bottom line: RantWoman is not thinking that $100+ / month is going to look very affordable for many, many households with public students in them. RantWoman does not automatically assume that in these households everyone will be curled up in their own corners with their own devices; RantWoman suspects that people will often share only 1 or 2 devices among many family members. RantWoman still would really like to see more measures that bring broadband affordably to this market segment. RantWoman would like this very much and is not clear how to accomplish it!

#cttab