Phil Sego

The City of Cambridge is considering implementing a municipal fiber optic internet system at a cost of $194 million. While everyone in Cambridge should have access to high-speed internet, this proposed plan is not the best solution considering the cost, the fast-paced technological advancements in the digital age, and the availability of other internet service providers in the area. Furthermore, the cost of implementing a municipal fiber optic internet system is exorbitant, and this investment could be better spent on other essential infrastructure or services.  There are numerous examples of municipalities that have faced significant financial challenges or cost overruns when implementing municipal fiber optic systems, including: Burlington, Vermont : In 2006, the city of Burlington launched a municipal fiber optic network, Burlington Telecom. However, the project ended up costing the city significantly more than expected, resulting in a financial crisis. The city's credit rat...

Report Shows Municipal Broadband is Not Economically Feasible Each household could face thousands in costs or more , regardless of whether you sign up for it. After waiting for years, the City Council has finally been given a cost analysis for building a municipal fiber-optic cable system. This detailed analysis makes some serious errors highlighted below, and estimates a cost of up to $194 MILLION for installation. The analysis provided to the city uses old models, e.g. fully constructed municipal internet systems. One comparison used in the analysis is Chattanooga TN, but Chattanooga isn’t comparable – they installed their system 15 years ago. Technology didn’t stand still, and 15-years is ancient history in technology. If we had done this 15-20 years ago, it may have been a good idea. But Cambridge missed that opportunity. The report hypothesizes that the $70/month “average” for Comcast broadband would be the same as a municipal system. The report also theorizes that a munic...