Frontier really shot themselves in the foot borrowing tons of money to buy unwanted territories from Verizon and AT&T. And without a way to move those customers to cellular. Much less replace the copper with fiber.
The acquisition was bigger than original Frontier, I forget the ratio. Basically the snake that ate a pig. It is questionable they can service their debt, much less afford maintenance and upgrades. They got a bunch of CAF and other govt money. Some areas they have supposedly upgraded it is hard to identify what they actually did other than claim incorrectly that the locations can now get 10/1 and take the money. -----Original Message----- From: AF <[email protected]> On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 9, 2020 1:34 PM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected]>; Matt Hoppes <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Cable TV Monies In Utah, the telco I work for would snap them right up. Most other small rural telcos will do the same if they are offered. If done right they can be a cash cow. But you have to upgrade them to fiber. The loans and subsidies are there to allow it to work. I think Frontier is in the gray zone. Too large as they are a price cap company and cannot get as much support as smaller telcos. And public traded so they can't really do the right thing as it may affect their stock prices etc. -----Original Message----- From: Matt Hoppes Sent: Thursday, January 9, 2020 12:30 PM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group ; [email protected] Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Cable TV Monies Who would buy them? Verizon sold to Frontier, who would buy Frontier? On 1/9/20 1:33 PM, [email protected] wrote: > Frontier is in trouble with state regulators across the nation. In > Utah they are taking a queue from the White House and are ignoring > document production orders from the Utah PSC. They even have an > pending order to compel and they are ignoring it. I hear they will be > selling exchanges across the country. > > -----Original Message----- From: Ken Hohhof > Sent: Thursday, January 9, 2020 11:13 AM > To: 'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group' > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Cable TV Monies > > Frontier gets away with ignoring POLR status. If the cable is bad and > there are only 3 or 4 customers on that segment of cable, they just > flat out tell those people they can't get phone service anymore > because they don't represent enough revenue to justify the repair > cost. I'm not talking about Internet, just basic POTS service. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: AF <[email protected]> On Behalf Of [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, January 9, 2020 12:01 PM > To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Cable TV Monies > > This nation has a history of fostering universal service for utilities. > The Rural Electrification Administration was created so farmers could > have a light bulb in the milking shed. Once the power was rolling it > was a simple thing to also add phone to it. > Phone went from open wire lines attached to the power poles, to aerial > and underground copper cable party lines, to larger cables with single > party service, to dial up and DSL on copper to fiber optic cables > carrying phone and data. > > Pretty much the whole nation has a Provider of Last Resort (POLR) > designated for every habitable area. Those areas are served for > Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers and they have a duty to serve. No > matter what the expense, if the hermit on the mountain wants a phone > he gets a phone. It is a utility. The universal service fund > replaces what was the old AT&T line haul agreements that originally > subsidized service in rural areas with long distance revenue. Once > divesture hit that whole thing got changed to a system of explicit > subsidies. The USF and grants still service to provide telephone > service to every last barn and sage brush irrespective of whether or not > there is a business case to do so. > > Those that hold CPCNs (Certificate of Public Convenience and > Necessity) to serve a geographical area as an ILEC and POLR have the golden > ticket. > There may still be a few unserved areas where you could also become an > ILEC. Or you can buy one. They have a pretty sweet deal. > > TV has never been considered a utility. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Matt Hoppes > Sent: Thursday, January 9, 2020 10:47 AM > To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Cable TV Monies > > So why are we not seeing the same thing with fiber optic then? Why > are we needing USDA grants? Here in PA much of rural areas are > covered by Zito Media that was various smaller cable companies. > >> On Jan 9, 2020, at 12:43 PM, Ken Hohhof <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> I think it was all private money. Lots of little cable companies >> that were acquired to form the big ones we have now. For example, >> Comcast in my area used to be Jones Intercable: >> >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_Intercable >> >> I don't know of any cable TV systems in very rural areas. They >> typically cover towns but not the outside areas. Not profitable to >> run coax where there aren't a lot of people. Franchise agreements >> might have required them to cover the entire incorporated area of the >> town, otherwise they might not even extend to the edge of town. >> >> I'm guessing cable TV systems were pretty profitable, hence lots of >> people started them. And originally cable franchises were like a >> monopoly, you didn't have to compete with 10 other providers on >> price, and it was an asset you could sell. Even today, the big cable >> companies have an unwritten agreement to mostly not compete in each >> others territory. >> >> In my WISP service area we have a small cable company that covers 4 >> towns. >> Not the rural areas, just the towns. It is basically owned and run >> by one guy, I think the cable system was bankrupt and shut down for >> several years before that. >> >> www.heartlandcable.com >> >> There were a number of cable TV "magnates", the most famous maybe >> being John Malone, aka "The Cable Cowboy". >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: AF <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Matt Hoppes >> Sent: Thursday, January 9, 2020 11:13 AM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: [AFMUG] Cable TV Monies >> >> I know there are USF funds that have been used to build out internet >> and phone and other funding for electric. >> >> How did the early cable systems get funded? I’m not necessarily >> talking about associations although certainly to some extent, but >> like full on analog cable TV systems in very rural area. >> >> The cost of copper is worse than fiber. How were these systems bank >> rolled? Sometimes by a single private person. >> -- >> AF mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >> >> >> >> -- >> AF mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > -- > AF mailing list > [email protected] > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > -- AF mailing list [email protected] http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com -- AF mailing list [email protected] http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
