That's a safe assumption. Bigger service providers are allergic to anything non-standard. If they sell a product, it has to have a documented standard for installation, and there has to be a documented methodology for training qualified people to install it, and a documented methodology for supporting it. If you bring in a new employee, the knowledge can't be entirely from word of mouth because the mouth with the smartest brain behind it may disappear some day. You also may have to hire a manager who's good at keeping things organized and tracking expenses, but who doesn't know how a wireless PTP is supposed to look, and yet you have to equip that person with the information necessary to QC this work which they don't understand. This is both the strength and the weakness of larger companies.
They're not going to do it if they only get to sell that product to 1% of the customers. They'll do it for VOIP or WiFi or video because they can sell it to 10%-40% of customers. Have you ever seen that AT&T procedural manual on how to sweep floors? Documentation might need to look like that. The documentation can never be stupid-proof, but if the author assumes the reader knows nothing, then it can be explicit enough to equip a reasonably smart and literate manager with the knowledge to recognize and prevent bad outcomes (and encourage good outcomes). If HR hires a pointy-haired manager then God help you. By the way, HR will inevitably hire some pointy-haired managers. -Adam ________________________________ From: AF <[email protected]> on behalf of Ken Hohhof <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2025 5:51 PM To: 'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group' <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] FTTH and outbuildings Can I assume the bigger fiber ISP’s would not offer these options? Compared to local/regional providers that maybe started out as WISPs? I will say at least Illinois made an effort to hand out BEAD fiber awards to local companies. Comcast fiber did get one area by me, but there’s a consortium of small telcos, and a small WISP/FISP from a town west of Rockford. They also chose Amazon Kuiper (now renamed Amazon Leo) over Starlink, I don’t know if Amazon submitted a more attractive bid, or if it was just to poke a finger in Elon’s eye. From: AF <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Bill Prince Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2025 12:53 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [AFMUG] FTTH and outbuildings I think it depends on a mishmash of competition, distance, usage, and what your charity level is. If it's an outbuilding, then usage will probably be low, but if it's 1,000 feet away, then it's a significant upgrade. If the customer is running a business out there, then usage might be significant, which could justify a separate account. and... what would your competitors do? Burying a cable (fiber or copper) is probably a significant expense, and if it can be cast as an extension, the simplest thing is T&M for the extension. However, if the usage is that low, then a PTP link would be simpler, cheaper, and satisfy the usage requirement. bp <part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com> On 11/16/2025 9:47 AM, Ken Hohhof wrote: Now that we’re seeing a lot of rural fiber going in (or will soon due to BEAD), what is the typical approach when customers have outbuildings? Run a second drop and sell them a second service? Give them a WiFi mesh extender and tell them to put it in the outbuilding and pray? Bury a fiber or Ethernet cable from the house to the outbuilding and charge them a one-time fee? Tell them it’s a home networking problem and call Geek Squad? Assume WiFi7 “whole home WiFi” is so amazing it will just work? Some people just have a shed or barn, but lots also use them for family gatherings or football watch parties and there are definitely TVs out there. I don’t think this is as common in the city and suburbs where fiber usually lives.
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