Hi all, Here is as close to the truth as we are likely to come... David Trepp is my business partner. He was the former chair of the MetroNet Committee. Many of you may know David from his InfoGroup NW days.
EWEB does in fact have (mostly dark) fiber laid throughout Eugene in conjunction with MetroNet. They have some issues (political and physical) that make it very hard to access the fiber. If you are a provider or a government agency you can get really inexpensive leases on the fiber. Right now 4-j, the county, and EWEB have lit strands, and some of it is leased to a fiber multi state consortium as part of their backbone. If you are an end user, you need to get a provider to hook you up, it is not available to the general public. This is due to an issue raised by the public of a "digital divide" back when they were laying the network. Basically some folks protested the EWEB plan to deliver fiber to business users claiming the EWEB was willing to service the rich and powerful and forsake the masses. EWEBS Response was to simply shut down the project. The other problem, as I mentioned earlier is the cost of the "last mile". If you want it you have to light it yourself. Industrial grade gear to do that is not cheap. You also have to pay for the physical run. In one case there was a 100 meter run from a telephone pole at Coburg and Beltline to the IGNW building. The proposed fee was $28,000 for the hookup. If the fiber is underground, you buy the construction crew and get the permits etc... Access is actually pretty cheap and easy from the EWEB side if you are a provider. Contact Deb Smith. David said he'd be happy to come to a meeting and give everyone the low down. He would have written the response himself (and done a better job I am sure) but he is traveling today. Hope that helps. //jjs www.intechgra.com 541.687.9006 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Schmidt Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 11:45 PM To: Eugene Unix and Gnu/Linux User Group Subject: RE: [Eug-lug] MetroNet revisited (was wi-fi hell--let's talk WiMax) Actually - I am making some assumptions based on what I have been told. My understanding is that metronet did in fact lay fiber through downtown. I am not sure that any of it is lit. I know some folks that were associated with Metronet - I'll check with them to verify it, but I thouht they said it was on the curb going down 8th... Give me a day or two on that. //jjs -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Darren Hayes Sent: Tue 1/24/2006 8:42 PM To: Eugene Unix and Gnu/Linux User Group Subject: Re: [Eug-lug] MetroNet revisited (was wi-fi hell--let's talk WiMax) If your company could afford it (that is, if it was cost-effective) your company could connect to the fiber? Which entities would you have to contact or contract to in order to make that happen Is that fiber owned by the city... er excuse me, by EWEB, or some other public entity or is it owned by a private vendor. BTW I'm not casting stones. Just interested in this subject. Wondering how much local fiber, both lit and dark, is out there and where it is located. One would think this info would be more easy to obtain, at least from a marketing perspective. But maybe it is a security issue? Darren ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Schmidt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Eugene Unix and Gnu/Linux User Group" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 7:15 PM Subject: RE: [Eug-lug] MetroNet revisited (was wi-fi hell--let's talk WiMax) The cost for the last hundred feet is way high. It runs right outside my buidling at 8th and Olive, but we'd have to pay for the sidewalk cuts to lay conduit into the basement, etc.etc. etc. //jjs -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Ben Barrett Sent: Tue 1/24/2006 12:36 PM To: Eugene Unix and Gnu/Linux User Group Subject: Re: [Eug-lug] MetroNet revisited (was wi-fi hell--let's talk WiMax) It is my understanding that anyone (including private industry and citizens) can buy fiber uplink from EWEB, th hitch is having a location that non-dark fiber already comes to or [the expense of] having fiber laid to your location. I think service is not cheap but I think it is a "better deal" than Qworst's T1's in a number of ways :) I might be wrong, and YMMV... Ben Michael Miller wrote the following on 1/24/2006 10:15 AM: >I guess it's a nice thing that the city decided to add a 4th floor to >the Library. The reason I say this is because there is more room for >books. Instead of the Library giving up space for books for people. >Anyway I think that the "government" might have a short fall in >funding (someday). If they don't already and will lease out the fiber >to make money. It makes no since that some entity would lay fiber and >not use (or resell) the unsued capacity. Then again there might not >be any discussion or budget problems. > >Mike Miller > >On 1/23/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >>While I dont know the history I do know the fiber I work with is >>"government" only and has something to do with regulations of some sort. >>Im not aware of any private entities getting fiber from EWEB. This is >>why its a big deal to sell that building to Peacehealth.. all the fiber >>infrastructure would need to be moved.. seems to me if Peacehealth >>actually owned or leased a part of it it would stay. But Im not an >>authority on the subject - I know who is though.. and can do some checking. >> >>This wouldnt surprise me though.. the city has done this kind of stuff >>before.. like the Library .. taxpayers voted.. was supposed to be 3 >>stories .. then they added a 4th to house non library staff... and there >>was some sort of budget finagling. ... then oh by the way that bond >>measure included building the library but didnt include the costs to run >>it. .. another bond measure.. and it passed. So im not sure who is the >>bigger idiots .. the people that run government that way or the people >>who keep voting the bond measures in . Glad I dont pay those taxes... >> >>Mark >> >>Darren Hayes wrote: >> >> >> >>>Just some background on MetroNet... >>> >>>Original intent was for the City of Eugene to have EWEB build out fiber for >>>local Metropolitan Area Network (Initial Phase) then later bring fiber to >>>the curb for everyone in 2007 (Universal Build Phase). Plan also included >>>opening up the network (Open Access/OpenPlatform) so other vendors could >>>utilize capacity. >>> >>>A revenue bond measure and then later a city charter change allowing the >>>City to proceed with the build out passed with much grassroots support, but >>>with wide opposition coming from local business interests and from Qwest, >>>ATT Broadband (now Comcast) and other self-interests. >>> >>>Then not soon after EWEB (owned by the City of Eugene) nixed the Universal >>>Build Phase and decided to serve only public, quasi-public and institutional >>>facilities via the Public Agency Network (PAN). Reason given was EWEB did >>>not want to incur additional debt and have electrical or water customers >>>subsidize the Universal build phase. So the MetroNet idea was transformed >>>with a focus to run fiber ONLY to "existing customers only". That meant >>>EWEB's current partners in PAN with a scope which continued to include large >>>businesses and large users only. Besides EWEB and the City of Eugene PAN (or >>>PANet) includes the ESD 4J, LTD, Lane Co, SUB, LCOG/RIS, UofO, LCC, City of >>>Springfield, LaneESD and other public entities. >>> >>>Note that EWEB utilized (and continues to utilize) the proceeds of the bond >>>sale to finance fiber build out related to build out of "EWEB fiber network" >>>for internal operations. >>> >>>Was the idea of the Universal Phase "used" to promote the bond measure to >>>get the "Initial Phase" done. Was there truly any real dedication in making >>>the Universal build phase a reality? Wondering what major changes occurred >>>with performa numbers between the time the measure appeared on the ballot >>>and the time EWEB and City of Eugene changed course and nixed the Universal >>>Build idea? The end-result is EWEB ratepayers and City of Eugene taxpayers >>>backing the debt financing the "Initial Phase" servicing private >>>properties/facilities owned by large businesses and large local developers. >>>It is very likely many involved in the grass-roots campaign supporting the >>>bond measure and charter change would not have if they had knowledge of the >>>current status/end result. >>> >>>EWEB has ran fiber to many of it's PAN partners including schools in Eugene >>>School District 4J. Some of the fiber is leased but much is still dark. Each >>>year 4J continues to lease more fiber capacity from EWEB to replace Qwest T1 >>>lines and also to continue 4J WAN build out (e.g. 4J schools are also >>>implementing voice services on the data network). >>> >>>EWEB has ran fiber to the city libraries, fire stations, the airport, >>>satellite police stations, etc. And the plan was for EWEB to run fiber to >>>and/or share fiber with private entities, i.e. Reg-Gd, Hynix, Valley River >>>Center and Country Club Road medical offices and other ancillary businesses, >>>BLM, USFS, State of Oregon and Lane County buildings, Peace Health, etc. (I >>>still don't understand the Chambers involvement with "Light The Apple"? >>>Could not EWEB and 4J done this on their own at effectively the same or >>>lower cost?) Wondering how many private businesses located in downtown core >>>are now connected via EWEB fiber? >>> >>>And I'm wondering what has happened to this idea of City of Eugene/EWEB >>>making MetroNet independent? Acquiring info on any of these topics is quite >>>difficult. The local media was all over the subject back at the start of the >>>decade, but the subject does not appear to be discussed publicly any longer. >>> >>>Is anyone aware of a current local fiber map? Found a 5.5 year old version >>>(produced in 2001 when the original push for MetroNet was underway) at >>>http://cc.uoregon.edu/fiber/ >>> >>>BTW on an "unrelated" note, today accessing docs from the City of Eugene's >>>public web server is like pulling teeth. Must be by-product of running on >>>IIS with FrontPage Extensions. Or an Oregon IX or OWEN issue? Anyway local >>>hop times over wcg.net (Williams) and nero.net are very sluggish today. See >>>http://netfoo.nero.net/cgi-bin/netviewer.cgi?meta=partner&locale=City Euge ne >>> >>>Darren >>> >>> ... _______________________________________________ EUGLUG mailing list [email protected] http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- ---- _______________________________________________ EUGLUG mailing list [email protected] http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug _______________________________________________ EUGLUG mailing list [email protected] http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug _______________________________________________ EUGLUG mailing list [email protected] http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
