[RTC List] Rural Fiber

[Sean McLaughlin]

Rural FTTP 'perfectly economical,' says muni fiber veteran

Telephony Online
April 29, 2008

By Ed Gubbins

The notion that fiber-to-the-premises is economically prohibitive in 
rural areas is a myth, according to Dr. Timothy Nulty, director of 
ValleyFiber, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing municipal 
fiber to towns in Vermont’s Upper Valley.

“It’s nonsense,” he said, addressing the Broadband Properties Summit 
today. “It’s perfectly economical.”

Nulty helped oversee the municipal FTTP network in Burlington Vermont, 
which is on track to become fully cash-flow positive (with revenue 
exceeding all costs, including debt service) by January 2009, four years 
after it secured initial financing. He left his position as general 
manager of Burlington Telecom to try to duplicate its success elsewhere 
in Vermont, retaining universal access as a goal, and he says the model 
is just as viable in rural areas.

http://telephonyonline.com/fttp/news/rural-fttp-economical-0429/index.html?imw=Y 


-- 
Sean McLaughlin
Executive Director
Access Humboldt
P.O. Box 157, Eureka, CA 95502
tel: 707-476-1798
dir: 707-476-2873
fax: 707-476-1702
cel: 707-616-2381
e: sean at accesshumboldt.net
web:  accesshumboldt.net

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