Between Monticello and the Iron Range it’s been a busy couple of weeks for broadband in Minnesota.
Lynne Dahl Fleming was kind enough to send me the official word from the FiberNet Monticello project. It’s a quick take on what’s happening with the TDS lawsuit, obviously from FiberNet’s perspective:
TDS/Bridgewater has finally awakened to the fact that its existing system in Monticello is inadequate. It has belatedly changed its course, announcing a plan to build its own citywide fiber network. The City does not object to TDS’s change in course. Unfortunately, however, TDS accompanied the roll-out of plans for its new system, by filing a lawsuit that serves as a tool for keeping the City from doing the same. (You can read more on the FiberNet homepage.)
Christopher Mitchell was also kind enough to send me his recent Op-Ed piece on Monticello from the Monticello Times. I hope he won’t mind if I excerpt a paragraph and a half and suggest that you read the article for the full perspective. Christopher has spent a lot of time in Monticello and I think he has TDS’ card when it comes to the lawsuit:
Monticello is well within its rights to build a fiber-to-the-home network. But the construction cannot start until the litigation ends. TDS, a phone company headquartered in Madison, has filed a complaint with the laughable charge that the fiber network is neither a “utility” nor “public convenience.” Minnesota’s legislature has explicitly listed telecommunications and “cable television and related services” in its definition of public utilities. Everyone who has ever used the Internet knows it is a public convenience.
TDS cannot win this case, but it can stall Fibernet Monticello’s start-up to buy time for its own hasty upgrades and attempts to lock subscribers into long-term contracts.
TDS’ response in Monticello is not at all surprising. When communities approach providers for service improvements, some providers will respond that the communities do not need the service or that there is insufficient demand to support the service. When the community finds another provider, themselves or a competitive provider, suddenly the incumbent finds the resource or discovers that there is a market.
In this case, Monticello has actively been seeking advanced services, especially for their significant industrial and commercial businesses, for several years with interest from incumbents. Now TDS suddenly finds the resources for Monticello.
The lesson here is for other TDS communities – if you want similar improvements in your community from TDS, do not sit passively and wait for your turn in TDS’ capital budget. Get your community organized and develop your own plan for a municipal network. That will help get their attention and move you up the priority list!
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