Who's your cable techie?

[Ron S]

What have you heard about Verizon backing off of the build-out? Just curious. I moved and decided against working for Time Warner's business division.

I haven't heard anything about Verizon backing off the build-out, just that it will take it several YEARS to get fiber to every street, and even longer to get fiber to every home for a truly complete fiber network. My understanding is that Verizon currently has fiber service with double-digit meg d/l in only a few small test communities--a far cry from the completely built-out network Comcast already has. I think I also read somewhere that Comcast has specifically rejected building a fiber network and, not surprisingly, believes it can get the best results using it's cable network.

I can't point to any particular sources for this information--just basing it on things I've read and heard in the past.

[JSngry]

Comcast has F/O here in Plano, but only as the "macronetwork (I guess that's what you call it). From the street to your crib is still coax. What Verizon's working on is F/O all the way uo into your house, and if they can make that happen, look out.

[Ron S]

What Verizon's working on is F/O all the way uo into your house, and if they can make that happen, look out.

And my understanding is that that's a REALLY big "if" for the near future--very expensive and not easily accomplished. When I'm not pursuing my full-time occupation of posting on this Board, I'm engaged in one of my many hobbies--building houses. And I can tell you that at the current time in the Philadelphia area (where Comcast is headquartered and Verizon started and maintains regional headquarters, by the way) Verizon still runs good-ol'-fashioned copper pairs, and not F/O, into newly constructed houses. Doesn't strike me as the move of a company that really believes it will be having F/O running into all homes at any time in the near future.

My understanding is that once you get to the so-called "backbones" and "backhauls" of the internet, it's pretty much all F/O at this point in most places (such as the Comcast "macronetwork" you mentioned) . But, as you point out, the key to a whole new level of internet technology (such as the Internet2 currently being developed by a consortium of universities) will be running F/O into every home everywhere, and that ain't happenin' anytime soon with any telco or cable company (I've heard at least 10 years, but who knows?).