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Man who built ISP instead of paying Comcast $50K expands to hundreds of homes

(arstechnica.com)
1135 points carride | 7 comments | 10 Aug 22 13:23 UTC | HN request time: 1.062s | source | bottom
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qwe----3 ◴[10 Aug 22 13:35 UTC] No.32411651[source]▶
> over $30,000 for each of those homes to get served

This doesn't seem very efficient to me.

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fourthark ◴[10 Aug 22 13:46 UTC] No.32411831[source]▶
At $55/mo, he'll start making a profit in 45 years.
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TrueGeek ◴[10 Aug 22 13:53 UTC] No.32411957[source]▶
From the article: he had $2.6MM in help from the "American Rescue Plan's Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds".

He's being paid by the government to bring Internet access to homes in the state that aren't currently wired for it.

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Bloating ◴[10 Aug 22 14:05 UTC] No.32412153[source]▶
Gotta pay your fair share, so it can be granted out for someone elses gain
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1. beeboop ◴[10 Aug 22 14:11 UTC] No.32412273[source]▶
Are you also concerned about your tax dollars paying for roads in the next neighborhood over?
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2. Bloating ◴[10 Aug 22 14:28 UTC] No.32412574[source]▶
The neighborhood developer paid for that. The roads connecting, donated many many years ago by the landowners at that time
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3. bell-cot ◴[10 Aug 22 14:56 UTC] No.32413057[source]▶
Ah! - so the next neighborhood over has all-private roads, and the homeowners association there (not the government) pays for all snow plowing, crack & pothole patching, repaving, storm sewer work, etc. that might be needed?
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4. hcurtiss ◴[10 Aug 22 16:42 UTC] No.32414885{3}[source]▶
I get the point you're making, but to the facts, that is quite literally how many subdivisions work, and least in the western US.
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5. amazingman ◴[10 Aug 22 16:58 UTC] No.32415150[source]▶
Good thing roads are permanently in working condition!
6. bell-cot ◴[10 Aug 22 17:06 UTC] No.32415294{4}[source]▶
In my corner of Michigan, there seems to be a very clear dichotomy on this:

- Private developer builds a sprawling subdivision with plenty of nice wide roads and lots. (So a very large area of pavement per tax-paying property.) And turns the whole thing over to the city/village/township, to be their public road budget black hole forever more.

- Private developer builds a very compact little development, with houses (or condo's) packed in like sardines along a rather narrow and minimalist Private Road.

7. sophacles ◴[10 Aug 22 17:21 UTC] No.32415499{3}[source]▶
Ah yes, the HOA. A group of elected people that can compel you to do things with your property, require you to pay a share every year or they take your home, and have the ability to fine you if you don't comply with the majority opinion. Very much not a government in any way!