The County government should not so much subsidize or control data communications infrastructure, as it should get out of the way of private interests installing and maintaining it. For instance, the Police Department antenna tower could be rented out for antenna placement for wireless data radios. Water towers may also be good places to put antennas.
There is a Waltons episode about the mother, Olivia or Livvy, learning to drive. Her son, John-Boy, taught her. Her first trip alone in a car after she received her driver's license was supposed to be a daytime trip. But she wasn't back home by dark. Her husband, John, was discussing the possibilities with their son, John-Boy, on the front porch as the hours after sunset passed.
[John] Did you teach her how to change a flat tire?'
[John-Boy] Well, Daddy, I was planning to.
[John] Son, planning isn't doing.
That scene reminds me so much of Los Alamos the 31 years that I've been here that it brings tears to my eyes. Or raises my blood pressure.
Aside from cable TV and telephone monopolies, chiefly U S West, there is too much competition and not enough cooperation. We have ourselves to blame for that. We all want to be in control of our own destiny, facilities, whatever. But if we all go our own way in getting Internet access, we will all pay more, and get less. We need to openly discuss our budgets and ideas, and do something together. Would somebody already be doing wideband Internet access throughout Los Alamos County, except we have been putting up roadblocks in their way?
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Examples of cooperation since February, 2000, exist, but there are few of them. So not much has changed. The County has come under much criticism for being obstructionist rather than helpful for construction projects in general. The Community Development Department's building inspection operation has been the target of criticism. With internet projects, it's not quite the same, since the dealings are with different departments, but the County attitude is, to put it politely, rarely helpful. I could name some names of helpful individuals, but I don't want to make them the targets of retribution. There so much of that at LANL, I worry that it'll rub off on the County.
There are elements of both County staff and Council members who think it would be best just to run internet service the way the other County utilities are run. I don't have much good to say about that idea. I think it would be just about the most expensive way to do it. I think it would be far from the most reliable and effective way to do it. But I suppose it eventually would get done if those who support the idea keep persevering on getting it done, although they may encounter senility before they get their way. Maybe I'll be senile before ideas I would prefer happen, too, though.
There have been miles of conduit buried in the Burned Area Reconstruction streets.
Even Manhattan Loop got a similar treatment in 2006. However, neither 15th Street, nor, as far as I know, the 46th to 47th Street loop off Sandia, got the utility conduits when water lines were replaced in 2006 and 2007. None of the BAR or Manhattan conduits for fiber are being used for anything, as far as I know, to date.
LA Commnet and VLA (Virtual Los Alamos) do cooperate somewhat. LA Commnet did have the use of County fiber between the Municipal Building and the County Annex, along Trinity Drive, for nearly 2 years until LA Commnet began using fiber it added in a path along Central Avenue and part of 15th Street. The move of Bill's Computers (and Radio Shack and LA Commnet) from Central Park Square to 999 Central Avenue brought that about.
There were some events when the County was obstructive about LA Commnet expansion or operation, though, including that Central Avenue/15th Street fiber addition, but I'll not expand the details, at least not just now.
I think my comments eight years ago were pretty much spot-on, and I may yet be declared a prophet for them.
My fondest hope is for this blog to inspire true cooperation, though, so can't we end the planning instead of doing, and get behind some common goals? Without spending all the treasure we taxpayers have accumulated?
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