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Comment by kashkhan | Hacker News Reader

why should time warner own the last mile? It should be owned by the homeowners.

This concept is often referred to as "homes with tails". The idea is that if everyone controlled a line from their house to a central facility (kind of like a small meet-me room) then at those facilities there could be significant competition that would drive down prices.

http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2008/11/homes-with-ta...

If the homeowner owns the last mile, then they become responsible for maintenance, ensuring they comply with FCC and other regulations, and negotiating terms of interconnection. Obviously, that's out of reach of most of the population, so homeowners don't own the last mile.

I'm sure there are companies who would provide that service without requiring ownership

Yes, and they could even rent you the modem to use with the service! /sarcasm

That's basically an ISP. You pay someone to make sure you stay connected. Then they become corrupt and try to find new ways to make more money on the deal.

Not really no, since you break up the 'pipeline' to be owned by multiple entities. Replacing one entity in said pipeline is easier if each of them controls a smaller chunk of the pipeline.

Kind of like automobiles, which are widely owned by private individuals.

Homeowners are responsible for maintenance of many things, including things subject to assorted laws and regulations. Indeed, they can be subjected to FCC enforcement action simply for turning on an common store-bought electrical device, such as a fan or TV.

Sure, but those things don't require digging up wires blocks away from your home. Or mounting up on a telephone pole to fix a downed line, as would be the case with my home.

HOAs often manage such things. Or, where sanity intervenes, local government. The real point is that private entities shouldn't have control of basic infrastructure.

how often is the last mile maintained? Once established there's usually not much need fro maintenance until it is replaced. Coax cables and fibers have little use for maintenance.

Homeowners can comply with the FCC just as easily as the corporations. We won't make the stuff, only install it.

It's not out of reach. In many poor countries the last mile is done by small companies that string coax wires on existing utility poles (also paid for by the homeowners through the electricity installation charges) which are often just 1-2 guys. Coax cable or fibre costs less than $1 per foot in bulk.

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