Doesn “state of the art” mean expensive and risky?
Municipal fiber networks (and fiber networks in general) are becoming more common, both in the US and internationally. The technology that the project proposes to use is well established and proven. For example, Verizon is essentially using the money from the planned sale of its VT, NH and ME phone lines to build nearly identical fiber-to-the-home networks in its urban and suburban markets. As the technology has become more common, prices for equipment have dropped. Burlington, VT, is close to completing a network passing over 20,000 homes, providing a proven network architecture and business model. Tim Nulty, the former head of Burlington Telecom, recently announced his resignation and has joined VallyNet/ValleyFiber to manage the buildout and operation of this project. The network will utilize similar network design and service offerings that have convinced nearly 40% of Burlington households with access to the fiber network to switch to the fiber network for Internet, and/or phone a
