Fullerton’s Fiber Failure Forms into Far-Fetched Google Gamble
Last year we laughed at Dick Jones’ plan to dig trenches all over Fullerton and form his own fiber optic Internet service. As predicted, the appointed Technology Working Group failed to pull in the magical Federal stimulus dollars to launch this terribly unnecessary project. Lobbyists were consulted, fits were thrown, but in the end we were saved from yet another boondoggle thanks to a faltering economy.
With that loss behind them, we had hoped that the TWG would rest on it’s laurels of creating the nearly useless and unused downtown wireless network, which they had finished building just moments before every single coffee shop, restaurant and bar offered their own wireless for free.
But then Google gave these gullible go-getters a new glimmer of hope. Last month the Mountain View technology behemoth announced a “contest” of sorts – the winning city will get to have Google come out and rewire a portion of the city for free as some sort of yet-to-be-explained telecom experiment.
Within a month, at least a hundred cities across the country (each presumably guided by its’ own version of a clueless technology commission) had announced interest in submitting an RFP for the contest. And so the corporate boot-licking stunts begin; Topeka, Kansas renamed their city “Google” for a month, Baltimore has appointed a “Google Czar” and Peoria has had its’ “Google Day“.
I suppose it’s fine if a couple of starry-eyed “technology fixes everything” types want to go against the odds, coddle Google and fill out a long RFP. In fact, knock yourselves out if you have nothing better to do.
But at best, Fullerton faces 100-to-1 odds and has no idea what Google is actually giving to the winning city. Please, please do not let Dick Jones waste a dime of our tax dollars on consultants or staff time for this high-tech Hail Mary.
Ooops, too late. The Redevelopment and Community Development departments are already working it. Perhaps they just need something to do.
I wrote to the city manager and city council members a few moths after they launched that downtown wireless network. I had asked several business owners downtown why they weren’t making their patrons aware of it and found that they weren’t even aware of it. I believe the city dropped $50,000 to build it, held a ceremony with a bunch of kids from Cameron McCune’s extortion experiment otherwise known as Laptops for Learning, and forgot to tell anybody.
Chris, I pulled the utilization data for the downtown wireless network last year. For a majority of the day only one person is connected. Two is a party.
And “connected” does not mean in use. It just means their computer is turned on.
I tried to use it myself once. Local businesses provide better connectivity for free, sans the waste of taxpayer dollars.
A total waste.
If the Commission wants to do it as part of their volunteer time, I see no reason not to try. Fullerton has a busy downtown with numerous schools. Google’s presence here could certainly benefit students, businesses, and residents. However, it is odd that no one seems to know what the project really is. You cannot write a winning RFP without knowing what the RFP is actually for.
Further more, isn’t it true that our DSL lines are intentionally slowed down so that the telecoms can charge more for extra bandwidth??? Or is that just urban legend?
Greg, staff has already committed time to this project. Time = money.
To answer your question, bandwidth levels at most ISP’s are subject to a tiered price structure just like any other limited resource. You are usually able to get up to the physical bandwidth limit for $20 extra a month or so. If not, switch to another ISP. You don’t have to use the phone company.
None of the comission or council members have any idea what they would do with gigabits of bandwith. They have no idea how much they use today. If pressed for an answer, they would likely end up saying “watch 4 channels at once.”
Generally with commission meetings there is the department head and someone from the Clark’s Office in attendance at the order of council. They have to be at all commission meetings since these are open to the public and members are subject to the Brown Act. Do you know with any certainty that other staff has had anything to do with the Google deal?
But regarding the tiered pricing, AT&T et al, don’t change out any of the gear for a little bit more bandwidth, they simply allow more data for more money? In other words pay more, get more but they don’t change out any of the hardware??? Much like the water company turning a valve so you can use more water.
You are right that the council doesn’t understand the technology, but I would have thought that the technology commissioners would have an ITS background. I hear the Council is looking to fill a Technology Working Group vacancy. (http://www.cityoffullerton.com/depts/city_clerk/committees_n_commissions/default.asp) I think you should get involved.
Why is the Redevelopment agency working on an IT project? Make work?
Probably because RDA sucked up the tax revenue and IT has any money.
Yes, I listened to the recording from the most recent meeting. A staff member stated that the RDA was working on this project.
Once this Google deal dies the commission will probably end. Without any money to blow they serve no purpose and staff is probably tired of dealing with most of them.
Greg, commission appointments are political. I don’t have to go to a meeting to guarantee that 90% of what is said at these meetings is totally inane. This city is just filled with cheerleaders that want to be in the We Love Fullerton club. The price of admission is bashing your brains out with a baseball bat before you apply.
Not true. I’m on a commission and I would say I’m pretty vocal when things go sideways. These low-level commissions have specific purposes (much of which is to deflect the heat off of council and on to guys like me. I was constantly bitching and complaining to friends and family about certain issues when I realized I should try to help find solutions rather than bitching about how screwed up things seemed to be. In the process I have met a few stellar individuals who are city employees. I know of one person in particular who is an upper level manager who is truly outstanding. In my opinion, they are the single hardest working person in that department. I knew this prior to my appointment but it has been demonstrated time and again.
I would imaging the Planning Commission is the single most political commission. They have a completely different playbook from the rest of us. They have certain powers via the municipal code, while the lesser commissions have advisory powers only. Before my appointment, I had never met ANY of the council members. Since then, I met one and it wasn’t Nelson.
Chris, I have painstakingly listened to most of the Technology Working Group recordings for the entire year.
You are dead on.
No kidding.
That’s a lot of Ritto on my screen.
It’s funny that Dick Jones is the one pushing this. He is probably the most technically illiterate of all the council members. In the most recent council meeting he talked about how we need this because it will speed up the city’s website.
Sorry Dick, you have no idea what you are talking about.
DUHHH!!! That’s a given!
You don’t have to look far to see the Anaheim and Curt Pringle FAILED at a city-wide internet project a few years ago.
Long Beach, East Elbow and any other city that can read is going after this Google notion, and given the unfriendliness of CA’s current business environment, they sure won’t be building anything here as they’re moving their server farms out of state.
Bah, too bad this thread is so old. I was going to say how useful it would have been to a multi-city company like ours to have fibre available to our building and further build it out as a disaster recovery site. I wish Verizon would get more market penetration outside of just the central stripe of SoCal cities. Bah.