David Rodeback's Blog

City and Surpha Sign Sale Agreement
Surpha now owns a municipal broadband system; American Fork City doesn't. (Does this mean it's not municipal any more?)

American Fork Sells AFCNet
The deed is almost done. The buyer is Surpha. The vote was unanimous. The price is $500,000.

AFCNet/Surpha Agreement on May 27 City Council Agenda
It's pretty big news for American Fork's municipal broadband system. UTOPIA is in the news, too.

American Fork Municipal Broadband Update
Negotiations continue, and an agreement may be coming soon.

Provo's Municipal Broadband, and a Happy (Unrelated) Lawsuit Verdict
Two news stories of note.

American Fork Broadband Notes
Tonight's meeting, a small dose of basic economics, AFCNet as an example of infrastructure, and a little debunking of municipal wireless broadband.

American Fork Municipal Broadband Update
The earlier engagement to PacketFront broke down; the new suitor is Surpha.

The Latest on Municipal Broadband in American Fork
The letter of intent has expired, the original RFP will be reissued . . . I don't recall anyone promising a complete broadband solution in American Fork would be easy or immediate. It's not bad news. It's just news.

Three Big Wins for the Heber Thompson Administration
American Fork City is three-for-three in the big battles this year. This post looks at those three and suggests some things on which the City may focus next year.

Broadband Decision
American Fork will now enter negotiations with PacketFront for the sale of the municipal network and the lease of some of the City's fiber-optic lines.

Locally: Five Short Notes
Broadband, 900 West, HDTV, Paris, and a meaningless statistic. Did you know lumpenproletariat is one word?

Another Broadband Update
I attended an interesting, technically public meeting on Thursday. Here I report some of what I saw and heard.

American Fork Municipal Broadband: Update
Here I fill in a few details -- nothing earth-shaking -- and ask a question I haven't heard anyone ask yet. (That might mean it's a dumb question. You decide.)

A Minor Broadband Update
Here's what little I can add to the American Fork municipal broadband picture this week. Just to prove it really is a slow news day, I also express my hope that a certain city councilman will show up at a future meeting in a kilt.

Two Deadlines for American Fork: One Real, One Proposed
One quick thought each about American Fork's broadband and preserving historic buildings.

Briefly, on Broadband: A Referral
This post is so short that it could be its own teaser.

American Fork Broadband: Unanswered Questions and Unexplored Possibilities
We can only guess how important AFCNet, properly managed and extended, could be to the long-term economic viability of American Fork and to its residents' quality of life. What if, years down the road, it turns out to have been crucial, and we find that a decision to divest was made too early, and that the picture would have looked much different if we had kept it for one more year?

Broadband: Hindsight and AFCNet's ISPs
Is the ISPs' tempest at last week's American Fork City Council meeting and a related hearing too little, too late? What could they have done sooner?

American Fork and Broadband: Political Realities
In a year which will already feature a substantial tax increase and the need to pass a bond issue to pay for a water solution, American Fork officials may have only one choice in resolving the broadband problem.

"Aw, Don't Think Like That! . . . Think Like a Pirate!"
Or, rather, don't think like an accountant. Think like an economist! A few more thoughts about municipal broadband.

Municipal Broadband: Questions and Answers
How big a deal is telecommuting? Is wired broadband technology obsolete? Could American Fork have had its municipal broadband free, with a little more patience?

Broadband's Impact on American Fork's Economy and Quality of Life
Here is a list of activities which broadband Internet access enhances or enables. All have economic implications; most also affect the quality of life.

Broadband's Economic Impact: Public vs. Private
In comparisons between municipal broadband systems and private industry's broadband offerings, measuring their respective economic impacts, it turns out there is a clear winner and a sound economic reason why.

Broadband's Economic Impact: Haves vs. Have-Nots
Today's broadband Internet question is: What is the economic impact of broadband availability and use in a community, whether publicly or privately provided?

To Have or not to Have Municipal Broadband: That Is the Real Question
This first in a series of articles about American Fork's municipal broadband system, AFCNet, sets the stage for considering a variety of related questions in more detail.