I, a 15-year-old computer nerd, am online most of the day. When I heard
that the Lafayette Utility System may install fiber optic lines (Game
On, Nov. 3), I was happy. As many know, BellSouth and Cox offer
broadband to the Lafayette area and are the leaders in this area for
these services.
Why do you think BellSouth and Cox are so against it? They are against it because they know LUS will probably be cheaper than they are, and one main factor from people
making the jump to broadband is the monthly cost. Even if speeds are
half that of Cox or BellSouth, the price will attract the average user.
I am glad to see more competition between Internet service providers
because we all know that the end result is cheaper prices. But the big
thing I am worried about is LUS' support of the services.
Let's look at some prices here. To get the basic services of cable,
Internet and telephone from Cox, the price would be around $67 per
month. Cox does not offer telephone services in this area, but it soon
will. For BellSouth, with their basic services of phone, Internet and
satellite, you would be paying around $88 per month. LUS's projected cost for these services is $85 per month.
One thing I am worried about is that cost. That is a lot for basic
cable, phone and Internet. If it is "faster than anything currently
offered" it would have to be faster than 4mbps, which Cox has just now
offered. Eighty-eight dollars a month for anything faster than 4mbps
with the other services will be way worth the money, but the average
person doesn't need that fast of a connection.
Customer support is something LUS needs to think about. They will need people who know what to do and
have knowledge of networking to compete with Cox and BellSouth. This
will cost some money to do. They will need to train their employees,
make sure they are familiar with different brands of modems and
networking equipment. Will LUS have 24-hour support? If not, then it will not be good service because
you will need a skilled person to fix your problem over the phone fast.
The few times I have needed to call Cox support, I got the information
I needed, and they knew the answers, which impressed me because I was
expecting to be transferred around or put on hold for 10 minutes just
to hear "I don't know." That's what I'm afraid LUS' support may be.
In closing, I do believe that LUS should have a fiber optic network in Lafayette. It will bring better
connections, lower prices and better quality of service for us when
there is competition between companies. Although the $100,000,000 may
seem like a lot, it will have to be done sooner or later - and the
quicker the better. In the end, you will see better and faster
technologies utilizing the fiber optic network and better living for us
all.