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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-02-16 Agenda Packet - Board (20) TDPUD STAFF REPORT TO: Board of Directors FROM: Alan Harry, Director of Telecommunications Services SUBJECT. Telecommunications Survey DATE. February 11, 2000 AGENDA # At your January 5, 2000, regular meeting your Board authorized staff to enter into a contract with Sierra Market Research to conduct a survey of District customers on the subject of Telecommunications. The survey has been completed, and at your meeting of February 16, 2000, Mr. Carl Bergemann, Director of Sierra Market Research, will deliver a written and oral report of their findings. In addition, staff has attached for your review, articles pertaining to public agencies who have, or soon will, begin providing telecommunication services within their respective communities, and letter/ e-mails from District customers expressing their views on the District providing such services. RECOMMENDATION: No Board action is requested. Groton , Conn . , says yes to community-owned telecom The city of Groton, Conn., plans to customers, said Director of Utilities he said. begin offering high-speed data trans- Alexander B. Chisholm. "The construe- The city-owned utility must Find new mission, Internet and telephone service tion of the fiber optic network and all ways to offer better service to its cus- Iater this year, now that voters have ap- its related products allows Groton Utili- tomers, Cris ro m added. -The utility in- proved the plan. ties to offer a high-tech solution to busi- dustry that everyone knew is dead," he Residents voted last month by a 7-1 ness problems facing our customers to- sai roton utilities can only survive margin to authorize their municipal day," he said. This will make it easier by respon ing aggressivel to the ra id electric utility, Groton Utilities, to en- for the utility to create strategic alli- rate ot, change in today's business ter the telecommunications business. ances with its large business customers, world." They approved $6.9 million in funding — for the construction of a 32-mile fiber 10 Public Power Weekly July 26,199T-- Little Newnan, Ga . , shows telecom business can pay Listen to Jeff Strane talk about the ever, provide cable TV services and it and treat a patient from home. virtual world ofNewnan,Ga.,andyou'll won permission from the state Public Anew residential development now want to live there. Or, if you run your Service Commission to become a com- under construction outside of Newnan own municipal electric utility, you'll peting provider to BellSouth of local willhave cable television and telephone want to be like Jeff. telephone service. service from Newnan Utilities.The de- Newnan Utilities has been in the tele- In 1996, Newnan embarked on con- velopment,SummerGrove,will spring communications business since Decem- struction of a 750-mhz cable system fea- into existence with its own virtual exist- ber 1996.The 95-year-old electric utility turing two-way 10-MB cable modem ac- ence,SummerGrove.net,a community serves 5,500 electric customers.For now, cess,30 music channels and 86 TV chan- home page that will provide informa- Newnan has little prospect of expand- nels. The system provides Internet ac- tion on babysitters, tee times, restau- ing its base of electric customers be- cess at a speed 32 times as fast as a 28.8 rantmenus,and other community news. cause a 1973 state law established firm modem.Internet access is provided on Part of Newnan Utilities' strategy is to geographic territories for Georgia's Newnan's hybrid co-ax fiber system. build relationships with those tele- private, public and cooperative utili- Strane described Newnan's telecom phone, cable and Internet customers ties. As Newnan's city boundaries ex- venture at APPA's Strategic Marketing so thatwhen retail electric competition panded, the utility was permitted to and Economic DevelopmentWorkshop begins in Georgia—which Strane ex- serve the (money-losing) water and in Charleston,S.C., last week. pects will happen in about 2003— sewer customers, but not the more lu. The telecommunications system is Newnan Utilities can offer electric crative electric customers.It could,how- part of Newnan's economic develop service to its telecommunications _ ment strategy,based in strong measure customers. on as sire to avoid becoming a bed- Entering the cable TV business in room community for Atlanta.Without Newnan meant building a duplicate its own business base, Newnan would system to compete with the existing face the need to build high quality supplier. Once Newnan launched its schools on a residential tax base,Strane project, the local cable company - said, The telecommunications system dropped its rates by $10, bringing an links the community in the same way immediate benefit to local residents. that a single office building would link But the cable company considers itself all of its computers on a local area part of the entertainment business. network.Schools,libraries,homes and "We're in the utility business," said businesses are all hooked together and Strane."We provide 24-hourrepair ser- form a virtual community.The capacity vice,we don't care whether its for kilo- and speed of the network makes it pos- watt-hours or megabytes or telephone sible for children to conduct research service. The cable company does not on the Internet, prepare a homework think this way." assignment and e-mail it to their class- The telecommunications venture has room.Hospitals can run a CAT scan on been a financial success for Newnan. a patient and e-mail it to a physician's The ut lity paid off its debt service on home.allowing the doctor to dia¢nose t e ca e system wimin two years. Public Power Weekly July 5.1999 3 Service will be faster than dial-up Massachusetts town to offer high-speed Internet hook-up Shrewsbury's Community Cable- reality this September." analog system. vision (SCC) will offer high-speed Trucks are rolling and crews are Basichigh-speed Internet service will Internet service beginning this Sep- stringing cable throughout the town cost$39.95 (including modem lease). tember to the Massachusetts town's in preparation to offer new services, Service is direct-connect, on line all residential and commercial custom- the municipal utilitysaid.High-speed the time through a cable modem, ers.The launch of Internet and other Internet service will be launched by which eliminates the need to pay for new services in partnership with ISP Septemberand digital cable program- another phone line to receive service, Channel will be the result of an ongo- ming will be launched in the fall. the utility said.The SCC/ISP Channel ing $7.5 million upgrade project to Internet service will first be available service will include customer support enhance the system and bring state- in the central area of town, and the 24 hours a day, seven days a week. of-the art, high-technology commu- whole town is expected to be ready Costs for installation and other service nications services to the community, for service before the end of the year. options are being determined but will the municipal utility said. The upgrade project will overhaul be competitive, SCC said. "Construction has begun and we're the town's 15-year-old cable plant and "We are well aware of the market- looking forward to providing custom- put in place a technologically ad- place and will make sure that our pric- ers with Internet access at speeds sig- vanced system, the utility said. SCC ing and programming options are very nificantly higher than what's avail- said its digital cable services will in- competitive,"Josie said."We are proud able from dial-up service providers," elude up to 100 or more new digital of our tradition in meeting the compe- said Thomas R. Josie, general man- cable channels, including Pay-Per- tition in both pricing and program- ager of SCC and Shrewsbury's Elec- View, digital music, multiplex pre- ming. In fact, Shrewsbury's cable cus- tric Light Plant. "We've had a strong mium and basic network program- tomers today pay about 28% less in interest expressed in this new service ming. Digital cable services will be in rates than those paid by customers and we look forward to making it a addition to the existing 80-channel served by Greater Media." 1 Eugene; Ore beginsrbig fiber optic}project +f The Eugene Water&Electric Board several local agencies, including the has awarded a contract to MFS Net- schooldistrict,countyand theUniver- work Technologies to construct the sity of Oregon. Eventually, the utility initial phase of a fiber optic commu- may offer Internet access over the sys- nications system in Eugene, Ore. tem, Hamilton said. The first phase of the project, ex- EWEB is using a flexible design that pected to cost $8 million, will link 35 siteswith 62 miles t =- . of fiber optic cable. It will Z` eflrst tlh8se,ot he protect, �s connect a network opera- tions Center at EWEB's bus? ness headquarters with 25 4 expected to eost:$8 m11t10n, Wlll,z " '. EWEB substations and three € ' 4 , Bonneville Power Adminis- =`�jnk $5_Slte$With ti2'mlteS Df tlher .` tration substations. Con- struction of this phase will be completed by the end of optic eatite4 the year, the utility said. The Oregon utility plans to use the -'will allow us to add the capability of networkfor its own communications, carrying video, local area network, including real-time demand moni- voice,and Internet traffic between the toring and remote meter reading, public schools, the University of Or- said EWEB spokeswoman Cathy egon,an othermunici allocations," Hamilton. But excess fiber will be sat en Beeson,the utility's telecom- laid to allow a future connection with munications project manager. I City utility in Greenville ; Texas, plans to offer telecommunications Greenville Electric Utility this the-art communications infrastruc- month announced plans to become ture, the utility said. the first city-owned utility.in Texas "We are excited about expanding to own its own cable television sys- our fiber optics network to provide a' tem. The utility plans to begin pro- community-owned,locally controlled yiding cable television and high- infrastructure to ensure that speed Internet service to,its`custom- Greenville will have access to the ers in 2001. information superhighway," said GEUS-began constructing a fiber David Mc Calla, assistant general optic network throughout its service manager for GEUS. "We will be able territory roughly three years ago. In to offer a programming package of addition to internal uses, the net- cable television service and high- work has been used to connect mu- speed Internet that is better than nicipal, county and school district what is currently being offered, and facilities. A citywide hybrid fiber at a ower cost. We see this as a natu- optic and coaxial cable network is to ral addition to the electric service we be constructed to provide state-of- are already providing." 1 Page 2 August, 1999 ALAMEDA POWER&TELECOM The City of Alameda Bureau of Electricity has a new name—Alameda Power&Telecom! The change from the former "Bureau of Electricity"is a result of Alameda's evolving role as a provider of power and telecommunications services to residents and businesses in Alameda. Besides electricity,Alameda Power&Telecom are looking into new telecommunications services such as cable television,telephone, high-speed data transfer and Internet access. Key to the name-change decision by the Public Utilities Board was the installation of fiber-optic cable throughout the City. The upgrade provided an advanced power distribution and monitoring system and made the network available for telecommunications services. Founded in 1887,Alameda Power& Telecom is the oldest municipal electric utility in California. Serving approximately 32,000 business and residential customers in the City,Alameda Power&Telecom remains a department of the City of Alameda, directed by the City's Public Utilities Board. }',,Z14 41e, st/ 98 Municipal utility in Longmont to lease dark fiber to lCG Netcorn The city of Longmont, Colo., a 17-mile fiber optic backbone and ICG Netcom have signed an ring around the city in January agreement for the company to 1998. The 144-fiber backbone lease dark fiber capacity on the connects most municipal facili- city's fiber optic backbone net- ties, including electric substa- work. ICG Netcom is the first tions, and is currently used for commercial customer on municipal voice and data com- Longmont's municipally owned munications. The system utilizes fiber system. As part of ICG synchronous optic network ring Netcom'sstrategyto expand into technology for a self-healing, Northern Colorado, the com- open standard network that en- pany is installing its own 200- ables inter- mile fiber network and will lease connections 12 fibers for 20 years from OW for multiple Longmont to begin offer- Q 7 `` vendors and ing local, long distance, ��F tO�'6' services, the Internet and data ser- 1�^ V �0 municipal util- vices to customers Ia icy said. along the northern ) {/) PRPA com- Front Range by Octo- A C'0 � 2` pleted construc- ber 1998. 9� 1 OR N tion of a 96-fiber line Longmont Power & 7 �CQ.� between Fort Collins Communications, the i and Longmont in Feb- city's electric and telecom- ruary 1998. The Platte munications utility, will River and Longmont fiber sys- provide ICG Netcom with inter- tems are linked for electric sys- connection to the Platte River tern monitoring and control as Power Authority fiber optic com- well as voice and data communi- munications network. Platte cations. River and ICG Netcom are ex- Longmont Power & Communi- ploring joint opportunities on cations said that, on behalf of the PRPA's system, which connects city, it continues to seek alliance Longmont, Loveland, Fort opportunities with telecommuni- Collins and Estes Park. cations service providers for ex- "The lease agreementwith ICG tension of the fiber network and " Netcom accomplishes two of our delivery of advanced communi- original goals for building the cations services throughout the fiber backbone,"said Jeff Gould, community. director of Longmont Power & "ICG Netcom is pleased to be Communications. "It stimulates bringing a telecommunications competition for telecommunica- choice to Longmont and North- tions services in the community ern Colorado due to the fact that and it reduces construction in it has been absent for the last 100 streets and rights-of-way by en. years," said ICG Telecom Group abling service providers to use President Sheldon Ohringer. the city's fiber capacity instead "The early response has been fan- of building their own fiber tastic and we expect to become a routes." prominent new teiecommunica- Longmont Power&Communi- tions choice in Longmont and cations completed installation of Northern Colorado." I Fiber Optics , i„II � wl :4 .l Washington PUD Association, BPA Sign Historic Agreement will provide services to those areas at a reasonable cost. Washington PUD Washington's ashington's rural communities are a step closer to the infor- Association is the first in Washington mation superhighway thanks to a new contract between the to step up and provide this kind of Washington PUD Association (WPUDA) and the Bonneville service to the public. Power Administration (BPA). "Bonneville's assets are a public BPA and WPUDA signed an agreement to make fiber optic resource, and we want to use them to cables available to public and private utilities and other entities, meet public needs.This agreement is very much in the spirit of BPA's origi- and to the communities they serve. nal mission to bring utility services to The PUD Association is organizing a nonprofit mutual corpo- under-served areas. We look forward ration, called Northwest Open Access Network, to operate the to working with others to achieve this fiber system. Sixteen PUDs will belong to the organization initial- goal." ly_More utilities and other entities may join in the future. "These lines will enhance utility operations, but we're also pleased to be working with Bonneville to open Greg Marney, director of relecom- members will operate the network up lines to our communities," said munications for WPUDA, said the net- within their own service areas. Don Goddard, manager of Grant work is expected to be in operation by "The areas this agreement will County PUD and chairperson of a early 2000. Interconnection points will serve are small markets," said Jack committee overseeing development of be available in every county where Robertson, former BPA depury admin- the public telecommunications net- BPA fiber now runs within the next istrtror. "They sometimes do not rep- work. "Many PUDs and other utilities two years. NOANet will provide resent economic investment opporm- serve communities that currently do access to telecommunication Transport nities. To achieve our objective, we are not have high speed telecommunica- among its members. The individual offering special access to anyone who rion facilities. 24 BULLETIN December Nq9 I I i "We want the people we serve to connections. Rates can be four times is needed, with split-second adjust- have all the opportunities that urban higher than those for urban areas. menu. Utilities can offer remote dwellers enjoy," he said. "This really But end-user costs for rural and and real-time meter-reading and is a historic opportunity to bring our remote areas served by the BPA pro- energy management services, communities into the modern era, gram will be roughly comparable to enabling customers to cut costs and much like the rural electrification those paid by end users in larger use energy efficiently. Utilities also effort of the 1930s and 1940s." communities in the Northwest. need Internet connections and BPA's rates for the public benefits advanced data networking among Excess Capacity Intended for fiber program fully recover BPA's scattered facilities. Community Use costs to install and operate. BPA has a commercial fiber pro- NOANet's utility members will BPA has installed fiber optic gram for companies not offering use the network for utility purposes cable along its electric transmission broadband capacity to small mar- and plan to make excess capacity lines to operate the regional power kets. This too makes use of excess available to other organizations, grid. The fiber replaces an existing capacity not needed immediately to including schools, hospitals, muse- microwave system that is becoming keep the power grid reliable.Money ums, libraries, businesses that con- obsolete. Fiber has tremendous earned is used to offset the cost of tribute to rural economic develop- capacity —more than meets BPA installing fiber optics cable. ■ ment, and federal, state, local and immediate needs —so the federal tribal governments. The utilities power agency is making some of the SOURCE: WPUDA Current, Fall intend ro provide open access to the excess available to benefit the public. 1999 issue network at nondiscrirnmato , non- _pro it, cost-based rates. How Utilities Use Fiber Optics Rural communities are not eco- High-speed digital telecommuni- nomically attractive to most local cation technologies have a number of Article's'_in the Feature section fepture „✓� opinion of indi i"l authors'dnd do and long haul telecommunications applications in the utility industry. < 11 not necessarily reflect those of companies because of the lack of Electric utilities use the technology to or theputw.y in dustryas a who(f t` population density and remoteness of direct the delivery of power where it rv`t w What is NOANet? The Washington PUD Association is organizing the Northwest Open Access Network (NOANet) to manage the fiber optic cables leased from BPA. NOANet wilt provide its utility members with the telecommunication ' highway they need to effectively operate their electric and water utilities, and will. make excess capacity available to others. NOANet will, benefit the public by operating on a nonprofit basis, and by providing open, nondiscriminatory access to all end-use customers and suppliers of telecommunication services. NOANet wilt provide the backbone of a Pacific Northwest telecommunication superhighway; it will not provide telecommunication services. Individual NOANet members or associates will, be responsible for build- ing telecommunication systems within their service areas that will connect with the backbone system. Membership in NOANet wilt be open to all who can Legally join, and who agree to provide public bene- fits by offering use of their telecommunication systems to customers and telecommunication suppliers on a nonprofit basis. Others may participate on the same basis. Source: WPUDA Current, Fall 1999 issue. December 1999 BULLETIN 25 Feature Tacoma Power Expands Telecommunication is a new ven- by Adding Fiber Optics ture tor Tacoma Power, buttaking on new ventures is nothing new for the 106-year-old utility. by Sue Veseth Tacoma Power has been munici- pally owned since 1393, when Tacoma citizens voted to buy the pri- X vately owned Tacoma Light & Water Company. Citizens believed that pub- tic ownership and local control _ would give them higher qualityY , services. 1, Tacoma Power's telecommunica- tions project evolved in a similar way. Tacoma Power originally planned to build a fiber-optic net- work or automated istri upon sys- S rem contro. A consultant suggested that the utility, for a small incremen- tal investment, could build a network with additional capacity that would allow the utility to develop new ser- vices that would strengthen customer loyalty and generate revenue. _ Tacoma Power decided to build a hybrid fiber-optic/coaxial network to t connect all of its 143,000 customers as well as its substations—and help offset the cost by selling data Trans- port and cable television services. "We recognized the economic e- development potential for the com- jmuniry we serve and the potential for new services for our,customers," said Steve Klein, Tacoma Power superin- tendent who spearheaded the rele- communications effort. "We were _EVS prepared to invest in a system that would benefit every customer in our _ service area and give them a choice of telecommunications services. rS "A system-wide network also opens possibilities for automated f„ meter reading, power outage report- ing, better reliability and a two-way communications link with our cus- tomers," he continued. "With com- petition in the electric utility industry increasing, the relecommumca[ions network offers us opportunities to i.L, serve our customers in new and piece of cable became the first sec- marketing and branding expertise to exciting ways." tion of the downtown Tacoma net- select the name Click! Network and Tacoma Power's in-depth techni- work. design a distinctive logo. cal feasibility studies, market analysis Construction on the residential "Selecring the right name was and customer research all strongly cable television network began in crucial,'" said Cyndi Wikscrom, mar- supported building the network. So December 1997 and service began in keting and business operations man- did citizens, who almost universally u y 1 98. By November 1999, ager. "Click! is a great name because favored the project, primarily Tacoma Power had more than it reflects that the network will pro- because of the prospect of comperi- 10,000 cable television customers. vide cable television, Internet access tion for the incumbent cable televi- Tacoma Power plans to complete and broadband services. Ic communi- sion provider. network construction within Tacoma cares what we offer—quick access Tacoma Power's governing bod- in early 2000 and expand service to to information and entertainment." ies, the Public Utility Board and City its customers beyond the city limits Tacoma Power's relecommunica- Council, gave the utility the go-ahead as franchise agreements are compeer- rions network will consist of some in 1997. ed.Tacoma Power needs to negotiate 1,400 miles of fiber-optic and coaxial Tacoma Power had developed with 10 separate municipalities to cable. It is designed to support utility, some expertise in telecommunica- serve the entire utility service area. cable television and broadband appli- tions business while preparing the As construction began, so did cations. business plan but realized that mov- marketing efforts, including selecting ing forward required skilled employ- a name. Tacoma Power brought in contm.,don pg.22 ees from the telecommunications industry who could build a system from the ground up. They found a leader in Debra Stewart, who has been in the cable television business www rwbeekeom since 1975. She has worked in every Telecommunications aspect of the cable business from ventures construction to franchise negotia- tions. Nearly all of Tacoma Power's 98 telecommunications employees are telecommunications industry ver- New Product Ventures erans, bringing between 10 and 30 years of experience to the project and unlimited enthusiasm and commit- "sue ment to making is work. Power Marketing/Asset "A lot of talented people are Maximization working on this project," Stewart "y _ 1 said. "The attraction is the opportu- niry to build a Brace-of-rhe-art net- work from the ground up and to Risk Management build it right. Our network will give CHEATING YOUR SUCCESS [ROM customers superior products with superior reliability." THE DYNAMICS Of CHANGE Fiber was first installed in down- town Tacoma in August 1997 to accommodate the Frank Russell Company, an international invest- Contact Angeiostuzzn ment management and asset consult- 20s^'954405 ing firm. Tacoma Power made a amuzzr.4mteacom fiber-optic connection between two Frank Russell facilities so it could move large amounts of data. This December 1999 BULLETIN 21 Feature "Some utilities have reduced their average power outage time from SO minutes to less than six minutes with automatic fault restoration. The customer ,, ' benefits are obvious." A ' Joe Girth, Tacoma Power SCADA supervisor Y J - Continued fiom pg.21 system operations, starting with Click! commercial.products fall automatic fault restoration. The net- into three major categories: cable The 35-mile "backbone" of the work will sense a fault, isolate it, television, Internet access and broad- system is an optical cable ring that restore electrical service tote band services. routes communications between the remainder of the feeder and notify Cable television: Cable television cable television head-end and six dispatchers where the fault is. s the most visible non-utility applica- major hubs, located at Tacoma "Some utilities have reduced Lion. Click! Network offers 114 Power electrical substations. From their average power ourage time channels of cable television program- the hubs, optical cable "service from 50 minutes to less than six min- ming, which includes a digital music loops" route communications to utes with automatic fault restora- service and several premium and pay- some 125 neighborhood nodes. Lion" said Joe Orth,Tacoma Power's per-view channels at competitive Coaxial cable from the nodes com- SCADA supervisor. "The customer prices. So far, Click! is realizing bet- pletes service to individual homes benefits are obvious." ter than its market penetration goal and small businesses. Large business- Tacoma Power also may use the of 25 percent. es, government institutions and sub- fiber-optic network for voltage con- The head-end for cable television stations that demonstrate a need for trol, especially in an area of Tacoma service is located at the Tacoma high-volume voice or data traffic with a large number of volrage-sensi- Power office complex. The head-end receive direct fiber-optic connections. rive industries. Real-time data on is the control center of the system, One of the "build it right" voltage fluctuations will enable where incoming television and satel- requirements is redundancy. Re- Tacoma Power to better address lice signals are processed for the net- dundancy is built in throughout the industry needs. work. Click! has seven satellite dishes system so that services from each Data gathering is an important at the head-end to capture incoming hub and each node can be provided network application. Tacoma Power cable signals. A 120-toot tower at through Two different routes. Further, will be able to extend its SCADA sys- the Pearl Street hub captures signals each node has batteries to provide up rem to include unit substations as from local broadcast television sta- to three hours of back-up power. A well as main substations. tions and sends them to the head-end status monitoring system, similar to a "We plan to build a data ware- for distribution. power SCADA system, provides con- house with information from the unit Internet access: Click! has devel- tinuous information about the net- subs and the main stations," Orrh oped a unique platform on which it work and notification when prob- said. "The data will help our plan- provides transport for multiple lems occur. ning efforts and support our Internet service prove ers ( SPs) to For most Tacoma Power cus- Geographic Information System, jusr otter customers high-speed Internet comers, Click! network means cable to name a few uses. Once we have access T roug cable modems. Click! to evtsion, but the core use of the net the data, it's likely we'll find many w Create usiness alliances with work is for utiliry applications. The more ways to use it productively for ISP tto allow them to use The nor- primary uses will be in distribution our customers." wor ro ojTr cable modem Inrerner services to business and residential private, secure networks for e-mail to build, install and maintain it. and data transport. Organizations that use the I-Net will customers. ay for necessary electronics and Broadband and other business While many high-speed data p services: Broadband telecommunica- transport services focus on large connection to the I-Nec plus an tions services include products for companies, Click, services will be annual maintenance fee. They then telephony, data transport and adaptable and affordable for medi- can use the I-Nec at no additional Internet service for business cus- um-sized and small businesses, which charge. "All the `dividends' from this tomers, plus cable television and digi- make up a large part of the Tacoma pourers roject notdirectly form a more ck to hoices, cus- tal music for business. Click! business community. s higher quality launched its business services, Click! Institutional Network: Click! ity Ichoices and creating a Business Advantage, in 1999, and also building an institutional ner- community asset " Klein said. , offers customers transport services work, or I-Ner, which is a "network "Building the system has been a from DS1 to OC43 in addition to within a hetvork" that links schools, major challenge, bur it is also a Internet access through Click! ISP colleges, universities, libraries, park major accomplishment as well." Advantage. Contracts with Electric buildings, police and fire services and Click! Network's World Wide Lightwave and Advanced Te1Com other public facilities. The Tacoma I- Web address is Group give business customers high- Net has the potential to connect http:/1www.click-network.com. ■ speed data transport anywhere in the some 300 public facilities in Tacoma, Articles in the Feature section world. allowing them to share video, voice feature opinions of individual Businesses are also able to use and information services. City goy- reflecct those of NWPPA or t and do not he Click! to connect local area networks ernment will pay for and manage the utility industry as a whole. -at several facilities, creating virtual I-Ner and has contracted with Click! �. if you can imagine it• • • we can build it •Transmission and Dist ribution/Substation DesignlProcurementlConstruction Substation Integration(Automation/SCADA •Underground Cable Transmission and Distribution •Telecommunications-PCS,Fiber, HFC,Microwave,Central Office r ��'` • - •Permitting/Licensing/Environmental Support ��� •System Studies �r` � a1 •Project and Construction Management(Inspection •Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution Contact. Dave Pleskac 4004 Kruse way Place, Lake Osweg regon 97035 •Phone: 503-699-2331 •Fax:503-697-3699•E-mail pleskacddjj@bv.com•www.bv.eom V 1 1 BLACK • , TCH the C December 1999 BULLETIN 23 Y 4 Public Power Weekly August 23,1999 Schools and others in Stillwater, Okla . , team up with the local electric utility to build a fiber optic network Stillwater, Okla., found the histori- Stillwater elec T cal recedentsetb public power p by p tric utility was � ties at the opening of the 20th century consideringthe r useful in helping this city of 40,000 installation of a open doors to the new millennium. ` fiber optic sys-The city,its public power utility,the tem for SCADA school system, Oklahoma State Uni- communica >N versity and some private businesses tions and re have'oinedforcestobrin high � 1 g g mote network- width width fiber optics communication ca- ing. Soon, the pabilities to the area in the face of area's major l '` i. ■telr' high prices and less than stellar coop- medical center, . s eration from the local investor-owned OSU and the s <y- telephone company. local voca- a b "This all began five years ago,when tional-technical a *" a group of'techies,'including me,got school came on together and drew up a plan for a board. The en- fiber optic system that could provide tities cooper- high-speed data communications, ated on devel- cable television, telephone, Internet opingaplanfor access, meter reading and other ser- a 'bare bones' vices,"Mike Herron,electric director system at a cost for the Stillwater Utilities Authority, of$491,000. told Public Power Weekly. "So many in- The city was dividuals,companies and government ready to begin entities wanted better telecommuni- work on its cations services, but our local tele- project when, phone company has classified Herron said, Stillwater as a Tier 3 city,meaning it's "the local tele- fairly low on the list of cities considered phone com- for upgrades to fiber optics. The local pany began to telephone company considers Stillwater resist this idea." Stillwater Electric Utility crew members mount the fiber-packed cables on one of too small,with too few potential users, The company hundreds of poles throughout the city.The$2.7 million fiber optic network is to justify the expense involved in pro- questioned the expected to be completed this fall.Paulo by erBeetaee oolse,okwoma municipal League viding fiber optics here." group's design, So these techies jointly planned a so the city's trustees had it reviewed strength in numbers approach also fiber optics system that they could by an outside consultant. The con- gave the alliance a stronger case when build and operate independently, sultantfound nothing wrong with the searching for a telecommunications much as small-town residents estab- plan, but suggested some upgrades company to partner with in building lished their own electric utilitieswhen and changes that increased capabili- and running the fiber optic system. the investor-owned electric utilities ties and raised the total cost to about "The city decided early on that we proved uninterested in serving them. $680,000. didn't have the capabilities to operate Unfortunately, Herron said, "the sys- The telephone company's attempt a telecommunications company," tem we devised would have cost $35 to negotiate separate long-term con- Herron said. "We needed a partner. million to build. We presented the tracts for telephone service with indi- We received proposals from several plan to the city but it was shelved due vidual governmental entities resulted firms, including our local telephone to the cost. But we did keep all our in all those government departments, company, and in the end, the city data and designs." theschoolsand other businessesjoin- awarded the contract to Chickasaw That information became veryvalu- ing forces in the Stillwater Fiber Op- Holding Co." able a year later, when the Stillwater tic Alliance, and informing the tele- An Oklahoma-based telecommuni- school board approved a plan to net- phone company that the alliance cations firm already certified to pro- work all of the system's schools and members would only negotiate for vide telephone service in the state, facilities. At the same time, the services as a single entity. This (continued on page 5) Public Power Weekly August 23,1999 Stillwater builds high-speed communications system (continued from page 4) Herron said.Oklahoma State Univer- capacity, but if we had to pay fees for Chickasaw Telecom, as it is known,is sity promotes itself as a high tech that usage,it would be very expensive. a smaller,growing company willing to center. "Thais helped to spawn a lot "And don't forget that the utility work with the alliance and the city to of businesses that are involved in the system has value you can use in nego- create a showcase fiber optics systems. telecommunications and computer tiating.The utility owns the poles and Herron said, "This is a great win-win technology business, and of course, has the right-of-way that telecommu- situation forStillwaterandChickasaw. we also have students,faculty and oth- nications companies need. And the ers living here.Stillwater really needs public power utility has personnelwho this kind of service and our citizens can probably run that overhead fiber _ more quickly and inexpensively than will be eager to sign on." Herron believes a public power util- the partner can." f ' ity can learn several important lessons Herron said, "A successful partner- from Stillwater's experience. "First, ship like ours depends on both partners startby discussingyour ideas with your capitalizing on their own strengths.We local service providers—cable TV,tele- can run lines and provide right of way; phone, etc. They may have plans to Chickasaw knows how to run a telecom- upgrade or change their systems that munications company- The public make it possible for you to work to- power utility has avoided the political gether. If you decide to go forward problems of going directly into operat- with your own plans, find a partner ing a telecommunications system, and Journeyman Wait Lynch,right,assists rather than awarding a franchise;this Stillwater will have a true,21st century journeyman Bill Kennedy as teams work to string can really change the mindset of ev- network." 56 miles of cable In Stillwater. eryone involved. Don't be afraid to Herron presented a paper with a de detail the services you wani, or to ask tailed discussion of his city's successful The utility has agreed topay$580,000, for services free of charge. The alli- effort at the APPA national conference including up to $125,000 in services, ance here in Stillwater will use a very in Salt Lake City,Utah, in June. while the school system will provide small portion of the system's total about$100,000 in cash and services to Chickasaw to construct the system. 9 III I Once the system is up and running, 6 Chickasaw agreed to return to the city p 5% of its gross revenues for the first three years, and 7% of its gross rev- enues for the following seven years. Alliance members also will receive telephone services at rates at least 5% lower than our current telephone rates.And to top it all off,the prices of equipment and the technology have dropped, so the system Chickasaw is installing will be about 10 times faster than we had originally planned.We've estimated that the services that the public power utility will receive at no charge have a value of about$882,000 over the 10-year contract period; the school system will receive services worth about$650,000." - s The attraction for Chicksaw,Herron says, lies in the potential for signifi- cant profits by providing services rang- ing from cable television to PCS tele- Each cable contains anywhere from 24 to 276 single-made fibers.Stillwater crews leave a coil of cable phones and Internet access to at a point where Chickasaw crews will create a future splice to another cable.Photos by Michelson oaten, Stillwater's businesses and residents. Whoem&Mnnlelpst teayne And that potential is enormous, CNET.com - News - Communications -Telecom revolution in the heartland Paee i of 4 OtET�j Search F— 21o11 NE A.Com= Advanced•Tios n e7w J E-relief for the world's top organizatiom Click here for EDS. ADVERTISEMENT • Related news • See Story in Context « • Message Boards • Search IM nick heret Telecom revolution in the heartland FREE EMAILI By John Borland Staff Writer, CNET News.com February 22, 1999, 1:00 p.m. PT Latest headlines —.201111110 In the heart of Iowa's farming country, the citizens of a tiny town display on desktop called Hawarden are helping lead a rural communications- revolt. Enterprise With a o ulation of lust 2.500.the town has built a fiber optic network Computing f I t i ive its citizens communications services as modern as Sun releases 9 complete chip design anything in the heart of Silicon Valley. for free In the process, Hawarden officials have earned the political enmity of Dell chasing Apple's state telecommunications giants fide UT one ua vvesc, who nave wireless plans soughto limita own s ability o o er a ep one an nternal services over the new system. Communications But last week--on the same day that federal regulators approved New networking AT&T's merger with Tele-Communications Incorporated--the town features dress won a state Supreme Court battle that finally will allow it to turn on its Windows 2000 own telephone and high-speed Net services. Qualcomm looks to mob The decision also sets the stage for nearly 50 other Iowa towns that bulsine sde phone have built their own communications infrastructure or are making moves to do so, according to a state utility trade association. ISP group lends Meanwhile, Hawarden citizens are moving quickly to take advantage support to cable court case of their town's new telephone system,which is likely to start operating by the end of next month. Intel takes next steps "We started takingorders Wednesday, and the response has been with computer a P telephony overwhelming;" said Tom Kane, Hawarden s superintendent of public works. "People are so sick of waiting." The Net Global Net ratings A do-it-yourself effort committee emerges Hawarden is on the leading edge of a movement that is spreading from Munich summit across Iowa, and has already taken root in other states such as Indiana and Kentucky. Larger cities such as Tacoma, Washington, Glasgow, Kentucky, and Ashland, Oregon, have already set up their Sam Donaldson to own telecommunications services and are successfully competing host ABCNews.com with companies like TCI and US West. show Rural communities, in particular, have been driven by the slow pace of Microsoft to take upgrades to cable TV systems, and the telephone companies' instant messaging http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-339016.html 9/14/99 CNET.com - News - Communications - Telecom revolution in the heartland Pave 2 of 4 upgrades to cable TV systems, and the telephone companies' reluctance to invest in sparsely populated areas. In Iowa alone, GTE wireless has announced it is selling all of its local access lines, while US West plans to sell about 50,000 of its 1 million lines. AOL to ask stockholders for "These are communities that want to survive and grow," said Bob share increase Ma1n:Stre Haug, executive director of the Iowa Association of goesec Municipal Utilities. "We're just not getting the kind of Developers split on htgtrE competitive services that are developing in other areas." proposed Web ►%specieLteature language standard Haug said that 38 towns and cities across the state have voted to approve entering the telecommunications business. Another dozen or Personal so are making plans to follow suit. Technology No new articles. This doesn't necessarily mean that all will go as far as Hawarden in building a new high-speed network, however. E-commerce Critics say self- "In some cases, after one of the towns has approved these regulation needs bite referendums, the incumbent provider suddenly becomes interested in not bark upgrading their own system," Haug said. "Some areas are moving forward to ensure their citizens get good service,whether or not the PurchasePro.com city does it itself." rewarded by IPO Iowa cities so far are ahead of the telecom curve, but the trend is Services & spreading across the country, said Madelyn Cafruny, communications Consulting director for the American Public Power Association, a Washington SAP's CEO preaches trade group for municipal utilities. nothing but Net at conference- "It's becoming a trend as communities look at telecommunications becoming one of their infrastructure lifelines," Cafruny said.The SAP taps Tibco for utilities serve both as a revenue source and a means to attract other online directory tax-generating businesses to town, she and other observers noted. Year 2000 Hawarden spent close to$4.5 million building its own municipal fiber Fed agencies still loop system,which is designed to handle cable TV, voice, and high- lagging with Y2K speed Internet services. fixes The cable system has been operating a little more than a year, and Militaries join to already has attracted about 850 of the town's roughly 1,000 monitor missile subscribers away from TCI. Local telephone service was stalled after warnings the big telephone companies challenged it in court, but last week's court ruling will allow the town to start offering dial tone as soon as Did you miss a connection agreements with outside providers are signed. day? One Week View High-speed Internet service is the last piece in the puzzle, and will be offered in conjunction with the town's existing dial-up provider. "People in town really support the new municipal utility,"said Tom ADVERTISEMENT Kane, Hawarden's superintendent of public works. "They see it in the Get a New Job! new library and swimming pool:' at CNETs Career Center The level of civic support seen in Hawarden is typical in other parts of Search for ajub now the state. In Lorenz, another tiny town that turned on its own cable TV Email me job istings system just last December, 515 people have already switched to the Our featured employer city-owned system. That leaves barely 150 subscribers left with TCI, and that number is still on its way down. Lorenz, population 1,550, also plans to offer telephone and high- speed Internet service though its cable infrastructure. "We were not being offered the services we thought were needed to the town to continue to prosper," said Chad Cleveland, the town's communications manager. "Neither one of our incumbent telephone or cable TV companies were willing to make improvements in this town." http://newS.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-339016.html 9/14/99 CNET.com -News- Communications - Telecom revolution in the heartland Page 3 of 4 The wrong kind of competition? The Iowa Telecommunications Association, a trade group that represents large companies such as GTE and US West as well as the state's 150-plus smaller local phone companies, has been the staunchest opponent of the municipal movement. "We're opposed to government getting into competition with the private sector in any business," said Kent Jerome, the group's executive vice president. The city groups, no matter how small, are starting with advantages over even the largest companies, Jerome said.As municipal groups, they do not have to pay income or investment taxes, he noted. The cities also are using their established electric power utilities to help pay for the bonds that funded the telecommunications startup costs, he added. "As an industry we're not afraid of competition. But without making sure that everyone is operating from the same perspective with regards to taxes and cross-subsidization, how can we compete equally?" he asked. With the legal fight nearly over--the Iowa Telecommunications Association says it is still looking at other legal options--the fight is now spilling over into the state legislature. Both sides are pushing lawmakers to support their position. The municipal utility association is backing a bill supporting cities'rights to offer telephone service.The telephone companies are lobbying for a bill that would force the towns'utilities to pay new taxes and would bar them from_ using electric power revenue to help guarantee the bonds that finance the telecommunications projects. Those measures--which could dramatically cut into the towns'ability to offer communications services—will likely be voted on by the Iowa legislature later this year. Meanwhile, the large companies have at last started to make improvements in some of the rural towns'infrastructure--though not in Harwarden, Kane said. In Lorenz,TCI began upgrading its cable TV system shortly after the citizens voted to start their own service.And if the plan for the AT&T merger goes as planned,the town may have two separate high-speed cable Internet access options by the end of 2000 or 2001. "Our neighboring communities are not seeing these benefits yet,"said Cleveland."But this is what competition is supposed to be." Email this story to,a friend Click for printer-friendly format Related news stories • Calls to the future Mover:: . 1998 •Taking aim at the FCC F�: rc.ary 22, 1999 FREE Newsletter sample> enter email ubsts News Options: One Week View I Send us your news tips I Desktop News 1.My News.com Advanced Search E-relief for t1re worlds top a Click here for EDS. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-339016.htmi 9/14/99 Peter Holzrnelster From: Brian Albert [briana@trekalliance.comj Sent: Monday, June 21, 1999 12:38 PM To: 'PeterHolzmeister@TDPUD.org' Subject: High Speed access in Truckee.... Hi Peter- My opinion on high speed access is common among those in my line of work. It makes no sense that a gateway town like Truckee and the surrounding communities aren't a higher priority on Pac Bell's priority list. As a major tourist community, whose major pull is from Silicon Valley, we should be on the same tier as them if for no other reason than to eliminate the "Truckee has no digital lines" as an excuse to not invest money in our economy. I realize we (most likely)will always be at the mercy of PacBell. Is there anything the PUD's can do? 1 hope so. Although from my cubical it looks like just a fatter David against PacBell's Goliath. Thanks for your ear- Brian Albert — i Peter Holzmelster From: Billy Mahoney [billy@ozoney.com] Sent: Monday, June 21, 1999 12:38 PM To: PeterHolzmeister@TDPUD.org Subject: internet access in truckee In the recent mailer, it was written that you were the one to contact about comments about internet access, etc. So, I would like to let you know that I am not pleased with what Truckee offers for internet access. In Tahoe Donner, I am too far away from a pop, so I can't get local rate ISDN, PacBell keeps pushing the availability of ADSL back. The phonelines are garbage so no one can get a true 56k connection here. That's all I have to say. -bm. 1 Peter Holzmeister From: Scott Herzinger [scotthz@sierra.net] Sent: Saturday, August 21, 1999 8:56 AM To: PeterHolzmeister@TDPUD.org Subject: telecommunications and fiber optic plans Hi, I was interested to read in a recent issue of The Sierra Sun that TDPUD is considering plans for a fiber-optic telecommunications network for Truckee. At the time of the article, the final decisions had not been made. I also read your Manager's Message in last Spring's Current Connection, and would like to reply to your request for input. Both my wife and I are very interested in having better Internet access. We currently use one analog phone line for dial-up Internet access, and one digital phone line (ISDN) for dedicated Internet access. Neither of these is really satisfactory in terms of performance. In particular, _ ISDN is not a very good value compared with alternatives that are coming online in other communities. We have both professional and personal uses for the Internet. We spend a minimum of 150 hours per month online, and would be able to get more done if we had faster, more reliable access. Our professional success depends on the reliability and speed of our Internet access. What is the current status of TDPUD's plan for a fiber-optic network? Will the three proposed loops be built this year? When will connections to residential customer sites be available? Is any more information available, e.g. technology overview? Will fiber be brought all the way to the customer premises? Thanks, and best regards, Scott Herzinger& Robin Durnell 14649 Copenhagen Drive Truckee, CA 96161-6637 i Susan Crai From: Tom Ballister[ballister@bigfoot.com] Sent: Monday, September 27, 1999 11:39 AM To: 'sun@tahoe.com'; Peter Holzmeister, Alan Harry; 'josephaugera@tdpud.org'; 'ronhemig @tdpud.org'; 'jimmaass @tdpud.org'; 'bobjones@tdpud.org'; 'patsutton @tdpud.org' Cc: christianh @ nebi,com'; 'rogerterneuzen @ aol.com' Subject: Open Letter to the Sierera-Sun &TDPUD, RE: USA Media I recently had an experience with USA Media with may be of interest to the TDPUD as they continue their negotiations regarding the proposed Fiber network for Truckee. I have been involved in the telecommunications industry for over 25 years, beginning my career at Bell Telephone Laboratories where I was part of the T1 Transmission Systems Engineering group, and have subsequently helped to found several successful telecom startups. I currently conduct a private consulting practice from my home in Glenshire, and also serve as Chief Technical Officer for EuroDirekt National Savings, located in Budapest, Hungary. Glenshire has proven to be a perfectly marvelous location from a family perspective. But unfortunately it is not the most connected location in the world from a telecommunications services perspective. Because my own — needs are expanding, I regularly sample local service providers to learn what services may be in the works. These include Pacific Bell which is deploying copper based Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology,the cable companies who are deploying cable modem equipment, and companies beginning to offer Wireless access services. On Friday of last week I made a little call to my local cable provider to get an update. The representative who answered the call didn't have much detail but later that day I got a return call from someone named Roger Terneuzen. Never heard of him, but was happy to have a call back. As the call went on, however,things didn't go so well. My initial question regarding service availability got the response, "We'll be offering the service within 60 days." Then I asked if he knew what the planned network throughput might be. He responded with something like "We'll be offering the service in 60 days and we'll have more detail then." Hmmm. That wasn't the answer I'd expected. Most companies investing in new business services will fall all over themselves to tell you about what wonderful things they're going to be able to do for you. "Ok," I asked, "well is there anyone in your company who is involved with the network planning that I might chat with?" "No," he responded, "I'm the top guy here and we'll have your answer in 60 days when we launch the service!". "But, " I pleaded, "usually when someone is planning a service like this there is a serious engineering effort that goes into planning the system well ahead of time. It maps out the network topology, designs appropriate routing tables, knows what equipment is being purchased, and has some sense of the transmission throughput. For example, at what speed will you be connecting to your upstream access provider?" "We'll be providing the service in 60 days!!," he answered. Phooey. Something stinks here. When I'm a customer expressing an interest in spending more money and get a response like this, my comfort level gets as close to zero as it possibly could. I don't know how to avoid conclusions like (a) the company doesn't truly have customer needs as priority one, (b) has some other agenda, (c) doesn't have confidence in its plan, (d) or just flat doesn't have a real plan. 1 >From my perspective any of these reasons are ample ground for the TDPUD to sit tight and examine alternatives. Time is on their side, I would think. There is enormous investment being made in telecommunications infrastructure by numerous companies. My understanding is that USA Media's ownership is currently in the hands of what some describe as a "broker"who is in the business of acquiring, repackaging, and flipping as quickly as possible. Seems to me part of the repackaging exercise going on here is for USA Media to be able to claim they have a long-term business opportunity with TDPUD. WE don't need that claim, THEY do. What we need is reliable telecommunications infrastructure. I personally would be hard pressed to enter into a long-term agreement with any entity whose history, stability, and long term business objectives are not fully understood. Best Regards, Tom Ballister +1 530 587 0358 ballister@bigfoot.com z S055e151e 02/15/1994 08:25 5305501510 SENCO COMPUTER SYS PAGE 01 ` 13026 Stockhotm Way•Truekae,CA 96 1 61-6944 COMPUTER Northam Caldornia: (630)550-0050 SYSTEMS, INC. Southen, Cali(urnia: (310)376-0845 FAX COVER SHEET COPIES TO: � 3a� DATE: 11/30/99 PAGE I OF 1 TO: TDPUD Board of Directors ATTN: Susan Craig FAX NO: 530-587-1189 FROM: Steve Nugent,SENCO Computer Systems, Inc. PHONE: 530-550-0950 FAX: 530-550-1510 MESSAGE: Dear Sirs: We are new residents of Tahoe Donner living on Stockholm Way. We operate a small computer software company in which we rely on connecting tc? Ottt t:ushlnirt's mutlruta and to the internet to provide software support. I have been following with interest the progress of the fiber optics backbone installation. In the November 25 edition of the Sierra Sun,Director Pat Sutton is quoted as saying that "PacBell is currently providing quality telephone and Internet services". From our experience, nothing could be further from the truth. We arc lucky to be able to connect to the Internet at 14,400 and even at that rate we encounter many errors and retransmissions. When we connect to our client's modems, we get errors,retransmits, and disconnects all of the time. When we send faxes, we almost always get the message"check accuracy of transmitted pages"on our fax machine. We did not experience any of these problems at our previous location near Nevada City. Several of our neighbors who use the Internet are experiencing similar problems. I have called PacBell and they say that they cannot guarantee any data rate above 2400 and that we should get DSL service. DSL service is not available in our area and they do not know when it will be. If and when it is available, it will be much more expensive. We do not need DSL, we just need adequate dial up service. As far as cable TV is concerned, we (and our neighbor)get extremely poor reception much of the time, particularly on some of the upper channels. We have a very limited channel selection and it is expensive. Thanks— Stephen E. Nugent, Pres., 530-550-0950 Board of Directors -r Truckee Donner Public Utility District P. O. Box 309 Truckee, CA 96160-0309 RE: Fiber-optic cable I am writing this to protest the entrance of the TDPUD into the field of cable communications. My reasons follow: 1. It is illogical for a tax-exempt public agency to use taxpayer's money to enter a business that competes with taxpaying enterprises. 2. The TDPUD at one time considered entering the natural gas business. We (the ratepayer) are fortunate that the District was dissuaded from that endeavor. I can just imagine the fees that we would be saddled with - and the lack of service! 3. The rates that the District charges for water and - electricity are not competitive with neighboring utilities. Why should we expect that cable service would be any different? 4. The service the District now performs is sub-standard in that water mains are always breaking, especially in Tahoe Donner, even after a major reconstruction program - by the same company that originally installed them. Ditto the spotty electrical service.Are we to expect any better in the cable business? As with natural gas, the TDPUD knows little about fiber-optic cable, and as such, can only lead to a financial boondoggle that the ratepayer will be forced to pay. I hope that the Directors will take these and other objections into consideration when making its decision. To make speculative financial decisions with taxpayer funds is contrary to your fiduciary responsibilities. Sincerely, 'R ( � l�.ich�d T.� ngan � 13411 Solvang Way Truckee, CA 96161 530\582-1618 29 Jan 2000 cc: Sierra Sun Alan Harnj From: Lin Zucconi [linz@snowcrest.net] Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2000 5:54 PM To: peterholzmeister@tdpud.org; alanharry@tdpud.org Cc: linz@snowcrest.net Subject: TDPUD and Data Communications Dear Peter and Alan: Thank you very much for calling me and asking me to come to the board meeting where the Ashland electric rep spoke. I was glad to see the USA Media folks walking out looking so unhappy. I wanted to tell Roger that we, the citizens of Truckee and users of TDPUD services were entitled to know now just exactly when USA Media would have their 2 way fast data service installed. I'm sure he'd would have just talk through his hat at us. The real reason that I am writing is to pass onto you some thoughts I had about the future of data as a utility service and to make some suggestions. Please do with what I say as you would with any free advice! Also, I would be very glad to help you with speaking to the community or researching possibilities about just what promise and potential there would be for a fully data connected- community with very high access rates. My suggestion, if you haven't already thought of it, is that I think it would be an excellent idea to have heart-to-heart talks with key players from a significant selection of other small utility districts that have attempted to move into data. It is important to talk with those that were successful as well as those that weren't or who are having problems. This would be the best way for TDPUD to learn what works and what doesn't and not to make perfectly avoidable mistakes. It would also be a good idea to go see the physical installations and talk with the engineers at a selected few of the most successful installations such as Ashland...see what they've actually installed and learn why they've chosen the route they've taken. I've always found as an engineer that it was so much better to walk the field installations than just talk to the scientists and engineers that did the work. I've also thought of some of the future potential for high speed data communications and of some approaches to take with local business. First off, the hospital and local physicians should be really excited about this. The US military and others have been developing remote medicine for some time. It is very important to the military to be able to provide high tech primary care to fallen soldiers in the field. I'm sure you've seen stuff about remote diagnosis, treatment and simple surgery performed by physicians long distance from the war zone using satellite data communications to computer, diagnostic and physician-controlled robotic surgical equipment (operated by someone like a medic or EMT) in the field. Tahoe Forest and the Truckee area would be an excellent site for prototyping and trialling the transfer of such technology to civilian use. The ski areas, ambulance, highway patrol, search and rescue services, even school nurses, would be able to use this technology. I am sure that private medical technology companies, such as HP, are working on this technology and would like a small community with high bandwidth data services to trial their technology. Initial trials could be set up initially in facilities where high speed hard-wired data communications could be placed, such as ski patrol rooms. Also, wired homes would mean that physicians could interview, examine via remote sensing medical z equipment, and treat people in their homes. So when you've got a temperature of 103 and can't safely get further than a room or two away from a toilet, you can still be treated by your physician and order drugs for rapid delivery from a nearby pharmacy without leaving your house. This technology is here now! I would expect that the federal and state governments would be interested in partially funding trials of such systems within a community such as ours. Also, we've got businesses in town and in nearby communities that would really benefit from high speed 2 way data communications. There's the boat design shop in town that's doing an America's Cup yacht. Wouldn't they benefit from being able to send to and interact with clients and suppliers in real time on CAD designs? There are high tech start-ups in Incline Village and around Lake Tahoe that might be enticed to move here. I'm sure you've heard that many multinational corporations perform 24 hour design and engineering on software and many other artifacts. This requires high speed data communications to allow transfer of large design files and real time management of the configuration of the systems being designed and implemented. People working on these systems would be able to live and work in Truckee. Their companies could open design shops here. And I expect that within 10-20 years we'll see live 3-D holographic (as opposed to video) conferencing and meetings. Just imagine how convenient it would be to visit with one's family in Timbucktoo without having to go there! Such technology does not bode well for the airline industry....people will then travel for pleasure (on US airlines? get real!) and not need to travel for business. But our skies would become less crowded and hence safer. And high tech home builders could be enticed to build fully wired and fitted-out high tech homes in Truckee... Wired schools and homes would mean that snow days could still be school days. Either government or charitable foundation grants (if not profits from TDPUD operations) could be used to ensure that every child had basic computer access at home. Well, I think that I've said enough. Thank you for listening. As I said before, I really want to see Truckee be one of the first communities to go with a big bang into the 21 st century. But in a way that benefits us all! Anything that I can do to help, just let me know! Thanks again, Lin Zucconi 2