Comment by guywithahat
3 years ago
Isn't this just called starting a business? Don't get me wrong it's very cool but this just seems like the thing people should do when there isn't enough competition in the market
3 years ago
Isn't this just called starting a business? Don't get me wrong it's very cool but this just seems like the thing people should do when there isn't enough competition in the market
Sure, at face value you're right about that, but I think the main difference is a lot of people don't get annoyed at , for example, Ford's customer service and turn around and start an auto manufacturer, and for most non-technical people I think they'd consider the two nearly equal in terms of feasibility and effort.
Not only that, but he’s providing a much higher level of service for a significantly smaller cost than ISPs that have been given billions over several decades and have yet to reach the customers he’s reaching.
My biggest fear for him is that comcast will lobby to be able to sell subscriptions on his infrastructure (because competition!), put him out of business and then screw his existing subscribers.
edit: s/provoking/providing (autocorrect)
Exactly. It’s noteworthy because it underscores just how uncompetitive the ISPs in the US are. That a small shop can completely eviscerate them on quality and price shows that they just aren’t trying. (Look at ISPs in any developed country and our networks are embarrassing in comparison.)
It’s frustrating because the playbook for how to improve this is very clear; local loop unbundling on telephone lines, allow municipalities to offer broadband in underserved areas, and mandate sharing of poles etc. to make it easier for new entrants to compete. Of course when you can’t innovate, legislate; the ISPs lobby hard to prevent all of this consumer-centric stuff from happening.
He did start an LLC but it's not a business in the sense that he's hiring a corporate structure around it or kicking up VC funding, or even trying to make a profit. It's admirable because how many other ISPs can you point to with this model? I can't think of any.
Most small local ISPs are like this, a labor of love, not something who’s singular purpose is to make the owners unimaginably rich. Cruzio, in Santa Cruz, and MonkeyBrainz in San Francisco come to mind.
> When the federal government money became available, the county issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking contractors to wire up addresses "that were known to be unserved or underserved based on the existing survey," he said.
The world is full of small businesses doing good work in exchange for pay. theVC bubble isn't everything.