https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE
From: AF <af-boun...@af.afmug.com> On Behalf Of Ryan Ray Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 5:17 PM To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <af@af.afmug.com> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM******SPAM*** ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re ***SPAM*** ***SPAM*** On Sat, Apr 27, 2024 at 11:28 PM <fiber...@mail.com <mailto:fiber...@mail.com> > wrote: Revenue bonds aren't paid out of the general fund. Jared > Sent: Saturday, April 27, 2024 > From: "Bill Prince" <part15...@gmail.com <mailto:part15...@gmail.com> > > To: af@af.afmug.com <mailto:af@af.afmug.com> > Subject: [AFMUG] ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Govt > funded fiber - Utopia > > Bonds are paid (usually, unless specified differently when they were > issued) out of general revenue funds. If the funds used to pay bonds > take away enough, the services get compromised, reduced, or not funded > at all. > > > bp > <part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com> > > On 4/27/2024 9:33 AM, fiber...@mail.com <mailto:fiber...@mail.com> wrote: > > I fail to see how revenue bonds divert essential funding away from services > > that really matter to the public. > > > > > > Jared > > > > > > > > > > Sent: Saturday, April 27, 2024 > > From: "Ken Hohhof" <khoh...@kwom.com <mailto:khoh...@kwom.com> > > > To: "'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group'" <af@af.afmug.com > > <mailto:af@af.afmug.com> > > > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Govt funded fiber - Utopia > > > > Everything’s political now, of course. > > > > But he does have a point when he says “Government-owned broadband networks > > cost millions of dollars and divert essential funding away from services > > that really matter to the public — services such as police and fire, roads, > > water and sewer.” > > > > In the past, the government has undertaken vast programs at taxpayer > > expense like rural electrification, the interstate highway system, the > > space program. Now apparently high speed Internet is the thing of the > > moment that takes precedence over all the other broken things that we might > > wish government to fix. I sometimes wonder why Internet? Maybe because it > > seems easy and gives people the power to hand out billions of dollars. > > Could they cure cancer or get lead out of drinking water or fix all the > > deteriorating bridges with something like a BEAD program? > > > > Maybe they think broadband and AI and neural implants will lead to a future > > where everyone is plugged into the network and doesn’t need any of those > > other things. Maybe we’ll all be heads in jars like in Futurama. > > > > > > From: AF <af-boun...@af.afmug.com <mailto:af-boun...@af.afmug.com> > On > > Behalf Of Chuck McCown via AF > > Sent: Friday, April 26, 2024 > > To: Josh Luthman <j...@imaginenetworksllc.com > > <mailto:j...@imaginenetworksllc.com> >; AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group > > <af@af.afmug.com <mailto:af@af.afmug.com> > > > Cc: ch...@go-mtc.com <mailto:ch...@go-mtc.com> ; John Brewer <n7...@me.com > > <mailto:n7...@me.com> > > > Subject: [AFMUG] ***SPAM*** Re: ***SPAM*** Govt funded fiber - Utopia > > > > > > I am surprised they have never broke even. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Josh Luthman > > > > Sent: Friday, April 26, 2024 > > > > To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group > > > > Cc: John Brewer ; ch...@go-mtc.com <mailto:ch...@go-mtc.com> > > [mailto:ch...@go-mtc.com <mailto:ch...@go-mtc.com> ] > > > > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ***SPAM*** Govt funded fiber - Utopia > > > > > > > > Article: > > https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/04/19/government-internet-service-bad-for-taxpayers/[https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/04/19/government-internet-service-bad-for-taxpayers/] > > > > <https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/04/19/government-internet-service-bad-for-taxpayers/%5Bhttps:/www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/04/19/government-internet-service-bad-for-taxpayers/%5D> > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 4:59 PM Chuck McCown via AF <af@af.afmug.com > > <mailto:af@af.afmug.com> [mailto:af@af.afmug.com <mailto:af@af.afmug.com> > > ]> wrote: > > By John Dougall > > > > For the Deseret News > > > > Most Utahns probably agree that government should stick to essential > > government services and stay out of enterprises that are better performed by > > the private sector. > > > > Yet, across the country and right here in Utah, more and more governments > > are building government-owned internet networks, despite numerous > > private-sector providers being available. > > > > The number of government-owned networks is increasing by the day, and > > taxpayers, not users, are often footing the bill. Government-owned broadband > > networks cost millions of dollars and divert essential funding away from > > services that really matter to the public — services such as police and > > fire, roads, water and sewer. > > > > Two unfortunate examples of government-owned broadband networks right here > > in Utah are iProvo and UTOPIA. > > > > In 2004, Provo launched iProvo to provide broadband internet services to > > homes and business. Provo reportedly bonded for $36.5 million to bring > > service to every home in the city and wrote off $5.4 million that the city’s > > telecommunications fund owed the Energy Department’s reserve fund to finance > > the costly deployment. After struggling to make the network viable, iProvo > > was sold in 2008. But its buyer failed to fulfill the terms of the sale, and > > iProvo reverted back to the city. In 2013, in a desperate attempt to free > > itself of the failed venture, the city ultimately sold iProvo to Google for > > $1. > > > > Similarly, UTOPIA (Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency) was > > launched to provide broadband internet services to a consortium of cities. > > But UTOPIA has failed to fulfill its promises for more than two decades now. > > The project, which started in 2002, was projected to be finished in three to > > four years. Fast forward to today, and it is still incomplete. Not only is > > UTOPIA incomplete, but the project has racked up $300 million worth of debt. > > And despite iProvo’s example of failure, UTOPIA continues to expand. > > > > For years, UTOPIA consistently lost money, expecting taxpayers to cover > > those losses. In addition to this, the government-owned network continues to > > expand and pull other cities into this trap. What’s more egregious is that > > UTOPIA misrepresented its performance as it pitched cities on buying into > > the expansion fever. For example, UTOPIA once claimed the network had “no > > cost to taxpayers since 2009.” This statement was patently inaccurate. > > > > As your watchdog, I help you to hold your government accountable. My office > > investigated this and other claims, then we wrote a letter identifying these > > inaccurate statements. We instructed UTOPIA to do the following: > > > > •Discard or destroy marketing materials with misleading statements. > > > > • Ensure future communications more accurately reflect the dependence on > > taxpayer support. > > > > •Take steps to remedy the misrepresentations regarding the lack of taxpayer > > support to any individual or entity that received the inaccurate > > information. > > > > UTOPIA’s shortcomings do not stop there, however. Rather than providing > > internet access to the more than 40,000 homes and small businesses that lack > > internet access today, UTOPIA, like other government-owned networks, builds > > redundant networks that compete with existing private providers, many who > > are also regulated by the cities in which they operate. > > > > Unfortunately, iProvo and UTOPIA are no different from other > > government-owned fiber networks across the country, which fail financially > > about 90% of the time. > > > > When taxpayer money is being diverted from critical services into pet > > broadband projects, that money is not going where it is needed most. > > Taxpayers expect government to maintain roads, provide safe drinking water > > and keep their communities safe. Money spent propping up broadband services > > costs taxpayers money, encumbered by decades of debt, and deprives them of > > important and sufficient government services they want and deserve. Plus, > > higher taxes burden families, many of whom are struggling today just to > > provide for themselves. > > > > Government-owned broadband has done enough harm to taxpayers. iProvo and > > UTOPIA should be seen as an example for policymakers of what to avoid. > > Public officials across the country, and especially here in Utah, should > > resist the appealing allure of expanding or deploying government-owned > > networks, which allure has been shown to be deceptive, and ultimately > > destructive, to taxpayers. > > > > John Dougall is the Utah State Auditor and is a candidate for Utah’s 3rd > > congressional district. > > > > > > > > -- > > AF mailing list > > AF@af.afmug.com <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> [mailto:AF@af.afmug.com > > <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> ] > > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > -- AF mailing list AF@af.afmug.com <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> > > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com[http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com] > > > > <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com%5Bhttp:/af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com%5D> > > > > > > -- > AF mailing list > AF@af.afmug.com <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > -- AF mailing list AF@af.afmug.com <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
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