Telephone Service
The current Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is now more than 100 years old. The FCC is considering the modernization of the PSTN and a key component of this upgrade is to move from TDM based legacy telephone networks to modern IP networks. In FCC Report and Order 14-5 the commission has moved beyond considering if IP networks will be the foundation of the modern telephone system to considering how the transition will be made.
While telephone service is currently available using Voice over IP (VOIP) service, the commission is steering the
foundation of our telephone infrastructure away from using TDM networks to using modern IP networks. This transition away from TDM networks will increase the bandwidth demands and the need for reliability for future IP networks. In the future most telephone calls will travel over broadband networks.
Subscription Television
In the past the entertainment industry has been able to prevent their content from being delivered over the Internet. This has served to prevent internet based virtual cable operators from competing with franchised cable systems. This wall is starting to fall. The CEO's of Disney and Viacom have expressed their view that their content will soon be distributed over the internet. Companies such as Microsoft, Apple, and Intel have mature technology efforts in place to deliver this content via internet connected set top boxes. This Increased competition for subscription television services will drive the need for increased bandwidth.
Combining phone, subscription television, and internet access on a single network will place new demands for throughput and reliability on broadband networks. There will be no single technology choice that will fulfill all of Lake County's needs in the future. We are committed to using a range of technology choices to keep pace with growing demand.
Middle Mile
One important goal of this proposal is to increase bandwidth price competition in Lake County. This can be achieved in a number of ways. The fastest path to this goal is transporting bandwidth from another market into ours using a microwave
link. Our view is that a microwave link to the I70 corridor in Eagle County will provide more sources of bandwidth and better prices because of it's many transcontinental fiber trunk lines. In the longer term we will need to bring new fiber capacity into the county. Some options for this are attracting another Tier 1 carrier to the County or leasing dark fiber. In addition it is important to enhance broadband service in Lake County as soon as possible. Our initial focus will be to use fixed wireless network technology to quickly bring service to all parts of the county. As part of this effort we hesitate to recommend as an initial need the construction of new towers. There are alternatives in place that meet most of our needs such as building rooftops and utility poles.
Towers
Winter access to extreme mountain top sites can introduce new expenses and reliability problems. Added expenses include the difficulty of building, the need for solar and generator power, and the unwarranted expense of even a single winter repair trip. These costs will ultimately be passed on to customers. In addition, reliability becomes a concern if the equipment is inaccessible even by snowcat due to extreme weather.
Commercial towers from providers such as AT&T and American Tower are expensive and require extra engineering effort for both installation and maintenance. Professionally produced radio frequency engineering studies to evaluate inter- modulation interference with existing users are required. Typically rental prices for commercial tower space are based on the size of each antenna. An intermediate relay point requires at least 2 microwave dishes. On the positive side these towers are frequently placed in accessible locations with good visibility and have reliable power available.
Network Discussion
A microwave link to the North connecting with one of several sources of bandwidth around the I70 corridor is the first priority. The I70 corridor has many more sources of bandwidth available. Increased price competition there will allow savings to be passed through to customers. The route to I70 also includes a pool of potential new under served
customers along the way. This route does include one site that is only accessible via an easy snowmobile or snowcat trail during the winter.
A redundant microwave link to the East with Fairplay once a suitable source of bandwidth is identified is desirable is the second priority. Park County Connect is currently going through their own broadband planning effort. Advantages for this link include few intermediate sites, maintained access to those sites, and the potential of new customers in the Fairplay area.
A redundant microwave link to the South with one of several sources in Chaffee County is another option. This link will be difficult because of the terrain along Highway 24 between Lake and Chaffee counties. In addition, the roadless and wilderness areas on either side preclude many potential site locations.
A properly located site could assist with but is not required for broadband internet access in the Twin Lakes area. Primary backhaul for the Twin Lakes and PanArk areas will come from access sites to the north that are already required for other purposes.
Options to cross the county line include the expensive commercial towers at the Granite radio site, difficult to access sites on Quail mountain, and one or two very narrow routes using private land.
The sites on private land are accessible in the winter but the potential locations are very narrow and may be difficult to obtain.
The monthly cost of the commercial towers at Granite would at least equal the total cost of transport bandwidth and internet access. This cost would ultimately have to be passed on to customers.
The existing tower owned by the county on Quail Mountain is placed in such a way that visibility is limited to the South and East. Using this site will requires extra hops in Chaffee County to connect to a source of bandwidth. There is a suitable location on the east side of the mountain with acceptable North and South visibility but it would require the ongoing expense of a new tower equipped with both solar and generator power. Both locations suffer from extremely difficult winter access conditions.
A link between between Chaffee and Lake counties is likely to be built by one of several other carriers as they seek access to the fiber trunk lines on the I70 corridor. For this reason a redundant link to the south is third on our list of priorities.
Redundancy to the West is difficult because of the long expanse of wilderness and roadless areas. A Microwave link could be accomplished between one of Eagle, Glenwood Springs, or Aspen. Given a lack of potential under served customers along the way and the difficulty of building in this area this link would be hard to justify economically.
Customer Service
One key to success of this business will be customer service. We will contract with a professional call center that is experienced with supporting internet subscribers. They will answer customer support calls, emails, or chat requests 24x7. They will diagnose and resolve the issues they can and they will follow customer issues once they are passed on to us. Many if not most subscriber support issues are related to their own network equipment and not the providers. Our chosen call center has years of experience with customer support in this area.
Billing and provisioning will be handled using an ISP billing package. Billing options include: Periodic recurring billing via electronic check or credit card.
Prepaid scratch off cards that can be purchased from local merchants and activated online. Instant payment online with paypal or credit cards.
Paper invoicing.
Electronic payment options include automatic provisioning. This means that services can be activated at the time they are paid for.
Tourist Hotspot Network
A publicly accessible WIFI network for high traffic areas of the county will be a key component of making Leadville a 21st
century tourist friendly destination. With the support of the tourism panel and local businesses a publicly accessible network can provide limited free internet service with unlimited access to local tourist information. One component of this system would include a Leadville smart phone application that provides quick access to the tools a visitor needs.
Locations, rates, targeted advertising, and coupons could be provided for restaurants, hotels, stores and other services.
Using QR code based information signs at key attractions allow visitors to get customized information tailored to their interest. For instance, a QR code posted at a museum attraction could provide a kid friendly description of the display to a sixth grader, historical information for an adult history buff, or technical information for a visitor interested in engineering or architecture. Plaques outside of buildings or homes with historical significance could provide similar information. Advertising for related items in local gift shops could help people part with their money more efficiently.
For tourist areas in parts of the county where cell phone service is not available VOIP based telephone access over WIFI could be available. Areas where this would be especially useful are campgrounds, special events, the Ski Cooper ski area or Baby Doe's cabin at The Matchless Mine.
Student Access
As the Lake County Schools embark on implementation of their one to one program a key challenge will be how to make internet services available to all students when they receive their devices. Having home access to selected internet resources would allow teachers to use online teaching resources without worrying that some students will have access to it and some won't.
One possible solution is to provide each family with limited broadband access only to local school network resources. This requires a standard subscriber installation at the student's residence (~$250 ) and a small monthly charge for carrying traffic between the school and the residence. The student would have access to resources needed to carry out class assignments and participate in designated distance learning programs. A family who also desired full internet service could purchase that service for an additional monthly fee. The cost of carrying traffic between sites in Lake County is minimal. This could be funded by seeking grants to pay for the customer's broadband equipment and the monthly network charge. We would welcome a dialog with interested parties on such a proposal.