<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">







<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
 <o:DocumentProperties>
  <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
  <o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
  <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
  <o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
  <o:Words>1300</o:Words>
  <o:Characters>7412</o:Characters>
  <o:Company>RADLab</o:Company>
  <o:Lines>61</o:Lines>
  <o:Paragraphs>14</o:Paragraphs>
  <o:CharactersWithSpaces>9102</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
  <o:Version>12.0</o:Version>
 </o:DocumentProperties>
 <o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
  <o:AllowPNG/>
 </o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
 <w:WordDocument>
  <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
  <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
  <w:TrackFormatting/>
  <w:PunctuationKerning/>
  <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
  <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
  <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
  <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
  <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
  <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
  <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
  <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
  <w:Compatibility>
   <w:BreakWrappedTables/>
   <w:DontGrowAutofit/>
   <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
   <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
  </w:Compatibility>
 </w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
 <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
 </w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->

<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
 /* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
        {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
        mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
        mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
        mso-style-noshow:yes;
        mso-style-parent:"";
        mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
        mso-para-margin:0in;
        mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
        mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
        font-size:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman";
        mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
        mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
        mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
        mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->



<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
40.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;color:#1A1A1A">City hopes to boost Internet
speed, compete with new line</span></b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;color:#535353">Posted: Sunday, July 6, 2014 7:00 am | <i>Updated: 12:20
am, Mon Jul 7, 2014.</i></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes">                             </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(83, 83, 83); ">By Chris Quintana
The New Mexican </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(83, 83, 83); "><a href="http://SantaFeNewMexican.com/"><span style="color:blue">SantaFeNewMexican.com</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-no-proof:yes"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
 coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe"
 filled="f" stroked="f">
 <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
 <v:formulas>
  <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
  <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
  <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
  <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
  <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
  <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
  <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
  <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
  <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
  <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
  <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
  <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
 </v:formulas>
 <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
 <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75"
 alt="Macintosh HD:Users:rl1:Desktop:SFFiber.png" style='width:468pt;height:515pt;
 visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
 <v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/rl1/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image001.png"
  o:title="SFFiber.png"/>
 <v:textbox style='mso-rotate-with-shape:t'/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" width="470" height="517" src="file://localhost/Users/rl1/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image002.png" alt="Macintosh HD:Users:rl1:Desktop:SFFiber.png" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1"><!--[endif]--></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Santa Fe residents pay the same average monthly rate for Internet
service as Albuquerque residents, but can only browse the Web at half the
speed.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">A $1 million city project aims to close that gap. The money will fund
an independent pipeline to the Internet in an effort that city officials hope
will increase competition and drive up Internet speeds.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">But some Internet providers aren’t happy with the project or the way
the city sidestepped open bidding in awarding the contract. One of the state’s
largest Internet providers questions whether the project is needed or will
promote the diversity of providers sought by city officials. Another company
threatened litigation before backing down.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">City officials are undeterred. And ordinary consumers and businesses
who rely on the Internet say anything that improves the city’s plodding Web
speeds is welcome.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“More broadband is the way of the future,” said Jason Hool, president
of Santa Fe Studios, whose clients consume massive amounts of bandwidth
transferring digital video files across the country and the world.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“It’s key to all of our clients, and that’s only going to continue,”
Hool said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">The long and short</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">One of Santa Fe’s major Web hubs rests in a nondescript gray building
on Second Street, near the Rail Trail. The unremarkable building, known in
industry parlance as a fiber hut, is owned by Century Link, which, along with
Comcast, dominates the city’s Internet landscape.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Inside, a maze of interwoven cables connects through a 2-mile line to
the company’s central telephone exchange along East Alameda Street amid
downtown’s many bars and restaurants. Most other Internet providers have to
access that line to serve their customers, said Sean Moody, a project
administrator with the city’s economic division who is leading the Internet
project.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Century Link acts as a sort of toll service, he said, giving the
national telecommunications company tremendous control over the city’s Web
service.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“It’s unregulated and uncompetitive,” Moody said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">He believes that de facto monopolization of access is partially
responsible for the fact that Santa Fe residents currently pay $50 a month for
an average speed of 5 megabits per second, whereas Albuquerque residents pay
the same price and get 10 megabits per second.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Century Link denies that its control of the line inhibits competition.
Company spokesman David Gonzales said in a statement that Santa Fe customers
have many choices. For ordinary customers, that might be true. But for
businesses that are wholesale buyers of Internet access, choices are limited.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">That’s where the city project would come in, Moody said. By building a
parallel and independent line from Century Link’s downtown exchange to its
fiber hut on Second Street, providers would have an alternative to Century Link’s
line, Moody said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Along the way, Cyber Mesa, a local Internet service provider that the
city designated to carry out the project, would also tie fiber through the
Railyard, the Capitol Complex, the Simms Building and the city’s water
department at 801 W. San Mateo Road. The link should foster competition and
increase speeds as new providers vie for customers, Moody said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Jane Hill, Cyber Mesa’s owner, said the goal isn’t to undercut Century
Link but to provide “another way out of Dodge.”</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">The city contract calls for creation of a new company, tentatively
called “SF Fiber,” which will sell wholesale space on the city’s fiber lines.
Cyber Mesa would run the company the first four years before the contract goes
out to bid to other companies, Moody said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Any profit from the sales would go to the company running SF Fiber,
Moody said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Cyber Mesa also is required to create a data center that will serve as
another independent port to access the wider Internet.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">The decision process</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Moody said that when he first began the project, he wasn’t sure what
he needed, so he put out a request for proposals and received responses from
Internet service providers Cyber Mesa, City Link, Century Link and Plateau.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Century Link, he said, told him not to waste money on the project, and
Plateau’s ideas weren’t comprehensive enough, Moody said. That left Cyber Mesa
and City Link.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Moody said he eventually canceled the request for proposals, citing a
clause that allows the city to skip the competitive bidding process when
selecting a utility service such as a water or power provider. Moody said
telecommunications falls in that category.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">It’s one of many aspects of the city’s plans that have flustered City
Link owner John Brown, almost to the point of litigation. Foremost, he said, is
Cyber Mesa’s lack of experience compared to his own. He said he has more than
170 commercial accounts and hundreds of residential ones.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“Jane has a nice company,” Brown said. “That doesn’t mean that they’re
the right organization for this job.”</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Brown said that in his bid he proposed creating a 7-mile loop that
would have accomplished the city’s goals and provided additional coverage and
redundancy. The city didn’t bite, saying that he couldn’t complete the project
within the funding limits, he said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Brown said he could, but the city remained unconvinced and instead
opted for Cyber Mesa.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">He also questioned the need for running cable through Century Link’s
central exchange, saying it was unnecessary and expensive.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Moody said the city wanted to connect to the central telephone
exchange because much of the existing Internet infrastructure already runs
through it.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">He said Brown has a good business model but it didn’t meet the city’s
needs. “It wouldn’t serve all the ways to access the Internet,” Moody said.
Cyber Mesa’s plan does, he said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">As for Cyber Mesa’s lack of experience, Hill disagrees. She said her
company has provided Internet service for Santa Fe residents for years and has
done plenty of fiber work, most recently in Silver City and for the Casas de
San Juan development near the Santa Fe Opera. Moody added that he wouldn’t have
chosen someone he didn’t believe was capable of completing the job.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Public response</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Gonzales, the Century Link spokesman, said the company already pays “hundreds
of millions of dollars every year” to bring broadband to more residents
throughout the country.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“While we believe that public broadband networks that compete directly
with private industry are not the best use of taxpayer dollars,” Gonzales said
in a written statement, “we support government initiatives to leverage existing
infrastructure and extend broadband service to unserved areas.”</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Christopher Mitchell is director of the Community Broadband Networks
Initiative with the Institute for Local Self- Reliance, a national nonprofit
that advocates for local communities to solve their own problems rather than
turning to national providers. He said many national telephone companies are
positioned to be gatekeepers to fast Internet access, and they profit from it.
He added that most Americans are struck with cable or digital subscriber lines,
which transmit data over telephone lines.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“The city is trying to rectify it, and that makes sense,” Mitchell
said. “It’s a good first step, but it can’t be the only step.”</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Mitchell also warned that the city should not expect competition to
flourish on its own, saying Internet giants such as Comcast and Century Link “have
a lot of power to run competitors out of business.”</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Mitchell warned that Comcast and Century Link have a history of
opposing public Internet infrastructure projects through legislation, and that
the city should expect resistance if it continues building such projects.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“They’re very happy with the market the way it is,” Mitchell said.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Damian Taggart owns and operates MindShare Studios, a Web design firm.
He said that for his day-to-day work of coding and creating Web pages, Santa Fe’s
Internet overall is “acceptable. ” But uploading or downloading large files can
take hours.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“It will certainly be welcomed by all the Internet companies in town,”
Taggart said of the city’s project.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Moody has said the purpose of the project is to bring faster Internet
to Santa Fe to benefit high-traffic users such as the city’s film studios,
schools, hospitals and other businesses.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Hill said the city’s project also could benefit smaller Internet
providers, such as La Cañada Wireless Association. Joel Yelich, president of La
Cañada, said the co-op provides service to about 400 members. La Cañada
currently operates its service by leasing bandwidth from Century Link, but he
said he will be watching the city’s fiber-optic plans closely.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">“I certainly hope that is successful in some way,” Yelich said. “The
more competition, the better.”</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:17.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia">Contact Chris Quintana at 986-3093 or <a href="mailto:cquintana@sfnewmexican.com"><span style="color:#3B688F;text-decoration:
none;text-underline:none">cquintana@sfnewmexican.com</span></a>.</span></i></p>

<!--EndFragment--><div></div></body></html>