Comments for Waiting to Connect at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 48 out of 20 comments http://www.theind.com Wed, 22 May 2013 20:09:58 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-13592 Unfortunately only Tim and a few others get it. Gov't should only exist to do the few services that the private sector cannot (coin $, pave roads, Military etc.) not to provide fiber. I am 100% in favor of fiber and technology but this is best done via private enterprise. Gov't only fails or does less efficient when it tries to do what private enterprise can do. Look at the Post office, Amtrak etc. Stick to the few things and let private folks create wealth. Gov't destroys wealth. Please read Atlas Shrugged (Rand) and Wealth of Nations (Smith). - Lafayette's Libertarian Banker Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:38:10 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12861 I really hope that LUSFiber gets to apartments very soon. Cox service ( and their customer service) is absolutely horrible. Cox is well known to over-sell their Internet nodes causing horrible data rates. Because my apartment does not have LUS, I am forced to use Cox. Like an idiot, I purchased their 25 MBPs package thinking that high traffic would perhaps limit me to 16 MBPs at most. On a wired connection during peak times (4pm to 12am) I only get 1.5MBPs. This is mid-range speeds for their lowest tier of service. My numerous chats and conversations with their online and telephone service staff always end up with them either blaming me or giving me the run around. They want me to pay for a tech to come out. There is nothing wrong with my connection or network, its the fact that their infrastructure that services my complex is oversold and overloaded during peak hours. In the US, when you don't get what you pay for, you are entitled to get your money back. I am wondering how I can go about getting my money back for service that is not satisfactory? They place the "speeds may vary" clause, but when my top speed is lower than the lowest service, they are committing fraud. Basically Cox sucks a male reproductive organ and I hope that LUSFiber gets to apartments soon. All these anonymous posters who are supporting Cox are either morons or Cox plants, since only those two would not want a far superior service and to keep Lafayette money in Lafayette. - Brock J. Mason Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:04:37 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12773 “written by Terry Huval , November 23, 2010 The phrase "canvassing the returns", in this case, is one that was used by the attorneys in the acceptance/recognition of the official vote tally for the election to issue the bonds which were essential for the project to proceed. Whether or not a voter representative was part of the LPUA or not, the approval by both the LPUA and the Council insured that all voters in the city were represented in canvassing of the returns, as this referendum was voted on only by city of Lafayette voters.” “…Ottinger said. There are a number of necessary steps that must be taken for an election on a proposition." (Source: The Advertiser, August 12, 2010) FYI “Canvass. The act of examining and COUNTING THE RETURNS OF VOTES cast at a public election TO DETERMINE AUTHENTICITY.” (Source: Black’s Law Dictionary) RS 18:1292 “§1292. Canvass of returns On the date and at the hour and place specified in the notice of election, THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY ORDERING THE ELECTION, in public session, shall examine and canvass the returns and DECLARE THE RESULT OF THE ELECTION.” (Source: State Law) “Section 4-07. Utilities Department. THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY of the utilities department SHALL BE the Lafayette Public Utilities Authority (LPUA).” (Source: C/P Home Rule Charter) “Whether or not a voter representative was part of the LPUA or not…” Based on the above information, I believe it makes a huge legal difference how City voters are represented, who “orders” a City election, how City votes are “canvassed” (counted) and who “declares the results of a” City “election”. - andymhebert Sun, 28 Nov 2010 09:01:23 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12702 The success of LUS fiber is of extensive benefit to the local community. I would assume that the writers of negative comments are Cox employees, lobbyists, family and friends; also political oponents of the administration who want rhe administration to fail, no matter what the administration undertakes; wouldn't it be wise to set aside political differences and work to the sucess for our city. I have no problem with the argument against gov't involvment in private business; at one time I did feel differently - now the banks, insurance companies, auto companies and oil companies are not allowed to fail and are subsidized by the taxpayers; this is an expansion of the many legislative benefits they previously acquired from the enormous funds spent lobbying. - jmbo Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:36:20 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12697 The phrase "canvassing the returns", in this case, is one that was used by the attorneys in the acceptance/recognition of the official vote tally for the election to issue the bonds which were essential for the project to proceed. Whether or not a voter representative was part of the LPUA or not, the approval by both the LPUA and the Council insured that all voters in the city were represented in canvassing of the returns, as this referendum was voted on only by city of Lafayette voters. Terry - Terry Huval Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:46:49 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12674 Andy and Terry-- "had to be canvassed" Can we have a little civics lesson for those of us not so well versed in local election processes? What does "canvas" mean, and who did the canvassing for the LUS Fiber election? "Canvassing" I've heard of is usually a partisan "get out the vote" operation done by political parties. City, or Parish government did this? Or is canvassing in this instance a little bit different? And what is this "two canvasses" and "two resolutions calling for a bond election"? That happened? If so, why? What are the implications that Andy is hinting at, but not actually saying? And the Fiber election--what exactly was it? Was it voter approval to HAVE LUS Fiber, or was LUS Fiber a done deal and the election only a matter of how/if to fund the deal? - ragin_cajun Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:29:05 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12668 “written by Terry Huval , November 21, 2010 “Just to clear up any confusion… The 2005 election returns had to be canvassed by both the LPUA and the Council, so all city voters had representation on that issue. Terry” So explain why those of us represented by the LPUA, the legal governing authority of LUS by Charter, “had” to have our election canvassed again by another governing authority? Why two separate Resolutions calling for an LUS bond election? Why two canvasses? Was there two called elections? Was there two ballots? How did the LPUA canvass an election for voters they DID NOT represent? And explain how those of us NOT represented by the LPUA “had” to have our election canvassed by the City/Parish Council ONLY? “…they had to be canvassed by both…” Is that because of the Charter’s intentional gerrymandering of the Representative Districts to dilute and eliminate a true equal City Representation? “…so all city voters had representation….” So why are some of the City voters represented by both LPUA and C/P, and others not? Shouldn’t all City voters have equal representation in each separate governing authority? Thank you for pointing out that “…all city voters had representation…” it appears some get less than others. Thanks for pointing out that those of us NOT REPRESENTED by the LPUA need to have our votes canvassed by the non-governing LUS authority, the C/P Council. Just to clear up any confusion: A publicly owned utility’s public service commission is their governing authority, i.e. LPUA by Charter. Please explain who are the public service commissioners for those City customers who’s elected Council Members are legally denied by the Charter from representing them on the LPUA? - andymhebert Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:55:28 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12662 JOHN ST. JULIAN, YOU DISAGREE WITH ANDY HEBERT AND YOU AGREE WITH TERRY HUVAL " ENUFF SAID ! You are a lackey of the NTH. DEGREE, a Royal Knight of the INNER CIRCLE OF Hunched Over LCG slanted cult, one more thing your opinionated slanted view of commentors is just that,"YOUR OPINIONATED SLANTED VIEW, and truthfully your opinions reflect your bias brownie stance of a PRO-LCG promoter, so please take a number and stand at the back of the line, until your number is called, "NEXT PLEASE ! - NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:35:53 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12641 To the (mostly silent) readers: I suggest that you draw a lesson from the exchanges in this comment series. Think about your own, real, life. Imagine what you would think if someone blustered up to you and tried to "suggest" that you make a deal not to talk to them, swaggered to the other side of the watching crowd and declared that he'd agreed to the deal. If you are like me you'd think someone was trying to bully you. And you'd want to know his name...precisely so that you'd remember what sort of person he was if anyone were to ask. There's a real difference between those who are willing to risk their real-life reputation and those who swagger about talk boards anonymously. This is one example. - John St. Julien Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:56:17 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12638 " I may (in this string) disagree with " ... Fine, then. Talk to them, don't talk to me. I will do the same for you going forward. I will not comment on your remarks to them, and I'd appreciate it if you would not comment on my remarks any further. That sounds like a perfectly agreeable arrangement, I actually prefer it. I accept. - ragin_cajun Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:02:01 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12637 This string of comments is a pretty good example of why it's wiser to talk with people who are willing to use their real names and put their personal reputation on the line to support the things they say. Folks like "ragin_cajun" feel free to "rage" against people who ask that others take the same risk they do and to, for instance, call people shills who merely raise the _possibility_ that some of the anonymous commenters _might_ be agents of LUS' competitors. For the record: a shill, if you look it up, is someone who pretends to have a disinterested opinion but is actually an agent of one of the parties in a dispute. I use my real name and my record of support for LUS Fiber and the fiber referendum is very public. Thus I cannot be a shill in the usual sense if everyone knows my partisanship and I do not (by hiding my name) attempt to hide who I am. If you'll read through the comments you'll find that those who use their names are pretty circumscript in tone and careful to restrict their comments to that which they feel they know and understand well. I am happy to converse with real people. I may (in this string) disagree with Andy Hebert or Tim Supple and agree with Terry Huval and David Clark but I know that I can have a honest and ongoing conversation with those that are willing to put themselves out there. —Not so with those who do not. - John St. Julien Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:32:10 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12631 Just to clear up any confusion, LUS Fiber cannot be subsidized - and is not being subsidized. LUS Fiber can receive loans from LUS, with interest, but LUS has not had to lend any cash to the LUS Fiber system. Concerning On Demand content, we have recently populated our On Demand offerings into the thousands, with thousands of free content - and TV On Demand content, so there is much less difference between our On Demand content and Cox's. The 2005 election returns had to be canvassed by both the LPUA and the Council, so all city voters had representation on that issue. Our system is already providing 2 Gbps connections to at least one customer and 1 Gbps connections to multiple locations. Long term Broadband/Internet speeds are the ultimate reasons why we proposed the system, as more and more video and phone technology converge to a broadband connection. We are 21 months into serving customers and just completed our street-by-street deployment of the fiber along all public streets in Lafayette. That places us in a position to focus on accelerating services to new customers. As always, if you have any questions you can contact me at thuval@lus.org or 291-5804. Terry - Terry Huval Sun, 21 Nov 2010 18:30:46 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12626 "Even some that I'd like to talk over." -- Great, then talk away. "But...not with people hide who they really are." -- That's fine, too, then. Go elsewhere and talk with whom you will. "Cox shills " -- For YOU to call anyone a Cox shill is hysterical--the pot calling the kettle black to be sure. It's OK for you to be an LUS shill, but a Cox shill is somehow contemptible? Why? What's the difference? P.S. "Real names" and "reputations" don't lend credence to your position. In reasoned discourse, your position is credible only because of the way you present it, the facts you use to support it, and the eloquence with which you express it. These anonymous commenters have made EXCELLENT points, which you yourself admit, and they deserve your respect. But, you have none to give. You have only a weak attempt at an insult for those who see things differently from you. That's GREAT for your reputation, dude. I bet you're proud to have your REAL name on that comment, huh? - ragin_cajun Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:04:45 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12618 The biggest difference between LUS and Cox is that the money we spend with LUS stays here to bolster our economy and community. Cox ships its money off to distant lands like Atlanta to boost their economy. PS: there are some interesting points raised here. Even some that I'd like to talk over. But...not with people hide who they really are. It'd be a lot easier to assume that these are real citizens and not Cox shills if people would back up their opinions with their actual names—and reputation. - John St. Julien Sat, 20 Nov 2010 11:46:17 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12612 I waited until July until connecting to LUS Fiber. With my latest bill in hand, I went down to see what LUS had to offer - apples to apples and my total Net/Video/Phone costs are 50 bucks less than Cox a month. I also get polite,timely service. Everytime my cable went out, I waited 'tomorrow' for Cox service.I subscribed to Cox phone and that was a nightmare - I had to take off from work the next morning or have someone at my house and it was at Cox's convinience - NOT MINE. I had a sign in my yard and I'm putting the damn thing back out tomorrow morning.I think LUS is the greatest thing since sliced bread.If LUS Fiber went ten toes up tomorrow, I'd call AT+T for a phone abd stick a dish on the side of my house before I'd tolerate Cox sorry service and snotty attitude. - David Clark Fri, 19 Nov 2010 23:43:56 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12607 Monroe St -- " Cox will subsidize the lower rates until they can 'beat' LUS then watch out, three times what you pay now will be the norm. " -- I don't think so. AT&T will have a competitive product. And Deltacomm will have a MetroE service that I think will be geared toward business customers. Cox is not the only competitor in Lafayette. - ragin_cajun Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:03:32 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12606 Resident -- "since I like LUS fiber I must be a Marxist communist statist collectivist liberal socialist " -- If the shoe fits where it. - ragin_cajun Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:01:32 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12590 I am in the fortunate (or perhaps unfortunate) position of having to buy internet access in two cities, Lafayette LA and Boulder CO. In Boulder the choices are Qwest DSL or Comcast. Neither of which offers true high speed access in either location I have in that city. Download speeds are lacking and forget uploading at less than glacial. In Lafayette, with LUS I enjoy BOTH TV and Internet at more than double the speeds and half or less of the cost in Boulder. Even with a rate increase it's less than half. And for those of you who don't know, with LUS fiber the upload speed is the SAME as your download speeds, not so with COX cable. This matters if you are doing anything serious with the internet in a business. It also allows real time video access citywide, which could be fun. It's a superior system at lower prices, get into it or get the big surprise. And yes, Cox will subsidize the lower rates until they can 'beat' LUS then watch out, three times what you pay now will be the norm. - Monroe St Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:25:41 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12581 “That’s why we won the election.” How can the LPUA call for, conduct and canvas the returns in a special bond election for voters it doesn’t represent, i.e. registered City of Lafayette voters living in Districts not on the LPUA? It’s similar to what Mr. Oats said “It would be like the people of Alabama voting on (in this case certifying) things in Louisiana.” Why are registered voters living outside the legal Corporate Limits (taxing district) of the City of Lafayette allowed to change the form of government for a geographic boundary they are not a part of? It’s similar to what Mr. Oats said “It would be like the people of Alabama voting on things in Louisiana.” - andymhebert Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:30:29 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/7299-waiting-to-connect#comment-12580 Most of you can stop and pick up your "lobbying" checks from Cox now. They called and said the checks were printed. - AnonTechie Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:12:42 +0100