
Santa Cruz's plan for a ubiquitous fiber-to-home network - steven
https://medium.com/@scrawford/these-cities-have-brightened-their-future-with-dark-fiber-dc89a5d6a1d2#.y67ebd4dn
======
codecamper
Oh Santa Cruz how I miss you. And now with fiber, even more reason to return.

I'm not sure why it works that way, but you go looking for surf at Ocean beach
and you wind up in Santa cruz. Santa Cruz turns any crappy surf day into
perfect waves. Only problem is there are about 50 other people there surfing
too & they all know each other, but still.. such great surfing!

And now with fiber. What could be better?

~~~
iokevins
Indeed; we currently go to the University of California, Santa Cruz, when we
need a speedy connection. : o )

In 2015, I was getting 96Mbps download from their freely accessible CruzNet
campus wireless network.

~~~
thescriptkiddie
It's hilarious. They only have 10 Mib/s in the on-campus housing, but if you
go to any lecture hall after hours you can get 100 Mib/s or so (synchronous!)
over the wifi. Good luck getting anything but dropped packets over that same
wifi network when the lecture hall is full, though.

~~~
kazinator
That's Mb or Mbit, not Mib. "mibi", the binary mega, is 1024 * 1024, which is
almost never used for data transmission rates given in bits.

~~~
thescriptkiddie
I measure my data transmission rates by timing how long it takes to transfer
100 MiB of random noise, so I do end up with mibi rather than mega unless I do
extra maths.

------
iokevins
As someone who lives just off Highway 1 on the Santa Cruz west side (closer to
the University of California, Santa Cruz), at least our household has looked
forward to this with excitement, for some time now. : o )

Currently using local ISP Cruzio's Velocity Internet + Phone ADSL
(Residential)[1], which, due to distance from the nearest telephone exchange,
delivers ~1.0 Mb/s. Note: those closest to the telephone exchanges get speeds
up to 75 Mb/s; first world problems, for sure.

We chose to support the local ISP, rather than throw money at Comcast/AT&T, so
we've accepted the performance. Note: Comcast[2] and AT&T[3] seem to have
their own troubles/past performance issues, in the area.

In 2015, Cruzio began surveying existing customers, regarding prioritizing
fiber buildout plans[4]. It seems you can still view results/vote and even
help champion your local area, online.[5]

[1]
[http://cruzio.com/services/broadband/economy/](http://cruzio.com/services/broadband/economy/)

[2] [http://downdetector.com/status/comcast-xfinity/santa-
cruz](http://downdetector.com/status/comcast-xfinity/santa-cruz)

[3] [http://downdetector.com/status/att/santa-
cruz](http://downdetector.com/status/att/santa-cruz)

[4] [http://cruzio.com/santa-cruz-fiber/](http://cruzio.com/santa-cruz-fiber/)

[5]
[https://cruzio.servicezones.net/santacruz](https://cruzio.servicezones.net/santacruz)

~~~
beachstartup
how are the local WISP's in the area?

~~~
iokevins
We actually seriously considered using a WISP (wireless Internet service
provider). Cruzio offers "Business Broadband"[1], with "50 Mbps typical
download and upload speeds" and the sales representative suggested we use
that, instead.

At the time (early 2015, I think?) Cruzio had just finished installing a
wireless presence on/near the old Wrigley Gum building (now a business park).
They visited our site, to see whether we had line-of-sight to their antenna,
and Cruzio engineers concluded they couldn't guarantee service, due to some
trees.

So, it fell through, for us, but working with Cruzio staff has always seemed
like a positive experience.

I'm not sure what other WISPs exist, but that's our story.

[1]
[http://cruzio.com/services/broadband/business/](http://cruzio.com/services/broadband/business/)

------
jmspring
I live in Santa Cruz and have for over 25 years, visiting for longer, friends
with people who have been here generations. I live on the east side of town
near where Hwy 1 and 17 meet. For years, I have various DSL offerings
(sonic.net was one), through one of the local trunks I was able to get 6Mbps
down, 768kbps up. It was...yeah, no.

A couple of years back, Cruzio started putting up point to point Wifi. They
started on the North (west) side of town at the old Wrigley Building. A former
colleague was one of the early residential customers. 20Mbps/sec @ $99/year.
Real speeds, a bit higher (using speediest).

I was the first to sign up in my neighborhood when they eventually lit up the
911 center. Their network engineer lives a few blocks from me, he was the
first over here :)

20Mbps/sec allows me to work well from home. Fiber would be a good thing. It
will take awhile for Fiber to be fully deployed, so I suspect I will stay on
the direct Wifi for a few years.

Do I see this changing the economic development outlook for Santa Cruz? No.
The University is the biggest employer, has a great deal of real estate around
town and pays no property taxes and hasn't built enough housing to keep up
with enrollment. The growth of administrators to staff/students is another
issue.

Santa Cruz is mostly built out. There are a lot of infill projects going in
Santa Cruz, but the uptick in actual tech isn't where it was 2000s. There
aren't really any large employers like there were then. Amazon has a small
presence, Full Power has been here awhile, Imprivata has a presence, Looker,
Cruzio and Next Space have incubators. Apple and Google have shuttles -- yeah,
no.

Santa Cruz has serious social ills as well. It has had a tolerance for
"alternative lifestyles", but the weather, the tolerance, and a blind eye
being turned have made things a cesspool too. Prior to the 89 quake and even
into the 90s, most of the homeless here were the older drunks, maybe a vet,
who were down on their luck. Meth and heroin have taken over, gang issues, the
local police blotter is a revolving door of many of the same names -- several
(many homeless) arrive here from other areas. Private residents are having to
invest in alarms and camera systems. Local hotels are telling people not to
leave their bikes on their cars even when parked in a monitored lot.

Where things go, I don't know. Personally, I see my days here as being on the
decline.

------
petra
I wonder if it's too late for fiber, with companies like starry talking about
working phased-array technology delivering hundred of megabits at low install
costs?

[https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601442/wireless-super-
fas...](https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601442/wireless-super-fast-
internet-access-is-coming-to-your-home/)

~~~
iokevins
Previous discussion:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11070584](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11070584)

What might you say to the Starry skeptics (?) For example: "hurdles of needing
line of sight, weather and obstacle sensitivity, degradation due to exposure,
antenna positioning and leasing space, plus all the required maintenance."

------
milhous
If Santa Cruz had the will and might, what would stop it from becoming "New
San Francisco"? Seems to me that creating a competing city is easier and
quicker than reforming one.

~~~
iokevins
Several possible limiting factors:

1) Population - As of 2013 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Santa Cruz's
population at 62,864 [1], versus ~860,000, for San Francisco alone, as of
2015.[2]

2) Water - "The SCWD currently has four water supply sources: 1) surface water
diversions from three creeks and one natural spring on the Santa Cruz Country
Coast; 2) surface water diversions from San Lorenzo River; 3) surface water
from Loch Lomond Reservoir; 4) groundwater extracted from the Purisima
Formation by the Live Oak well system."[3] The recent drought represented a
sobering reality for residents, regarding capacity of the existing system.

3) Geography - Perhaps someone more knowledgeable on this might weigh in, on
this, but the area comprises a number of marine terraces; you go from ocean to
hilly redwoods in about three miles, or less, with most people living
primarily on the marine terrace plateaus. You could develop it, I guess (?)

It's a gem, for sure, and not saying it's impossible; I guess we'd have to
define the characteristics of what a New SF would represent, for you. : o )

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_California](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_California)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco)

[3] [http://www.ucsc.edu/conserving-water/water-
supply.html](http://www.ucsc.edu/conserving-water/water-supply.html)

~~~
jrowley
Water is the biggest limiting factor. The campus has plans to expand further
into the redwoods and build additional student housing, but can't do so
without an adequate water supply. Currently their plans would further endanger
local fish e.g. the smelt.

------
yompers888
So, am I reading this correctly when I come to the understanding that there is
going to be a single company in control of delivering service on this wire?
That seems like a recipe for more of the same, where a single provider has
little incentive to price competitively or improve service in the absence of
competition. You could probably decay from exciting internet to under-
performing in as little as a decade.

On another note, can the trunk lines be kept to a relatively low capacity, and
then scaled later, or is this not feasible? I'm wondering how much you have
the chance in the implementation of this to start with limited bandwidth (but
still very high for residential users) and then scale up once you have users
and all the connections to the homes.

~~~
iokevins
To add to the comments by @justinlaing:

"Under the terms of the partnership, the City will own the network, and Cruzio
will act as the developer during engineering and construction and as the
operator when the network is complete. Financing for the development of the
network will be through City-backed municipal revenue bonds, repaid through
the revenue from the sale of network services (and not by the taxpayers). The
project will be financially self-sustaining and 100% of the profit generated
will stay in the City of Santa Cruz." [http://cruzio.com/2015/06/the-santa-
cruz-fiber-project-2/](http://cruzio.com/2015/06/the-santa-cruz-fiber-
project-2/)

------
justinlaing
Comcast upgraded their network in Santa Cruz in response to this. Amazing what
a little competition will do.

------
mountaineer22
Who owns the poles?

If not the municipality, what is the cost to the city to use the utility
poles?

~~~
iokevins
Excellent question; thank you. I'd like to know, but I don't. At least one of
the Supplemental documents, from the City of Santa Cruz December 2015 City
Council meeting, mentioned microtrenching. I've also seen mention that they
may have right-of-way via existing railway. That's about all I know.

------
tn13
Unable to understand why is the City partnering with one local ISP?

~~~
iokevins
tn13, see @justinlaing, above, in response to yompers888, as a start.

The City of Santa Cruz has ~62,000 people, as of 2013. [1] A 2013 boosterism
whitepaper, "Broadband Infrastructure in the Monterey Bay Region" [2] [note:
published by an investor; salt ready (?)] describes some of the then-current
issues experienced with larger broadband providers, which include Comcast,
AT&T, Verizon, and/or Charter Communications, depending on where you live in
the greater Monterey Bay area.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_California](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_California)

[2]
[http://www.tellusventure.com/downloads/ccbc/Broadband_Infras...](http://www.tellusventure.com/downloads/ccbc/Broadband_Infrastructure_in_the_Monterey_Bay_Region.pdf)

------
kazinator
Who actually needs this? Why the corporations that want to sell people on-
demand movies, TV and whatnot.

If you push the infrastructure in the name of "The Internet", you look like a
saint.

~~~
iokevins
@kazinator, some people might prefer the ability to have video-conferencing
sessions, from the comfort of the home and/or home office. That fills a real
human need for connectedness.

------
iokevins
The City of Santa Cruz December 08, 2015, City Council Meeting Agenda has a
number of freely available Supporting Materials, which describe the case for
the Cruzio public-private partnership:

[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?mee...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=686&doctype=AGENDA)

[1] Santa Cruz Fiber Public-Private Partnership Approv - Agenda Report

[2] Santa Cruz Fiber Public-Private Partnership Approv - CTC Fiber-to-the-
Premises (FTTP) Financial Forecast Initial Report – July 2015

[3] Santa Cruz Fiber Public-Private Partnership Approv - CTC Fiber-to-the-
Premises (FTTP) Financial Forecast Report Addendum – November 2015.pdf

[4] Santa Cruz Fiber Public-Private Partnership Approv - CTC Market Survey
Analysis – November 2015

[5] Santa Cruz Fiber Public-Private Partnership Approv - Cruzio Internet, Inc.
Market Survey Results – November 2015

[6] Santa Cruz Fiber Public-Private Partnership Approv - Public correspondence

[7] Santa Cruz Fiber Public-Private Partnership Approv - PowerPoint
Presentation 1

[8] Santa Cruz Fiber Public-Private Partnership Approv - PowerPoint
Presentation 2.pdf

[1]
[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&fileid=4296601)

[2]
[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&fileid=4296602)

[3]
[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&fileid=4296603)

[4]
[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&fileid=4296604)

[5]
[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&fileid=4296605)

[6]
[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&fileid=4296606)

[7]
[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&fileid=4296607)

[8]
[http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=...](http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/view.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&fileid=4296608)

