Fiber, Convergence, and Communities of the Future

HomeNet's Jon Moore also anticipates a new renaissance in public access TV. The iProvo network and HomeNet service make this very easy, he says. "With our two-way communications capability, people can enjoy true interactivity, every person in Provo could conceivably have his own cable show—church groups, Boy Scout troops, school clubs, almost everyone," Moore says. In fact, the immense bandwidth of the iProvo fiber network makes possible up to 16,000 channels, he says.

The iProvo Web site, in an obvious attempt to garner support from the taxpaying public, notes that: "The network will also allow Provo City to better serve residents with advanced synchronization of traffic lights, monitoring of traffic and instant accident reporting, remote meter reading, improved reliability of the Provo City electrical network with high-speed switching among electric substations, and connecting all city buildings and facilities (particularly police and fire facilities) with high-speed communications services." The city government Web site ends its PR sales pitch by noting that: "The capacity of the system will be great enough that innovative and entrepreneurial companies will develop new services and products that are not apparent today."

But while fiber is at the heart of all these advanced communications benefits, don't underestimate the "power of true convergence" that iTPPs like HomeNet provide with their IP-based technologies, says Moore. When you have "everything over IP," you have the advantages of integration. "Your laptop, phone, PDA, etc. can share the same phone number," he says. And you wouldn't have to have worry any more about being confused by different identifying numbers and different passwords for every interface device. "Convergence means greater efficiency and more ease of use. Merging functions makes life easier for the end user," says Moore.

There's just one catch, however: this kind of convergence is available (for the most part) only in those communities that have fiber optic systems in place. Some towns and cities like Provo are retrofitting their communications infrastructures with fiber (this is called "overbuilding"), while new communities currently being built from scratch (known as "greenfield developments") are simply installing fiber as they build. These greenfields are usually housing developments or apartment complexes, rather than entire towns.

So what do you do if you want to enjoy the sort of advantages that HomeNet is offering Provo, Utah (other than move there)? Well, you'll have to convince your municipality (or subdivision or apartment complex) that it needs its own fiber network. That's not as ridiculous as it sounds; many communities with aging public utility infrastructures in need of updating are deciding to go ahead and do it themselves with fiber. The iProvo Web site, in addressing the public vs. private sector debate, notes that "over 2000 cities, like Provo, have their own electrical systems" and "400 cities across the nation are making available telecommunications systems." The Web site argues that infrastructure is too important to be left up to private enterprise. "In today's world, telecommunications infrastructure is as important as highways and water systems to the economic success of a city and its businesses and families."