Topic: CDE Lightband

Fiber optics in Chelan County, Washington

By Bill Larson | October 17, 2006 |

FIBER OPTICS, Lighting our Future video. Hear local residents talk about how the Chelan County PUD’s fiber network in Washington State is working for them (6-minutes).This video is also applicable for other communities, like ours who are considering, or planning on building, a municipal fiber network.

Sections: Issues, Politics | No Comments

More on the CDE referendum

By Bill Larson | October 13, 2006 |

CDE has a 70 plus year track record of proven ability to deliver low cost, reliable, electrical services to the residents of Clarksville. They will use that experience in delivering the telecommunications services that the voters of Clarksville will authorize them to deliver in November.

They are building the fiber network not because of the additional services, which will be used to reduce the costs of building, maintaining, and operating the network. Instead they will be laying fiber to enhance their ability to deliver advanced electrical products and other services that cater to the user like select billing. Catering to the customer is something that is alien to Charter Cable.

Competition is competition; it doesn’t matter that CDE is a public entity, if it saves the consumer money and provides more reliable service.  «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Politics | No Comments

Charter is using fear as a weapon against you

By Bill Larson | October 8, 2006 |

We have all seen the ads by Charter opposing the Clarksville Department of Electricity offering Cable TV, Phone, and extremely high speed Internet services. They are misleading and for the most part inaccurate. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Politics | No Comments

CDE Electric Expo 2006, & Answers To Your Questions About CDE’s Referendum

By Bill Larson | October 5, 2006 |

CDE has corrected some of the misinformation that Charter and other opponents of the Fiber Referendum have been clouding the air with. CDE calls it misstating, I call it lying. Well CDE has to be political on this subject matter, I however do not. They have launched a new web site, Vote Yes CDE. They are also holding their yearly Electric Expo on Saturday at the CDE office.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | No Comments

Broadband Reality Check

By Bill Larson | September 15, 2006 |

With every passing month, the United States falls further behind the global leaders in broadband Internet access thanks to a combination of market and policy failures. Our markets lack the competition to bring lower prices, higher speeds, and universal access. Our policies lack the imagination and potency to create real change. Meanwhile, Americans pay more money for less service than a dozen other nations. A third of U.S households are still stuck with dial-up, and another third lack Internet access of any kind. Our broadband problem is becoming a crisis. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Politics | No Comments

Learn About CDE’s Referendum

By Bill Larson | September 12, 2006 |

The Clarksville Department of Electricity is proud to be able to meet the energy needs of our customers. For nearly 70 years, CDE has made it a point to utilize the latest in technology in order to provide our customers the best service possible. Because of the dedication of our employees and board members, and the loyalty of our customers, CDE has been able to consistently offer quality electric service at an afffordable price.

CDE now has an opportunity to enhance the service we offer to this community. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, Issues, Politics | No Comments

Clarksville Online mentioned on Broadband Reports in reference to CDE’s Fibre referendum

By Bill Larson | August 23, 2006 |

We have posted several articles in reference to the CDE plan to wire every home in Clarksville with Fiber optic connections.

Clarksville will be voting in November, to authorize CDE to form a Telecommunications Authority. I encourage everyone to vote yes on the referendum.

CDE wants to build this network to enable them to read meters, turn on and off electricity for overdue customers, and real time monitoring of the local power grid all from the central office. Once installed these cables can also be used to provide cable television, on-demand video, worldwide video-conferencing, multiple community access TV channels, high speed Internet, and other services, which are not currently offered by Bellsouth or Charter Communications. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, Issues, Politics | No Comments

Charter Sucks!

By Tom Paine | July 4, 2006 |

It’s not often that I vent on a business — I know how hard it can be in this competitive world to satisfy ever more demanding customers. But I am about over Charter Communications. For over a month now, we have had missing channels and bad reception. We made an appointment and they never showed up, which doesn’t leave you feeling particularly good about having wasted a day to be there for them. Nor were they particularly apologetic about not showing up.

And every time you try to get a response from them, you are back to square one: you have to navigate a phone menu that resembles chinese water torture more than anything else. If and when you do get a human being, it’s a whole new world — you have to explain all over again what the problem is. And they will want you to make yet another appointment. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, Opinion | 6 Comments