Sandwich Isles Communications

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

The Hawaii Telecom [Carlyle] wrote a letter wanting patience in any decision
relating to SIC's waiver. Pacific LightNet wrote a letter in support of SIC's waiver.


http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/r...ent=6517082582
http://tinyurl.com/4f83
Pacific LightNet's comments for SIC's waiver.

http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/r...ent=6517282348
http://tinyurl.com/4f83
Hawaiian Telecom's comments against SIC's waiver.
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[Konaguy]

Sandwich Isles Communications got their waiver

http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Da...5/ddtoday.html

SANDWICH ISLES COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PETITION FOR WAIVER OF THE DEFINITION OF "STUDY AREA" CONTAINED IN PART 36, APPENDIX-GLOSSARY AND SECTIONS 36.611, AND 69.2(HH) OF THE COMMISSION'S RULES. Granted the Petition for Waiver. (Dkt No. 96-45). Action by: Acting Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau. Adopted: 05/16/2005 by ORDER. (DA No. 05-1355). WCB DA-05-1355A1.doc DA-05-1355A1.pdf DA-05-1355A1.txt

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-05-1355A1.pdf

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/storyP...5-8279fefcf04c

Sandwich Isles Communications: Political Connections Pay Off
Special from Hawaii Free Press
By Andrew Walden, 6/2/2005 12:57:53 PM

In a little-noticed May 16 ruling, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver necessary to allow Sandwich Isles Communications to complete construction of its $500 million project to link 69 Hawaiian Homelands properties with a fiber optic communications network.

Sandwich Isles, had completed about $160 million worth of construction bringing its network to all the islands except the Big Island, when in October, 2004 the FCC suddenly acted on a 6-year-old complaint from telecom rival Verizon. As a result of the October ruling, Sandwich Isles was forced to reapply for its FCC waiver which allowed SIC to receive $400 million in federal funds taken from the "Universal Service Fund" (USF) tax on consumers’ phone bills.

The Universal Service Fund tax is intended to subsidize telecommunications service to un-served rural areas. Verizon Hawaii, now re-named Hawaii Telecom after being purchased by the Carlyle Group, had argued the DHHL lots Sandwich Isles proposed to serve were not unserved because they were within Verizon territory. With the waiver granted, federal funds can once again flow into Sandwich Isles Communication’s coffers and construction can be completed on the Big Island.

[Miulang]

What's wrong with this picture?

According to this article in today's Advertiser, Sandwich Isles telecom is getting approximately $13,700/customer to provide landline services to Hawaiian Homestead residents. Nextel Communications, which provides wireless services to the same area, will receive approximately $13,400 for each wireless customer that it serves. The article continues by saying that the next highest subsidized rural phone service (in Kansas) only costs about $550 per customer.

Each and every one of you is supporting this ridiculously high cost every month via the $2/customer fee you pay to support rural phone service.

What's wrong with this picture? Why didn't Sandwich Isles just set up a wireless VOIP system instead of spending all that money putting in fiber? Even countries like China (as backwards as it may seem) is not spending money on landlines; most of the developing world is installing towers and going to wireless.

Miulang

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

I am very happy that they covered this. It is showing a great disparity in
money being spent, which should raise some eye brows. Some of the problem
is the USF/FCC don't entice recipients to be efficient with the money.

On a related note Hawaiian Telcom is asking the FCC to reverse their decision
alowing SIC to continue to receive USF funds.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../bz/bz07p.html

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

There was a Washington Post article today in regards to congressional investigation into USDA RUS mismanaging rural broandband deployment.

link

This is what I sent to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Greetings,

I had a chance to read this article in regards to your committee grilling the USDA RUS on mismanaging funds for rural broadband deployment.

Washington Post article

I highly urge your committee to examine the 400 million in USDA RUS loans given to Sandwich Isles Communications. SIC is building a fiber-optic network to service the Department of Hawaiian Homelands land tracts here in Hawaii. Some of these areas are already receiving service from the ILEC, Hawaiian Telcom.

In my opinion I find it extremely wasteful that SIC is building this network.On top of that I find it racially discriminatory that all taxpayers are funding this network.Especially when only DHHL lessee's can use it.

I hope you will continue your investigation of the USDA RUS and their wasteful managing of rural broadband deployment.


Best Regards,
Aaron Stene

[Random]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

I want to know: Is SIC better than Hawaiian Telcom?

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

I want to know: Is SIC better than Hawaiian Telcom?

Hard to say as A) Their network is not complete B) They only can legally service Department of Hawaiian Homelands areas.

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

Sandwich Isles has finally received approval to build the interisland submarine fiber-optic network. It is being financed by Paniolo Cable Company LLC. Which will sublease it to Sandwich Isles Communications. Paniolo is owned wholly by a Denver, Colorado venture capitalist. Sandwich Isles will have exclusive access to this fiber-optic network, which run up to 2.5Gbps.

http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Da...-07-3293A1.txt
http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/artic...al/local06.txt
http://www.knowledgemosaic.com/FCCDa...-07-3293A1.pdf

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

I wonder how Sandwich Isles can offer DSL service when their network is all fiber-optic. It is my understanding that DSL can't work over fiber, only copper
(to the central office).

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

I wonder how Sandwich Isles can offer DSL service when their network is all fiber-optic. It is my understanding that DSL can't work over fiber, only copper
(to the central office).

DSL is just an acronym for Digital Subscriber Line. Technically anything digital can be considered that.

Is Sandwich Isle's service to the home all fiber? I would imagine at some point it would convert to copper to the home.

The only difference between copper and fiber is the way information is transmitted. One is via electrron flow the other is via photon flow. Regarding fiber and the flow of photons, once converted to electron flow (opto-electronics) it's the same DSL coming out of the servers, it's just that fiber does it faster and more efficiently

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

I thought it was all fiber from the home to the central office based upon what I've read. But I guess its not if they are offering DSL service. Especially since DSL can only work over a copper loop, not fiber-optic loop to the CO.

http://sandwichisles.net/DSL%20Service%20Agreement.pdf

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

I still don't understand why DSL cannot work on an optical system?

[Konaguy]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Subscriber_Line
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dsl.htm

http://www.lava.net/sales/dsl_faq

Phone lines delivered using fiber optic cable (not copper).

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Sandwich Isles Communications

So it's a matter of cost. You can run DSL over fiber but if you already have conventional coax cable you don't need fiber. But if all you have is fiber then the question of cost is moot. It's the only way you can.

A telephone's limitation is the fact that it was designed for analog transmission of audio. Back in the 70's you could get what was called a Switch 56 line which was one of the first digital applications of digital over POTS. Basically Switch 56 was certain telephone lines that were "conditioned" to transmit the digital 56kb/s signals that were used in central database systems. To lease one back in the 80's would cost you about $500 per month but would give you a dedicated conditioned telephone line to send and receive modem info over POTS.

ISD or ISDN lines became more popular in the mid 80's when home computers became more popular as well. But back then you couldn't run an analog telephone line AND an ISDN line over the same twisted pair.

DSL changed all that allowing both analog and digital signals to be sent over the same twisted copper pair.

In your case Aaron, it would be impossible to run an analog telephone signal over a fiber optic system designed soley for digital application. But nowdays more 3rd party business phone systems are purely digital with an analog conversion at the home so you can use a standard telephone with a digital system. KSBE up at Kapalama uses a digital conversion system. That's why from any phone at KSBE dialing out, the caller ID at the other end will only give KSBE's main number and not the number at the desk the caller is making the call from.

It comes down to cost as the WikiPedia definition states: A DSL line can be deployed over existing cable. Such deployment, even including equipment, is much cheaper than installing a new, high-bandwidth fiber-optic cable over the same route and distance. This is true both for ADSL and SDSL variations.