UK Lifeguards Dig Their Own 100Mbps Fiber-Optic Link 128
MJackson writes "The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Humber, a large tidal estuary situated on the east coast of Northern England, has just become one of the UK's most remote-rural locations to have a next generation 100Mbps Fibre Optic FTTH broadband link installed. The deployment is being sponsored by FibreStream and amazingly the groundworks were completed by the lifeboat crew literally digging their own fibre. We'd do the same on our road, but the government would probably object."
Nice work (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Good idea. (Score:2, Interesting)
Occasionally local projects get stopped due to red tape (either government or corporate).
A certain cable Internet provider refusing to run cables across the street [slashdot.org].
Re:100mbs is "next generation"? (Score:3, Interesting)
Not in Sweden. A friend of mine has 1gbps fiber municipal Internet at his house (previously 100mbps twisted pair).
Not a good thing they get no govt money (Score:4, Interesting)
"the RNLI is a charity supported entirely by money received from the public. They get nothing from the government, which is a Good Thing for the efficiency of the service;"
I wouldn't say "efficiency of service" is measured as to whether or not you get government money. I have worked for commercial companies that are incredibly inefficient and they don't get a penny of government money. I'd not say "efficiency" is a direct correlation to how much you have to do with a government. Maybe distance from funding source, not giving a damn where the money's coming from and not being accountable?
I personally also find it amazing and shocking that as a small island nation the people responsible for pulling drowning people out of the water, going miles out to sea in huge storms to save drowning sailors and rescue fishermen are voluntary and unfunded.
Re:Good idea. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Good idea. (Score:3, Interesting)
Occasionally local projects get stopped due to red tape (either government or corporate).
A certain cable Internet provider refusing to run cables across the street [slashdot.org].
That post is BS.
I've run into the *exact* same situation with Comcast. One of my clients has Comcast less than 50 feet away from their building--it's across a street.
The part about your story that doesn't line up is that Comcast wouldn't let him pay for it. Comcast flat-out told us if we wanted cable pulled under the street, we would have to pay something on the order of $23,000. Alternatively, we could *find* 10 people in our office park that would commit to 2 years of service and they'd pull the cable for free.
Instead, we made a deal with a house on the opposite side of the street to host our Comcast modem and one side of a wireless bridge. We still pay the same per month, but we're 'sharing' a small fraction of our internet connection with a nice old lady.
Re:Not a good thing they get no govt money (Score:2, Interesting)
The key thing is, it works (as it does in France, Germany and Holland). If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it.
Having local volunteers means that local knowledge is retained, people are following their own career in there 'day job' so leaving a station 'on promotion' isn't an issue.
It also means that stations can exist that any government expenditure review would delete due to the low number of rescues they undertake. The point is that there are locations where a Lifeboat is rarely needed, but when it is its REALLY needed, and FAST.
Whilst a charity the RNLI is very professional, crew are trained to a high standard, in part at a large specialist training centre in Poole, Dorset. The boats are second to none â" most go to the Lifeboat Services of other countries when the RNLI finishes with them. Others end their lives as Pilot Boats.
Rick
Re:This (Score:3, Interesting)
Is that surprising if you want to dig up public roads and pavements?
To be honest I wish there was more red tape to prevent every random utility company digging up the road one after another and leaving huge potholes and ramps everywhere.
Household cavalry (Score:3, Interesting)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Guards_(British_Army) [wikipedia.org]
Now why are they digging holes like civilian labourers?