DIY "last mile" fiber trenches in Norway

fiber connection, by h0bbel
Is it just me, or has that “can do” American spirit begun to fade of late? We’re all becoming complacent as the MegaCompanies erode our sense of ownership, our sense of industry, and our ability to do things our own way. ISPs charge us an arm and a leg to lock us into restrictive contracts for crappy Internet service over which we have no real control. The install teams show up when they feel like it, and do a crappy installation when they do show up. Wouldn’t it be great if you could perform your own “last mile” cable run, to make sure you got it right? In Norway, you can!

Ars Technica reports that Lyse, an electric company that’s begun selling Internet service in Norway, allows subscribers to dig their own trenches for the fiber runs that Lyse provides. This makes sure that the trench is done in a way that pleases the customer, as opposed to the most expedient and cost-efficient option for the company. A typical fiber trench costs approximately $400, which of course gets billed back to the customer. If you can save that $400, and maybe take the opportunity to rework your landscaping, would you?

Moreover, Lyse doesn’t even begin to roll out fiber until they get 60% of an area signed up in advance. Contrast this with Verizon’s FiOS service, where they run fiber to the neighborhood ahead of them, and then gauge interest from potential subscribers.

My buddy Christian lives in Bergen, Norway, and while he’s not a Lyse subscriber he emphatically supports them. He exclaimed “Lyse rocks!” to me when I asked him for some details about their fiber service.

Hey, I know! Maybe if we start one of the Internet petition things, and get all the CrunchGear readers to “sign” it, we can put some pressure on the American telcos and cable companies to allow us to dig our own cable trenches!!