The information on this page is intended to provide little known details for consumers considering a fiber optics connection.
The fiber optics data connection product offered by L A Bridge is called FTAS (Fiber Traffic Alternate Service), and is provisioned over an existing fiber optic infrastructure much like DSL is provisioned over existing telco-owned phone lines. It is an equally robust and fast fiber connection as is provisioned by the telco conglomerates and faster than cable internet access. L A Bridge provisions FTAS data connections from 10M/2M to 50M/20M (where infrastructure is available) and the available bandwidth is not dependent on the distance between the neighborhood Central Office and the end user's location as is DSL. FTAS can also be used for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone calls as well.
If you like bundling services (phone, internet, TV on a single bill and one provider) the telco conglomerates offer an advantage since independent ISPs like L A Bridge don't offer phone or TV services over the same fiber optics connection. However consumers aren't required to bundle their internet, phone and TV services. There are many valid and important reasons to avoid bundled services -- not the least of which are the megalithic inflexibility to enable service changes, the customer service telephone maze of despair, the anguished hours on hold to change or correct billing errors and contract commitments after which monthly prices increase and that unfortunate legal clause about your "soul" is executed. ;-). If you want to avoid bundled services but want phone and TV over fiber, the option is to order the data connection first through L A Bridge then add phone and TV services through the telco conglomerate after the data connection is installed and activated.
Once a fiber optics connection is installed and activated at a location, DSL is disabled by the telco conglomerate and cannot be re-connected. "Good riddance to bad rubbish" you may say, but there are some important reasons to maintain a copper phone line. Compared to copper, fiber optics is a relatively new technology product for consumer internet access, TV and phone transmission. Most of the physical medium is buried underground but roughly about 30% is strung along the same utility poles used for electricity, phone and cable TV. A "test" fiber optic network was installed by one of the telco conglomerates in a Texas city with about a million households before it was deployed along the East Coast in 2002. Despite the yearlong test, the telco engineers admitted they weren't sure how the underground fiber optic cables would maintain integrity in a 4-point or higher magnitude earthquake or how quickly repair to ruptures in the fiber cable could be made. Obviously, after over 100 years of use, copper has been tested in a way fiber has not. Expectations for how well the telco's fiber optics connections will hold up in a natural disaster are theoretical estimates. Across the U.S. fiber cuts due to erroneous digging into a fiber optics cable trench or a natural disaster like a hurricane have taken as long as 3 weeks to repair. These are extreme examples and not the norm.
Because the DSL option is disabled once the fiber optics connection is installed, serious consideration should be given to maintaining a basic copper phone line provisioned with minimal DSL as back up for those individuals and businesses that cannot be without prolonged outages. Back-up alternate serivce is particularly important for businesses. The telco conglomerate will make it very difficult if not downright impossible to keep active DSL as a backup after their fiber optics installs. The point is: you may want to keep your copper phone line for backup. Minimal DSL bandwidth can be turned up, when needed, to its maximum (depending on technical and/or distance between the end user and the serving Central Office) usually in the same date. DSL may not provide the bandwidth you desire but at least it's a connection to the internet. L A Bridge has successfully assisted many FTAS customers with keeping their phone line and DSL service intact after the FTAS install.
Consider also, dial tone over copper is still regulated by the FCC and telcos must repair phone service (not DSL) over copper phone lines within a certain, narrow time frame or face very heavy fines. As of now, fiber repair is not regulated by any agency so there's no incentive to repair fiber in a timely manner. There are also "911" issues that should be considered before letting go of a copper land line option for voice services (see our page on Naked DSL).
Fiber optics is a fantastic technology and provides an exceptional internet connection. Consumers should not be dissuaded from switching to fiber optics. However, most consumers aren't aware of these details before hand. As a matter of telco policy, once DSL is disabled in the aftermath of fiber optics install, it is never re-enabled. Corporations have been known to modify policy especially when consumers boycott them or they lose market share. Unfortunately, most consumers don't know about this issue until it's too late.
To re-iterate, this material is intended to facilitate consumer education about internet connections over fiber and not to turn anyone away from getting a fiber optics connection. After all, L A Bridge sells internet services including FTAS. Fiber optics is a great technology and very exciting option for consumers. However, this kind of information is usually provided in ultra-small print, if at all. L A Bridge staff feels strongly that anyone who switches to fiber optics should be given this information up front.
