Reply to post: Common devices

Common devices

"...very easy to repair with common devices and easy-to-learn techniques."

Note: dumb 'Murican posting.

While I can go to the corner hardware store and buy all sorts or electrical or plumbing (for water, sewer, or natural gas), covering both "lines" (wires/pipes) and components (switches, outlets, breakers/panels, valves, faucets/toilets, etc.), and all the necessary tools -- and I can learn how on YouTube -- there is a disconnect when it comes to data:

1. We can easily buy wires (Ethernet or coax), but not the components. That usually involves research and purchase all online. (RadioShack, we need you!)

2. Aside from some simple repairs (example: I've replaced all three toilets through this pandemic -- ugly work, but such a wonderful upgrade plus satisfaction), and especially when the house's "internal" systems interface the "external", you need someone government licensed with tested knowledge of Building Code, often with a municipal permit for the specific project and follow-up inspection. And for the most part, our problems with data services are at this interface.

Similar to what others have said above, the think the solution is for companies to agree to equipment/interface standards and open up repairs to a licensed network of independent trained-and-tested repairfolk. I also think hardening the network to this kind of thing by running more (any!) fiber, all the way to my outside wall (not the neighborhood node, not the curb) will reduce hardware problems on their side of the interface. Also, more government oversight of outages by actually treating ISPs like public utilities will force them to shore up their side of the system or fork over the fees.

Let's also divorce the ISP from the content provider. Let AT&T and Comcast (and others) provide infrastructure and the main data link as utilities, and split the provide-the-TV-streams into separate companies. I'm still talking "live" bundles of channels, but with a standardized interface that I could change TV-stream providers OR broadband providers and keep the same DVR and other internal equipment.