Re: Is there an economist in the house?
Yep, d, every single time. Taking a butcher's at the shareholder list only confirms that this is nothing more than a cynical marketing exercise.
I, personally, don't need fibre. Although it seems at first glance to be more idiot-proof than twisted pair, I'm sure they'll employ a better idiot or two who will crimp, bend, stand on or otherwise mangle a perfectly good fibre bundle.
What I really want is the ability to buy the last mile copper from the cab to my house, the right to remove digits from the hands of anyone who breaks it while "working" on installing someone else's line into a line card, get rid of this bloody extortionate line rental crap and simply have a twisted pair from the concentrator to the modem and no copper back to the exchange. I'll do my own landline over battery-backed IP and Asterisk, thanks. At least I then get to flip marketers and people with withheld numbers the tri-tonal bird without having to pay for the privilege.
I would also like the right to shove those jelly crimps¹ that they keep adding to lines up the CEO's arse and force them to replace the cable instead, but that'll never happen while the pole monkeys couldn't learn 25 pair colour codes (CW1308 or even schedule zero for those of us with more years behind than in front) and identify the correct pair if their lives depended on it.
"Oh, balls, wrong binder. Crimp 'em quick and hope nobody notices." There goes another couple of dB off the SNR.
¹ Bridge taps, the bane of anyone expecting a balanced differential pair after OpenWoe have been in there with cutters, silly pliers, fists of boiled bacon and multiple left thumbs. How hard can it be to maintain the twist and at least a nod towards equal and opposite current?