A.
A corporation owned by its members providing them goods and/or
services at cost. Cooperatives are not designed to make a
profit, but to return any surplus of revenues over operating costs to
their members.
Q.
What is the purpose of the Camino Fiber Network Cooperative?
A:
To provide fiber optic advanced telecommunications services to member
premises starting in the Camino area and expanding to adjacent areas
with the goal of “no home left behind.”
Q.
Why a cooperative?
A.
Cooperative corporations have a long history in the United States,
having been formed in the early 20th
century to provide water, electric power and telecommunications
services in areas where these services were not available. It
is an established and proven organizational structure that offers
significant cost and tax advantages over commercial providers.
Q.
Who owns and runs the cooperative?
A.
Cooperatives are owned and democratically managed by their members
who elect the board of directors.
Q.
What services would the coop initially
provide?
A.Telecommunications
services including high speed Internet and Voice Over Internet
Protocol (VOIP).
Q.
What is VOIP?
A.
VOIP uses the Internet to carry voice conversations much like the
publicly switched telephone network has done for decades, offering
very high digital sound quality and a menu of features including
voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, etc.
Q.
How fast would the Internet connection be?
A.
The connection would be very fast, at least 20-30 Mbs for both
downloads and uploads with higher speeds offered in the future.
This will enable those running small and home-based businesses to
work with large files and videoconference with clients and
customers. Members would also be able to teleconference with
distant relatives with high speed Internet connections and consult
with doctors and other medical providers who have telemedicine
capabilities.
Q.
Why fiber optic network infrastructure?
A.
Fiber is a proven technology that can serve our current and future
needs. It can easily be expanded and upgraded to offer higher
speeds and isn’t likely to become obsoletein the foreseeable
future.
Q.
What would these services cost?
A.
The goal of the cooperative is to offer advanced telecommunications
services at superior value and at affordable rates comparable to
similar services available elsewhere that typically run $50 to $120
per month.
Q.
Why haven’t the existing telephone and cable companies provided
these services my premises?
A.
They are publicly traded, shareholder owned companies that must earn
a profit and pay dividends to their shareholdersas well as income and
other taxes. Accordingly, they have chosen to concentrate their
capital expenditures on advanced telecommunications infrastructure in
more densely populated, newer suburban and metro areas where they are
likelier to earn larger and more rapid returns on their
investments.
Q.
I already have cable or DSL. Why should
I join the coop?
A.
The coop will be able to offer significantly more robust and higher value services
than currently offered or likely to be offered from telco and cable companies
in the foreseeable future. In addition,
fiber optic cable is a proven technology that provides enormous capacity to
accommodate future growth and needs, protecting it from obsolescence. The very high throughput provided by fiber
will allow members to download high definition television programs and
films in just minutes; participate in video conferences with business
associates, employers, and relatives and take part in telemedicine and distance
learning programs. In addition, the
co-op aggregates the buying power of its members which should result in superior
service options and customer service than offered by large telcos and cable
companies.
Q.
I currently subscribe to wireless Internet service. Would the
coop’s fiber optic-based service be a better deal for me?
A.
Yes. It will provide a much faster and more reliable Internet
connection for less money than existing wireless services and it will
be able to easily handle high definition video content.
Q.
Will the coop offer video Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) service?
A.
The
cooperative plans to look into offering this service since the
fiber optic infrastructure will enable delivery of video programming
including high definition video.
