Starting an ISP requires millions of dollars in equipment to overbuild the cable network and it requires permission from the municipality (Rochester in my case).

The thought isn’t gone, but right now I have neither the time nor the money to be able to take on Time Warner Cable and Frontier on my own. If caps were in place and our situation was closer to that of Shaw/Novus/Telus/Bell in Canada then there may actually be a groundswell of support to start a municipal ISP.

I’d also talk to the people in South Carolina and Minnesota as part of the research on what it takes to get moving with a municipal ISP since they’ve already done it.

Link: http://stopthecap.com/2009/06/22/time-warner-rochester-ups-the-ante-against-frontier-well-pay-your-early-disconnect-penalty/comment-page-1/#comment-4862

However WiMax is a joint venture between Clearwire and Sprint (as I recall) with TWC and Comcast close monetary partners. Sprint already offers “unlimited” (5GB) data plans for their phones at $15 and $30 rates – the best in the mobile biz.

I haven’t been able to tell the difference between the two plans besides $15 and I pay for the $15 plan. If you dig around on their site I think you can find it. It’s called the Data Pack. Their basic Everything Data plan is 450 minutes and unlimited data for $70/mo which also isn’t bad. I don’t see WiMax eating into that very much for users with phones running Windows Mobile because it’s rather easy to tether your phone to your computer (though beware of that 5GB cap).

WiMax may be desirable if you don’t leave the city very often and carry a netbook around with you everywhere.

( The data pack info is here: http://nextelonline.nextel.com/en/stores/popups/data_pack_popup.shtml and the pro pack — more stuff for another $15 — is here: http://nextelonline.nextel.com/en/stores/popups/power_vision_pro_pack_popup.shtml )

I suspect TWC and Comcast will disguise market their WiMax white labeled Clearwire service (slap your cable company logo on it even though it’s basically the same as Clearwire service directly from them) as a mobile broadband service. Consumers are enduring 5GB monthly caps on those services, so I’d hardly be surprised to see the same cap from both Comcast and TWC.

Paying essentially $30 a month more for these services, presuming you have good reception from Clearwire’s WiMax towers, would undercut wireless phone carrier plans by $20 a month for the 5GB plan. It might be enough to spark a small price war.

I personally can’t justify spending $30 or $50 a month for mobile broadband, but then again I never venture too far from home anyway. For those that do, it could be a real savings to tell Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, or Sprint to “kiss off.”

One day, I should try out Crickét (it’s classier when you pronounce it that way) and their mobile broadband, if only because they don’t lock you into a contract and it’s cap is apparently not viciously enforced.

Virgin Mobile’s prepaid mobile broadband is ludicrously expensive for all but the most casual user.

3. Data Plans/Overages – Applicable only to CLEAR Accounts

You will be entitled to use the CLEAR Service for the bandwidth amounts and download speeds (collectively referred to as the “Plan Amount”) listed on your Order Confirmation. If you exceed your allotted Plan Amount, Clearwire will automatically charge you and you agree to pay an additional internet service usage fee per gigabyte of additional bandwidth pursuant to the provisions of your Order Confirmation (the “Overage Charge”). Your Plan Amount does not roll-over, but expires at the end of each month with all unused amounts forfeited.

Also you have no idea what the caps are until you place your order. They are not shown on the pre-checkout itemized list and they are not discussed in the plan descriptions. And to get the best deal ($30 one-time fee with free activation and free shipping) you need to sign up for a 2 year agreement. With a 1 year agreement you’ll pay $80 in one-time fees.

There are monthly plans but they start at $37/mo with $250 equipment purchase due at checkout.

This sounds like AT&T’s modus operandi.