Now we've been wasting millions on fiber to the prem! Little has changed! It just evolved into a different, but same business model. We used to see engineers in field looking at the "actual work" for a job design. On the work print we now see, " No field visit designed from "G00Gle Earth" I've been working on fiber for the past few years. Yes, sometimes we were in before the "G" Team" because we knew what area they were marketing for service. Beyond that however the majority of the Fiber was placed under the " Rural Broadband Expansion" and the Fed $ were paying ATT for the build, and quite frankly that was the only reason it was placed at all.
Recently I went by a job done a few years ago on a main road to see terminal after terminal with no drop attached? Reason, the build was only for the main rd and fed no side streets into 300K-500K homes. Plenty of customers there, but was any placed, NO! 37KFt of fiber, 2 months to work and 8 customers to date. Several other builds have been in neighborhoods affected by multiple hurricanes other the years. 1-2 out of 8 houses is occupied, rest or condemned/vacant. Another 40Kft of Fiber probably less than 10 customers to date. The US taxpayer help foot the bill for the fiber expansion. I'm quite sure its happening every where else too! Why? it was guaranteed $$$, didn't cost ATT a lot of $ to get fiber installed, regardless if we had customers at a later date. I dont have a marketing or business degree, but I'd sure bet providing service to areas where we actually have customers that will pay would provide a more profitable income stream. Again we are the ones being graded, its always our fault when things go awry,and we'll pay the price for poor business decisions by being surplussed. If you by chance you think your safe in any title or exchange, think again, your not!