Gigabit Fiber to Every Home, $45 a month
Imagine:
You move into a brand new house in Seattle. There's already internet at your home, in the same way every home in the city has electricity and water. You call the city at your leisure and set up an account. They charge you $45 a month for gigabit speed fiber with symmetrical upload and download speeds.
Imagine:
You're in between jobs, and are currently having a hard time paying your bills. You contact the city and apply for low-income internet rates, via the same number you use to apply for low-income electricity rates. They verify your income and lower your bill to $10 a month. Your internet service, like your electricity, doesn't get any worse simply because you're low income.
Imagine:
You're a recent high school graduate and you're not sure if you're ready to enroll in college. You apply for a public sector job providing customer service to Seattle residents who need help troubleshooting their home internet. The job offers you a middle-class salary and job protections. Also what? A pension?!
Imagine:
Seattle's local economy is booming from the middle-out. New businesses are able to start up knowing their customers are all connected to high speed internet. Innovative start-ups are able to deliver virtual reality telemedicine into every home because they know the bandwidth is there, and a private sector internet company can't block or throttle the connection.
Imagine:
Seattle residents are able to save the money that was previously being extracted by out-of-state telecommunications companies. The combined savings total more than $80 million each year, allowing Seattle's Arts, Culture, Music, and Restaurant scenes to thrive as residents have more money to spend each month where ever they so choose.
Imagine:
You visit an out-of-town friend over a holiday weekend. They complain to you about the two hours they spent on the phone dealing with Comcast's customer service. It occurs to you that you haven't had to deal with them in years. You try not to gloat, but you encourage your friend to donate to a grassroots organization dedicated creating municipal broadband in their town. They write a check immediately.
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