We might could do another summer AnimalFarm. I tried to gin up support last year but only had a few sign up. Always open to host folks to come out and ride along with whatever we are doing at the moment.

Let's say you can clear $50 per month from a rural fiber customer. $600/year. I figure 15% is a decent return on an investment. Even 10% would be fantastic if I could be guaranteed that in a stock market scenario.

But lets stick with 15%. So $600 income per customer must = 15% of the original investment. If you can build each customer for $4000 or less, you will earn 15% on that investment for the foreseeable future. I can do it for $2000 to $3000 per customer.

The main decision you need to make is aerial vs buried. I like buried because there is not ongoing pole contact fees. But it costs more. I believe it to be easier to maintain but aerial folks would claim the opposite. Aerial is much quicker to build.

Either way, you really cannot hire it all done if you want to make any money. Buy the equipment you need to do the construction or most of the construction yourself. Again, Aerial is much lower. I can literally build as much aerial as you want all by my self with my belt and hooks. It will take forever and I am not sure I could climb many poles each day as I could when I was a kid, but theoretically, you don't even have to have a bucket truck.

You do have to have a fusion splicer irrespective of the method you choose. I really like my new active core alignment splicer. It is very fast, especially the heat shrink oven part.

Excavation permits are a one time deal here and are not based on the mileage, just the cost of inspection. And we don't trench. We plow. Very fast method of construction. I have a plow, mini excavators and a directional drill. You can trench, just more cleanup work and slower. Used trenchers are cheaper than used plows.

-----Original Message----- From: Matt Hoppes
Sent: Friday, March 1, 2019 8:53 AM
To: af@af.afmug.com
Subject: [AFMUG] Fiber - ROI

I’m looking at running fiber to some very rural areas.

Even if I get grant funding to run it. How are those of you doing it making the ongoing ROI when you might have 5 houses each mile?

Pole rentals are $15-$17/ea per year.

Is trenching normally something you pay the state/county per mile? Per once permit?

Does anyone know of a company I can consult with that will design and engineer FTTH networks?

Chuck - are you still accepting folks to come down with you for a week to learn your ways of fiber?
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