The day I have been waiting for for so long is here! I live in a pretty small town in Indiana and a local company has decided to start rolling out fiber. They have been doing this for businesses for about a year, and this September they are going to be rolling out to residential areas. This is a dream come true, not only is it fiber internet, but it is controlled by a local company, so no Comcast, Verizon, etc bs. But now here is the problem. To get fiber into your neighborhood, you have to have at least 4 homes pre-order, so that they can cover the cost of laying the lines. One person in the neighbor hood "champion" (probably me) is in charge of letting the company know that people in the neighbor hood are willing to get fiber. The problem is that I don't think that many people are willing to pay for the internet, as most people here don't seem like they need that speed, with the lowest package right now being priced at 60$(not set in stone until September). There is a neighbor hood board that I can notify to help distribute the news, but I need a way to convince them that getting fiber is the right choice. Also being the neighborhood "champion" means that if I get people to sign up I can get perks like, a few months for free, or a certain discount to what we pay. I hope that you guys can come up with some reasons, as this is amazing.
Just for comparison right now they are going to have a few plans with the lowest one being 50mb for $60 a month. For a comcast/century link package with 50/10 plan will cost you around 100$ a month. Hopefully those prices can come down, if comcast and century link want to compete and start rolling out their own fiber.
Show them the technology boom in Chattanooga, Tennessee because of the fiber they rolled out. That's what I would would with. And I would also mention to the board that it is a very long term investment and that it will very much pay off.
Now, to convincing the people. Ask them if they stream music, Netflix, YouTube, or any video services. Then ask them if they have noticed a slow down as of late. If yes, tell them that fiber is the beginning of the end to all that B.S. But make sure you mention it is long term, and effects should not be felt immediately. If no, mention that other people have and tell them the same thing. One of my relatives did the same thing here some time ago, and guess what? Almost 100% of Baltimore County now has Fiber. Simple reasoning and explanation, not tech mumbo-jumbo.
You don't necessarily need to convince them that they need the speed. My main selling point would be having an alternative to Comcast. If they knew what Comcast is doing in regards to throttling very popular services like Netflix (which I'm sure most of your neighbors use) they would probably be much more likely to switch.
I think you may have a bit of an intellectual challenge ahead of you. And don't let me dissuade you -- keep fighting!
But here's the thing. Most people I know still value their cable TV service a lot more than their ISP service. Most average subscribers only use Internet services as a second option when TV services aren't there. Sure, they also use the Internet for banking, shopping and posting stuff to web sites. But most of them figure they can use their cell phones for that if high speed Internet were somehow disconnected. So if you can't show them the way to "cut the cord" and still get access to all their favorite entertainment shows I doubt very many people will be willing to switch away from cable -- even at half the cost!
It's unfortunate that most American's and most people in other "rich" cultures are creatures of habit who prefer convenience over money, but that's how it is. Fiber may some day be adopted more, but until the entertainment industry helps develop and use the Internet for distribution of their products (and good luck with that one with entities like RIAA/MPAA), I'm afraid it's going to be an uphill struggle.
I just tell them its not Comcast, its faster and cost less. other points to make is they are supporting local business not some faceless corporation that actively dicks them over.
That's the problem..so many people here still use tv. so Netflix stream quality isn't an issue. I guess I'll have to see..i don't know how many people actually watch video on the internet, all I know is that most people have a dish for tv...also I hope I am taken seriously being 15 yrs old...
Are they throwing in TV like google is doing for some extra cash?
Have a BBQ or something and all you need to do is convince people to try it because once its in its in. I wouldn't be surprised if Comcast started offering sweetheart deals to dissuade people from going fiber.
Create Value! Show them how much they could save if the cut the chord and used Netflix / Hulu instead of cable TV, and vonage or skype vs home phone also show the speed /cot per tier compared to Comcast. figure out what the ROI is and let them know.