Hey, I was thinking about starting a local ISP, hopefully offering fiber. I was wondering if you guys could make a video explaining in more detail the requirements of starting an ISP (The cost of equipment and maintenance), how to avoid legal issues with bigger companies, and monitoring for piracy and stuff.
If you don't have a crap ton of cash, some wealthy investors or a way to get a sizable loan, I wouldn't bother. Maybe look into a coop instead. That way you aren't responsible for maintenance, upkeep or customer service, but still get some of the benefits of starting your own ISP.
I'll also leave these here aswell:
https://teksyndicate.com/forum/inboxexe/starting-isp/169325
https://teksyndicate.com/forum/inboxexe/what-does-it-take-start-new-isp/153035
How much is a crapton?
I would guess you'd potentially need at least a million dollars, potentially more depending on size. From what I understand, a connection to a tier 1 or tier 2 ISP is extremely expensive by itself, then you'd need all of the gear, a building, employees, vehicles, tools, etc.
Conservatively? If you start with a small enough access area, a few hundred grand minimum I would imagine. If you are going for an entire town, millions. You've got to purchase the fiber, find a route/method to lay/hang it, pay people to lay it, purchase the equipment, hire people to maintain it and deal with customers 24/7, connect to and pay for access to an IXP (Internet Exchange Point), get business licenses and permits, incorporate etc. etc. And on top of all that, you may operate at a loss for a significant amount of time before ever turning a profit.
And all of this assumes your town doesn't already have an oligopoly set up with your local internet providers. You could maybe class it as business access and get around that, but I'm honestly not sure.
For a single person to try and do this, even on the cheap (Google style) is probably not possible. You'll need to start an actual business with employees and plenty of capital in order to even have a chance.