For a few years now Lafayette has been the focal point of attention when it comes to municipal FTTH deployments in the US. This year, Lafayette Utility Service actually launched its service. A long article in The Independant Weekly entitled Sales Call takes stock of the first six months of activity. It's a relatively in-depth and well balanced article, in my opinion.
It highlights the delays LUS Fiber has faced and the reasons for these delays which mean they will not hit their 2009 commercial target. It also looks at the implications considering the stringent loan obligations facing LUS.
I'm not "close to the situation" but on the basis of that article, the reasons for these delays are not surprising, and shouldn't be worrying either. When I look at the delays of the French commercial FTTH deployments, what LUS is facing is, at this stage, fairly insignificant and certainly doesn't seem to compromise the operation (despite what a number of telco/cable lobbyists seem to be implying if I read the comments below the article...)
What is more worrying for LUS probably is that the loan obligations they face are very strict and much more drastic than any commercial operation I've heard of. That is, I guess, where the issues may arise in the future if LUS doesn't catch-up.
Anyway, the article is a good read for anyone wondering what the operational issues facing a municipal deployment might be.
