This discussion is Beehive CEO's - monthly column as found on the last page of Americas Network magazine. They have been printing his letters for nearly 20 years. This column will remain posted till he writes the next one. The Last Word..                                                November 1997 FIBER TO THE BARN Plowing fiber across miles of scrubland for one painter is a sure-fire way to get free works of art. Visitors to Beehive may not be aware of the long, arduous deployment story behind the scenic paintings decorating the provider's walls. A visitor was admiring the scenic picture.  It shows the wolf howling at the moon-lit sky.  Four other wolves are standing in the snow.  He had seen similar scenic art painted by Frank Miller with purple Grand Champion and Best of Show awards on them at the Utah State Fair. "Where did we get it?" We allowed that Frank Miller's place is way, way out there in the scrubland northwest of the junction of the oil road 20 miles south of Grouse Creek and 10 miles east of the Nevada border.  He bought the land after Western Microwave paid Raft River Electric to build a 10-mile power line that just happened to pas by that section. (A section is 640 acres, or one mile square.  It is a basic unit of land measurement in America.) With power taken care of, Miller asked us for a phone.  Our lines from Grouse Creek terminated 14 miles south at the Kimber Ranch;  three pair on which subscriber carrier provided two drops.  There was a radio path over the 8 miles from there to Miller's.  Two more subscriber carrier channels were tied to a pair of 450 MHz subscriber radios.  Miller had his phone. HOT SUMMERS, COLD WINTERS, MUCH FIBER The usual problems were hot summers and cold winters.  Faxes worked, but were slow.  The guy used his phones so much that I had to add two more trunks into Grouse Creek.  We learned that Frank is a painter; Western nature -- scenic stuff.  He wanted better phones, as he did business nationwide. Our fiber route to Grouse Creek passed 3 miles from Miller's.   So, one day I had a chat with the Bureau of Land Management government guys.   With untypical consideration, right then, within 30 minutes, I got the right of way to plow through their mile to get to Miller's.  Eventually, we plowed three miles of six-fiber from our toll route through the boonies to Miller's place. Getting circuits to a subscriber this way was much different than conventional practice.  Turned out to be half the cost to route a T1 over existing fiber from a switch 46 miles distant than the former service office 22 miles away.  So, when someone dials 435/747-7171, it comes through Salt Lake City and 130 miles to my tandem.  The number is then translated to a Nevada code.  That, in turn, routes through our Pilot switch, where it goes piggyback, to the Lucin regenerator, and then, on a fiber pair, the 11 miles to Miller's.  Six phones. Blazing 56K connections to the network. So, that's why we have those "donated" lovely scenic paintings on our office walls,  Frank says that without his "fiber to the barn," he would not be the success he is.  Indeed. THE INTERNET SHOW Boardwatch magazine has come from an Internet eXchance Point newsletter to a status today at the definitive magazine for Internet service providers (ISP's).  Over the years, the magazine has hosted annual sessions for ISP's, watching the number increase from 1,500 in early '96 to more than 4,000 by mid '97.  The 1997 meeting showed that the industry has grown to an aggressive adult from its boisterous teens. The convention was spread out willy-nilly over three floors and a warren of lecture rooms packed in lower floors of the San Francisco Hilton.  Thing got off to a rocky start--mostly due to the massive attendance of guys who, well, were very smart computer nerds riding the wave they had carved--which is the fastest growing segment of the telecommunications industry.  Very visible sponsors included 3Com, Rockwell, Bay Networks, Cisco, Compac and Digital. Robert Pepper, chief of the Federal Communications commission office of Plans and Policy, says he "was from the government, and was here to help you."  The gist of his talk focused on the old saw about the dangers of asking the government for anything--as you might not like the regulation that you get. Many many experts lectured on all facets of the industry.  I make sure to attend any session Jack Richards was on--as that was where the best action was/is. ** Copyright 1997 by A. W. Brothers and Americas Network magazine. All rights reserved.   © 1997, 1998, 1999 Beehive Telephone Co.