Recent comments in /f/CambridgeMA

birdprom t1_iy5kru2 wrote

Reply to New Grad Moving to Cambridge - Have Housing Questions :/ by bluskers_hi

Veteran renter here - here's my somewhat random advice:

  • A month is enough time to find a place, as long as you're not extremely picky. But start looking the moment you are able. It is a competitive market.

  • There will be a lot of people looking for June 1, so if you see a place you like, snag it quickly, or else someone else will.

  • How much you can afford for rent depends on how much you'll spend in other ways. But on 120k, as long as you're not hugely financially irresponsible, you should be fine. Stay under 3k/month, at least. The further under, the better.

  • Not every place requires four months rent up front. Some leave off the last month's rent, or the security deposit. But you should plan to have at least three months ready if you're going to be working with a realtor (they take a month's worth for themselves, if the landlord doesn't cover it, which generally they don't).

Best of luck - hope it all works out for you.

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blackdynomitesnewbag OP t1_iy5j4pt wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Municipal Broadband Roundtable by blackdynomitesnewbag

> no expertise

We can hire people who have it

> No infrastructure

That’s the problem we’re trying to solve

> No economies of scale

Scale is relative. City wide fiber is a plenty large scale to see benefits. It’s not like you and I are running fiber down the cloths line out back.

Also, the point isn’t to make money, although some models show that we can undercut Comcast and still make a profit.

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smashey t1_iy56dcq wrote

Reply to Municipal Broadband Roundtable by blackdynomitesnewbag

Please attend these meetings. Seriously. Local politicians have like zero feedback from their constituency. It is amazing how the mere presence of a resident spurs them to action.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Just show up. Sign up for the zoom and log in when they say to do so. The presentation will be boring.

Just show up. I don't even live in Cambridge and I might log in.

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upgradecambridge t1_iy4z57c wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Municipal Broadband Roundtable by blackdynomitesnewbag

Most municipal fiber projects are successful. That is false that most cost-benefit analysis say this municipal internet is shit. Even when the municipality is losing money on the fiber network, if they successfully deploy it, the economic benefits tend to out way the loses.

A working fiber network would be better that what we have right now. At the very least we would have symmetric upload speeds. For example there is no incumbent ISP with fiber infrastructure to the existing residents.

While there is risk with any large project like this. This meeting is specifically about evaluating the costs and benefits with municipal fiber projects. Our councilors and city manager tend to be conservative. This is part of the reason municipal fiber is taking so long, they are slow to evaluate and won't start a project they think won't succeed.

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