In Suburbs, Locked Into a High-Tech Lure

IN SUBURBS, LOCKED INTO A HIGH-TECH LURE
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Kim Hart]
On a quiet cul-de-sac in Southernwalk, an upscale Loudoun County (VA) neighborhood, the fiber-optic cables beneath the manicured lawns were once a source of technological pride. Now they're a source of headaches. Seven years ago, the neighborhood's homeowners association, set up by the developer Van Metre Homes, inked an exclusive deal with OpenBand, a small Dulles firm, to provide Internet, cable and phone service to all 1,100 homes. Residents say they are now locked into an expensive, decades-long contract for second-rate services. Just a few years ago, developers lured homebuyers to the outer suburbs with the promise of lightning-fast Internet access and high-definition television to go along with Olympic-size swimming pools, tennis courts and other amenities. Residents bragged about not just keeping up with their inner-suburb neighbors but leapfrogging them altogether -- only to watch their technological advantage give way to newer offerings. What was once state of the art is now par for the course, a frustration familiar to any early adopter who has bought the latest and greatest only to find something better, or cheaper, soon after. For Southernwalk, the price of chasing Internet Nirvana turned out to be a contract that could run 75 years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/20/AR2007052001724.html
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