Reader comments
Broadweave turning beleaguered iProvo around

iprovosupporter | 7:14 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

Wow, I can't believe anyone has anything good to say about Broadweave, and here we have a whole article saying they're turning iProvo around? You need to interview someone other than the mayor. He's been lying about this from the beginning. No wonder the council is trying to take away some of his power.

The iProvo network is in far worse shape now than before Broadweave took over. Granted, they can't be held responsible for a fiber cut outage, but what about the several Broadweave caused outages? Without Sorenson's backing, Broadweave will be lucky to last another two weeks. Why would Sorenson back Broadweave? Sorenson is only interested in short turn investments and while iProvo is a great long-term investment for the city, it is not a good venture capital investment.

This really ought to be an article about Provo City's "Plan B". iProvo is a great thing, but it's looking like it's going to fall back into Provo's lap. They need to figure out how to best deal with that situation.

Stewart to the rescue | 7:30 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

Don't blame the mayor completely for the botched deal with Broadweave. Remember, Stewart was the lead chearleader for the deal on the council. At least he'll be around to answer for the mess when the dust clears. Oh wait, he just spontaneously decided to leave to go on a mission. Hmmmm, I wouldn't dare imply that an LDS mission could every be used as a way out of a political mess, but think what you will.

AMAZING | 8:28 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

The misconceptions from this mayor never end. Broadweave is struggling big time. Never mind the fact they have thrown their logos on Provo City trucks but are still driving around with exempt license plates. Sorenson Capital has all but pulled out of the deal. Broadweave owner is making payroll out of his personal accounts and the Mayor calls this a success? I would hate to see what this Mayor calls a failure. Maybe he needs to harken back to his business classes in college (oh, thats right he never got a degree) and learn to be a real manager. All he has proven over the past five years of the iProvo fiasco is that he cannot manage anything without wasting millions, literally millions, of the Provo Citizens' money. How much more will we tolerate? By the way, where is Garlick? He managed this mess into oblivion and all you can hear from him is, "ask the transition team" as if he had nothing to do with the whole demise of a great idea. Nice management from Provo City's Adminstrative leaders. No wonder employees are jumping ship faster than a rat on a sinking boat.

Comments continue below

To: Stewart to the rescue | 8:30 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

Throw the entire Council into this mix. They enabled all of this to happen with out demanding DUE DILIGENCE. Why? To get themselves out of a mess rather than trying to resolve the real issues.

Lilelong Provoan | 8:55 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

Come on Mayor, your spinning is getting out hand. There is no substance to your story. Broadweave still has not achieved financing, they have not paid anything for their control of the Provo network, they have not been able to close the deal,and they have lost all of the expertise and knowledge acquired during the years of testing and deployment since they did not see fit to hire iProvo engineers. Where on earth does a company that cannot make payroll come up with these bond payments? Is this really a case of the city saying, "here I'll give you half a million dollars so that you can pay me and no one will be the wiser". If that is the case, do you really think you can pull it off? If the Deseret News wants a real story, they should follow the money on those payments. As a matter of fact all payments from the city to Broadweave and other subsidies that they benefit from should be carefully scrutinized. When does XMission,Comcast, Dish and Qwest get their free trucks, employees, and lots of other services that Broadweave gets from the city for nothing? This is blatantly unfair!

Anonymous | 9:19 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

Hmmmm....Broadweave is doing great...is that why I didn't have internet for 4 hours this morning?

former provo resident | 9:19 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

word has it in the installation community that employees at broadweave did not paid, but the employees at iProvo did. Wonder why? Iprovo would jump ship. I also wonder why almost all the major players at iprovo decided to work for someone else? Way to go Provo. Now if you could only stand up to BYU and make them take care of their own housing need instead of forcing everyone off campus. It is great for property values when everyone in the neighborhood is a renter.

Ironic | 9:20 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

Ironic that this story appears on the morning the iProvo network had a 3 hour data outage with all Broadweave internet and email being down!

Re: Ironic | 11:15 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

That's not irony, that's Broadweave turning the iProvo system around -- from something that, though imperfect, was at least tolerable, to a system I can't leave fast enough!

Deep Throat | 11:39 a.m. Aug. 13, 2008

Follow the money is right. Go back to the homenet customer sale to veracity and mstar and then follow the money.

I came back | 10:09 p.m. Aug. 13, 2008

I took comcast up on an offer in July. One day with comcast and I couldn't get back to Broadweave (Nuvont, for now) fast enough! I hate the comcast on-screen tv listing grid, the lack of controls, etc. Comcast took over my phone number and didn't give it back to Nuvont for two full weeks, literally. Nuvont bent over backwards to get things done but comcast failed.

For all you whiners, you dont' know a good thing when you see it. I'm supporting iprovo & Broadweave and give a hearty thanks to Mstar and Nuvont.

To: I came back | 7:13 a.m. Aug. 14, 2008

iProvo was a great idea with a great game plan when they instituted years ago. The problem isn't in the product, all new products go through a transition and getting up to speed. The problem lies with the terrible mismanagement of iProvo from its inception and Billings and Garlicks impotence with the State Legistlature - that was the worst lobbying I have ever seen - to the public relations campaign that was all but non-existent, to Billings and Garlick letting all of the providers run the show and make demands without ponying up with results themselves. iProvo got blamed for poor advertisement, poor public relations, etc. etc. when in reality it was the providers that should be responding to THEIR customers not iProvo. But this dynamic duo of a "management" team in Billings and Garlick let the providers get away not only with millions of tax payer dollars but without advertising or being held to a standard of good customer service. Why the Citizens of Provo and the Council haven't got rid of these two and got someone else in that can do the job is beyond me! Time for new leadership and some real management.

Spin | 8:49 a.m. Aug. 14, 2008

Spin is all this guy Billings has. Slick Lewie!Pathetic!

Utahnospin | 9:32 a.m. Aug. 14, 2008

Sure Broadweave signed up 250. But, how many left? It's the same old story from the sunshine and lollypop brigade at City Hall. Ever think the Mayor has to be the cheerleader? If Broadweave fails this nightmare is back on the shoulders of taxpayers?

NewUser | 12:17 p.m. Aug. 14, 2008

RE: I came back

It takes every landline carrier 2 weeks to port a number to thier service. It was not Comcast "holding" the number. It is the time it takes to get the number to broadweave.

Unbelievable! | 10:49 p.m. Aug. 15, 2008

My favorite comment is "Broadweave made its initial payment of $268,142, as well as its August payment, on time". What about the $6 Million they were supposed to front before they took over the network?
This is reminding me of the Homenet fiasco. For those of you who don't remember, Provo City Taxpayers paid 3 months of Homenet's salaries while the mayor told the public how great Homenet was doing at bringing on and taking care of the Iprovo customers.
When you don't succeed try, try again. Way to go Provo residents for voting this guy back in, in the middle of this debauchery nonetheless. How about stop blaming Broadweave, Nuvont, Mstar,Veracity. Stop blaming the incompetent management flushing this network, and your money down the toilet. Time to point the finger at yourself for letting it get this far and re-electing the imbecile who had already lead your city astray.
BTW, way to go UTOPIA and my beloved Spanish Fork City for getting the brains that were holding IProvo together onto your teams.

ANY NEWS? | 8:02 a.m. Aug. 18, 2008

Has anyone heard any update on iProvo since the Mayor had secret meetings with only two or three Council members at a time to avoid the public meeting laws? Apparently something must be brewing if it has to be done in secret instead of the public domain which is what a real man of the people would do. Of course, a real man has held a real job, has a degree (or at least finished college if he started it) or some good training in the trades, or atleast has some decent management skills that hasn't run a 60 million dollar investment into the ground and soon a community of 115,000 accomplice citizens.

Baffled | 3:58 p.m. Aug. 18, 2008

Mayor Billings, The latest failure of Broadweave to capture the Nuvont customers is another serious nail in their coffin. To think that you believe that they are performing flawlessly. The truth will catch up to you. You might as well face it. It is time for a complete house-cleaning.

Is it time? | 1:11 p.m. Aug. 19, 2008

Council, isn't it time to send Garlick on his way? He has done nothing but destroy a good idea by his terrible mis-management of what has become one of Provo City's largest politicial debacles. From day one not one significant change has been made to right this ship. In the world of integrity the person in charge would step aside. I assume only his huge ego is keeping him where he can now destroy the power company too.

When? | 12:57 p.m. Aug. 22, 2008

Wasn't this deal supposed to be finalized? Did Sorenson step up and provide the financial indemnity the City of Provo required?

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