Main course delivery: Fiber-to-the-home -- For such fast networks, deployment is slow.(Credit Ratings)(Company Operations)

The rallying cry for the fiber to-the-home movement goes something like this: Because photonic costs are plummeting, carriers can cost-effectively bury optical fiber and satisfy what most assume is a beastly appetite for bandwidth in the marketplace.

Sounds simple enough. But are costs that cheap, and are consumers really that hungry?

Darryl Ponder, CEO of Optical Solutions, took a clear stand on the matter at the recent NGN Ventures conferences in Burlingame, Calif. "Optics is obviously the best solution for access, because it gives you all the bandwidth and all the quality that can't be matched," says Ponder, whose company is joining with CLECs and housing …