The stench of Enron Broadband still hasn't gone away completely. Indeed, another big chunk of the network built by the former broadband infrastructure subsidiary of Enron is on the auction block.

DoveBid is managing the sealed-bid auction, which is for network capacity leases, or indefeasible right of use (IRU), for a giant fiber link from Portland, Ore., to Los Angeles. The dark fiber IRU is for 20 years and includes 12 long-haul fibers that stretch from Portland to Las Vegas to Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, covering nearly 1,700 route miles. The route includes 48 repeater sites along the way. Click here for a PDF of the network map.

Monthly operations and maintenance charges are about $25 per route mile -- roughly $42,500 a month. Collocation charges are approximately $350 per rack per month.

Besides the long-haul links, there are more than five route miles of fibers inside what passes for metro Boise, Idaho. Also, there are some significant assets in Salt Lake City, including 208 singlemode fibers and 2 empty ducts that run right down Main Street. There are another 144 fibers running from Main Street to the University Club Building on Temple Street.

The sale, and all those assets, are just another reminder of the disaster that was Enron Broadband, the bandwidth carrier that invested in several companies, including Amber Networks, Avici Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: AVCI; Frankfurt: BVC7), Hyperchip Inc., Telseon Inc., and Trellis Photonics -- a mostly rotten portfolio (see Nokia Kills Amber Router, OnFiber Takes Over Telseon, and Trellis Shuts Down US HQ). The company also bought gear from a number of companies, including Sycamore Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: SCMR) and Avici (see Enron's Empty Bandwidth).

Enron Broadband's demise has been going full tilt since the parent company filed for bankruptcy in 2001. The company has since sold off major chunks of its broadband assets, including portions to Time Warner Inc. (see Time Warner Buys Enron Fiber).

Companies wanting to snatch up this latest hunk of stranded broadband infrastructure must submit their sealed bids by Friday, Dec 3.

— Chris Somerville, Senior Editor, Next Generation Services