ooc Equestria Forward (OOC)

[skbl17 199]

NOTE: This roleplay will be rebooted before the end of the year. Because of that, I'm not accepting any new registrations until that happens.

 

It has been fifteen years since Twilight Sparkle's ascension to the throne. In Canterlot, technocrats and reformists took up key positions in the national bureaucracy, getting them into a position from where they could "develop" Equestria. By emphasizing their goals for scientific research and education, the technocrats found a supporter in Princess Twilight, while the other ruling princesses were okay with the program so long as it did not "destabilize" the country. Shortly thereafter, the national government announced Equestria Forward, a decade-long, multi-billion bit program designed to develop Equestria through advances in technology, education, and infrastructure.

Fourteen years on from the start of the program, Equestria has changed dramatically. Dirt roads have been paved over, the pony and buggy has been largely replaced by automobiles, essential utilities are now present in almost every home and business, steam locomotives have been replaced with speedy bullet trains, television and radio have replaced newspapers as the primary source of information, and a network of interconnected computers and servers, dubbed the "globalnet", is growing in size and prevalence. Science, math, and engineering fields are now the most popular subjects in school. The advances in infrastructure have allowed Equestria's cities to achieve jaw-dropping growth rates, with some cities more than doubling their populations in just over a decade.

However, opposition is present. Established members of the nobility, who were fearful of the program's impact from the start, are concerned about the growing wealth and influence of the "commoners". Some rural communities, feeling neglected by the country's paradigm shift in direction, pine for the "old days" where life was simpler, less technological, and more laid-back. However, due to the indisputable dominance Equestria has in the field of technology and research, the economy has been booming, leaving the opposition with few hooves to stand on.

It seems as if Equestria is on top of the world, both economically and technologically speaking, and it looks as if the future is bright. However, all good things must come to an end sooner or later. When will the boom move to a bust? Just how bad will the bust be?

Welcome to Equestria Forward, an open roleplay centered around life in a technologically advanced Equestria. This opening post serves as the center for all information centered around the roleplay, including important information, rules, and questions you may have.

The Big Questions
What is the plot of the roleplay? (updated August 1, 2015)
There is no overarching, overbearing plot that consumes all. Initially, the idea was a slice of life story, which is still (kind of) the plan, but there will be "arcs" contained in the roleplay, in which specific events are addressed.

 

- Arc 1 (current): The current arc. What seemed like a normal Monday afternoon in the dead heat of August has turned into a chaotic day in the southeastern region of Tropicala, with social tensions, protests, terrorist attacks, and utility failures, all told from the point of view of different residents in different situations. Meanwhile, what could Prince Blueblood and the nobles be planning to undermine Princess Twilight?

 

- Arc 2: (undetermined, but will have a greater focus on Canterlot)

Where does the roleplay take place? Am I limited to a particular location? (updated January 27, 2015)
The primary setting of the roleplay is Equestria, fifteen years after the events of Magical Mystery Cure. The sypnosis provided above should give you a good idea of what has happened between then and the start of this roleplay. You can use any city or locale in any country, but if your location is outside of Equestria, it should play some significance to Equestria. For example, if you start in the Crystal Empire, there should be some tangible connection to something the character(s) is doing in Equestria.

 

I'm currently in the process of creating a map that will identify the locations in greater detail. Look for it soon!

 

Can I roleplay as Twilight/Applejack/Trixie/Gilda/Donut Joe....?
No. Only the DM can roleplay as canon characters. In fact, the slice of life nature of this roleplay means that the canon characters won't show up much at all.
 
How can I suggest an improvement?
To be honest, this is the first roleplay I've participated in since 2010, so I may be a bit rusty. If you think that there is a good way this roleplay could be improved, leave a message in this thread. If your idea has enough support, I may consider adding it in at some point.

This roleplay sounds great! How do I join?
To sign up, make sure you understand the rules of the site and this roleplay, then create a profile for each OC you plan to enter in the roleplay. Make a post in this thread with your username, OCs you plan to use, and links to the profile. If everything checks out, I will then reply to your post, indicate whether or not your application was approved, and if it was, add you to the list. At that point, happy roleplaying!
 
Where'd all the detail go in this post? (added December 16, 2014)
When I was editing this post to finish the final section under "Transportation", much of the formatting I used in this post was removed. Instead of rewriting everything in this post, I've decided to move all of the extensive details on Equestrian life, society, and technology into future posts in this thread. In short, all of it will be back, just not in this post. Stupid formatting errors.

 

How often should I post? (updated February 18, 2015)

Per rule #10, you must post in the roleplay thread at least once every two weeks. This rule is not retroactive. If you fail to post at least once every fourteen days, you will be notified, at which point you have 48 hours to post. If you fail to do so, you will be subject to removal from the roleplay. In short, post as often as you can!

 

If you have any extenuating circumstances that prevent you from adhering to this rule, notify the DM immediately via personal message! If (s)he finds your circumstances to be of an urgent and extenuating nature, (s)he reserves the right to allow you a temporary reprieve from rule #10 for a period not exceeding two weeks.

An Egghead's Guide to the Equestria Forward universe

I recommend that all players read this series of posts to get a better idea of the world in this roleplay.

 

Government   |   Infrastructure (I  -  II)   |   History (EQF)   |   Culture and society   |   Defense

Economy   |   Education   |   Weather and climate

 

Rules
1) All site and Roleplay World rules apply, no exceptions.
2) With the exception of my comment in the original post of the roleplay thread, no OOC chatter is allowed in the roleplay thread. All concerns, inquiries, and questions must be made here.
3) All posts must be made in English. If your character speaks another language, a translation must be provided in parentheses.
4) Romantic sub-plots are allowed, but don't clutter the RP with it.
5) No changeling OCs. All other races are allowed.
6) Treat all other players the way you'd like to be treated.
7) You cannot create dramatic events that change the course of the roleplay (unless you are the DM). Here's an example: tornado that destroys a small town your character is in is okay. A hurricane that wipes out the entire west coast of Equestria is not. Please ask the DM before making such changes.
8) Swearing must be kept to a minimum.
9) All posts must be comprehensible. I'm not asking for perfect grammar, but players should be able to read your posts without making their eyes bleed.

10) To remain an "active roleplayer", you must post in the RP thread at least once every two weeks. Failure to do so may result in your removal from the roleplay.

11) Enforcement of roleplay-specific rules is subject to the whims of the DM.
12) Have fun!

Registered Players
Please note that you cannot post in the roleplay thread unless your username is on this list! In addition, you can only roleplay OCs you have on this list.

 

NOTE TO NEW ENTRANTS: Registrations are closed until the roleplay reboots before the end of the year. Existing players on this list will have their registrations transferred.
 
1. skbl17 [DM] (Compass Meridian, High Voltage)
2. IllusivePony (Aha'ban Steelwings, Bulawayo (Zebra), Imaia Steelwings)
3. bronislav84 (Lektra Bolt)

4. EnderPrince (Dakon Windmane)
5. Suukorak (Luminous Scroll)

 

If your name is on the list, click here to enter the roleplay!

Edited September 10, 2015 by skbl17

[Dsanders 5,747]

I'm tempted to join. This is by far the most detailed OOC thread I have ever seen thus far. Great job on the layout! I just have one question

 

How many characters at most? xD

[Moonbacon 384]

Only 3 spots?

 

Oh yea i may be joining gotta polish up my oc though.

[FancyHorse 1,209]

I'd be happy to take role in this.

Here is one of my characters, a Saddle Arabian pony.

http://mlpforums.com/page/roleplay-characters/_/ahaban-steelwings-r7418

 

I may add a second character when I've updated his biography a bit.

[skbl17 199]

I'm tempted to join. This is by far the most detailed OOC thread I have ever seen thus far. Great job on the layout! I just have one question

 

How many characters at most? xD

 

 

Only 3 spots?

 

Oh yea i may be joining gotta polish up my oc though.

 

Actually, that's just a placeholder. As the applications increase, the number of spots will increase.

 

 

I'd be happy to take role in this.

Here is one of my characters, a Saddle Arabian pony.

http://mlpforums.com/page/roleplay-characters/_/ahaban-steelwings-r7418

 

I may add a second character when I've updated his biography a bit.

 

Approved. Enjoy!

[Dsanders 5,747]

@@skbl17

Oh nice! I'll really consider having one of my OCs join. Just two more questions ...

 

1.) Do you have an option of being either a protagonist or antagonist? If you want to join with your OC as an antagonist, how would that work?

 

2.) What is the ideal level of frequency expected of us players? Judging by the massive potential this RP has, it seems like it wouldn't be that much of a problem if one were not able to post daily. lol

[skbl17 199]

Oh nice! I'll really consider having one of my OCs join. Just two more questions ...

 

1.) Do you have an option of being either a protagonist or antagonist? If you want to join with your OC as an antagonist, how would that work?

 

2.) What is the ideal level of frequency expected of us players? Judging by the massive potential this RP has, it seems like it wouldn't be that much of a problem if one were not able to post daily. lol

 

1) I never actually thought of antagonism; I had defined areas of possible friction, but not through-and-through antagonism. If I had to guess, I would say that antagonism towards anything - short of a pony who succeeds in bringing about doomsday - would be okay, but if you seek to directly harm other players' characters, remember the rules about godmodding. NPCs (background residents and visitors) are "acceptable targets".

 

2) At least one post per day (or 1.5 days) would be good. I'm not going to be on this site very much until Friday night because of college finals, so I won't be around to post all that often.

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@skbl17

 

I am honestly shocked that so little people showed interest in your amazing roleplaying concept. This is actually one of the better roleplays that I've seen in the time I've been here. You conviction to detail and literacy is outstanding. I bet you're a really good writer

 

I'm would like to sign, and I'm going to try to get some of my friends on the forum to apply for this RP as well. I wouldn't want such a great initiative to go to waste!

 

Here's two characters that I've been thinking about for a long time, but made specifically for this RP. (I've been brooding on the idea for a long time now, but your OOC page pushed me over the edge and gave me enough motivation to actually start writing).

 

http://mlpforums.com/page/roleplay-characters/_/bluestruck-flare-r7568

http://mlpforums.com/page/roleplay-characters/_/bluestruck-gale-r7567

 

They're twins, and I basically play them as one character (unless they are separated of course). I hope you are OK with that... :3

[FancyHorse 1,209]

@@skbl17

Howdy there,

 

Just, wanted ask what was your OCs occupation? If you don't mind me asking?

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

I must say that I am QUITE impressed with the level of detail that you have provided for this RP.

 

I'm considering joining with one or both of my main OCs, though I do have a question. In regards to the geography of Equestria in your idea, are we permitted to bring in cities & such that are located within Equestria but not part of your geography? The reason I ask this has to do with my characters having their base of operations in the small town of Debryshire.

 

Even if you say no I might be able to work something in as I really like what you have here. Tis a shame it seems to have been missed by many members.

[skbl17 199]

Thanks, everyone! This is actually an idea I've brooded over for the past few months; initially, I was going to write a fanfic for this, but then I remembered that I was a bad writer. 

 

Anyway, sorry I've been gone over the last couple of days, I've had exams and all.

 

As a treat, I'm going to edit the OP of this thread and add more detail. It's a long post already, I don't think making it longer would be a bad thing, and it would give you all more to work with.

 

I am honestly shocked that so little people showed interest in your amazing roleplaying concept. This is actually one of the better roleplays that I've seen in the time I've been here. You conviction to detail and literacy is outstanding. I bet you're a really good writer

 

I'm would like to sign, and I'm going to try to get some of my friends on the forum to apply for this RP as well. I wouldn't want such a great initiative to go to waste!

 

Here's two characters that I've been thinking about for a long time, but made specifically for this RP. (I've been brooding on the idea for a long time now, but your OOC page pushed me over the edge and gave me enough motivation to actually start writing).

 

http://mlpforums.com/page/roleplay-characters/_/bluestruck-flare-r7568

http://mlpforums.com/page/roleplay-characters/_/bluestruck-gale-r7567

 

They're twins, and I basically play them as one character (unless they are separated of course). I hope you are OK with that... :3

 

Approved. Enjoy!

 

Howdy there,

Just, wanted ask what was your OCs occupation? If you don't mind me asking?

 

I don't mind! Actually, my OC is also my ponysona, so he's a college student at the moment. I may enter some of my other OCs in the future, who have actual occupations.

 

I must say that I am QUITE impressed with the level of detail that you have provided for this RP.

 

I'm considering joining with one or both of my main OCs, though I do have a question. In regards to the geography of Equestria in your idea, are we permitted to bring in cities & such that are located within Equestria but not part of your geography? The reason I ask this has to do with my characters having their base of operations in the small town of Debryshire.

 

Even if you say no I might be able to work something in as I really like what you have here. Tis a shame it seems to have been missed by many members.

 

My geography is intended as just a general guide. Remember, the population of Equestria in this RP is just shy of 150 million, so of course you can add other towns and cities! If you do, if you can, could you reply to this post and drop what Equestrian region Derbyshire is located in?

Edited December 15, 2014 by skbl17

[Driz 1,552]

You know what... I'll give this one a shot. Much like everyone else, I'm impressed by how detailed and well-structured your RP is. I'm very curious to see what'll develop from this, and I'd love to partake in it~

 

I'll be using Celestial Sun (or Celes, as she prefers to be called). I recently updated her character page specifically for this RP and since her backstory is still kind of a work-in-progress, I wanted to polish her up a bit. This seems like a great opportunity to do so.

 

Just to clarify, this will initially be a Slice-of-Life kind of story, right? Where our characters will be free to do whatever in this technological 'Neo Equestria'?

[skbl17 199]

Well, I won't be adding any more detail to the OP, aside from updating the "registered players" list. I feel it's gotten way too long, so any future detail will be added in future posts.

 

You know what... I'll give this one a shot. Much like everyone else, I'm impressed by how detailed and well-structured your RP is. I'm very curious to see what'll develop from this, and I'd love to partake in it~

 

I'll be using Celestial Sun (or Celes, as she prefers to be called). I recently updated her character page specifically for this RP and since her backstory is still kind of a work-in-progress, I wanted to polish her up a bit. This seems like a great opportunity to do so.

 

Just to clarify, this will initially be a Slice-of-Life kind of story, right? Where our characters will be free to do whatever in this technological 'Neo Equestria'?

 

Yes, I did envision this as a Slice of Life story...for the most part. As for whether your character will be free to do whatever, the answer is yes, as long as you don't engage in godmodding.

 

Oh, and you're approved to join. Enjoy!

 

Update (12/16): When I was editing the OP, IP.Board accidentally the entire post. So, instead of taking a few hours to write all that stuff again, I've decided to move all the "Life in Equestria" stuff from the OP to a future series of posts in order to reduce clutter in the OP.

Edited December 17, 2014 by skbl17

[skbl17 199]

A quick note: this is my fault, as I had all of this outlined in the OP before IP.Board ruined the post, but I noticed that one post in the RP thread indicated that PBE airs commercials. PBE does not have advertising. PBE (Public Broadcasting Equestria) is a public service broadcaster; they are funded through licensing of programs (they make an interesting program, another broadcaster wants to air it in another country, they secure a licensing deal with PBE,) and license fees paid as part of all national electric bills.

 

Again, I apologize for that. The original post in this thread (back when it was longer) had all of this outlined in great detail, but when IP.Board stripped the post of the formatting, most of that was lost.

[FancyHorse 1,209]

I apologize friend. It won't happen again.

[skbl17 199]

UPDATE (1/24/15): Happy (late) new year! I've kind of neglected this RP in the last month. I've actually been very busy lately, so I haven't really had much time at all for MLP Forums. Now that things are a bit more stable, I can become a semi-regular contributor again. Sorry for the lack of activity. Anyway, here's the collection of information that I had before IP.Board ruined my original post.

 

Government

The Equestria Forward reforms almost completely changed the national government, but some institutions from the old system remain, namely the role of the princesses. Other institutions, namely the independent judiciary, the national Constitution, and the constituent regional governments, limit the total amount of political power wielded by the Canterlotian government.

 

Constitution

One of the cornerstones of the Equestria Foward program was the ratification of the Constitution of the Principality of Equestria. The codified constitution is notable for its separation of powers at the national level, the legitimization of regional governments, and one of the largest and most comprehensive rights packages in the world. Expanding on the latter point, the Charter of Rights is composed of various rights that no government is not allowed to infringe upon; in times of national emergency, however, the constitution allows some freedoms granted in the Charter to be limited for the purpose of national security. Some of these rights include:

• Freedom of association
• Freedom of assembly
• Freedom of speech (conditional; hate speech is banned in the constitution)
• Freedom from capital punishment
• Freedom of religion
• Freedom of privacy (conditional; judicial warrants can be used to search a pony's property)
• Freedom of movement and travel
• Freedom of expression (conditional; hate speech is banned in the constitution)
• Right to an education
• Right to clean air and clean water
• Right to healthcare
• Right to a trial by jury
• Right to equal protection under the law
• Freedom from public discrimination

The constitution can be amended in two ways:

• An amendment can be brought forward by the Crown Council or any regional government. To be added to the constitution, all of the princesses, the entire Crown Council, and four-fifths of the regions must approve the amendment.
• An amendment can be brought forward through the initiative process. After a voting citizen brings forward an amendment, in addition to the approval of all three princesses, the amendment must be approved by voters in four-fifths of the regions before it can be added to the constitution.

National government

At the national level, the three* princesses (Celestia, Luna, and Twilight) serve as the collective heads of state of the Principality of Equestria. They retain a limited, but notable amount of political power, with total control over the armed forces and the ability to assent to or veto legislation, the power to appoint and replace ministers, national judges, and diplomats, and the ability to conclude treaties and consummate relations with other countries.

 

The constitution also established the Crown Council of Equestria to act as a legislative body. Unlike the legislative bodies of most countries, the Crown Council is not directly elected; each of the regions send one non-partisan representative to Canterlot to serve in the legislature for one non-consecutive, five-year term. The one-representative-per-region setup makes the Crown Council one of the smallest national legislatures in the world, with only 26 members. The powers of the Crown Council are wide-ranging in scope: they can draft, amend, and pass legislation, declare war, draft the national budget, confirm new ministers and Privy Court magistrates, initiate impeachment proceedings, and amend the national constitution (with unanimous approval from the princesses and the consent of four-fifths of the regions). To serve on the Crown Council, a prospective representative must be at least thirty years of age, be an Equestrian citizen, have no criminal record, and be approved by the regional legislature in question.

 

The Privy Court acts as the court of final appeal. Prior to the establishment of the Privy Court, the princesses also served as appellate judges as part of their regular royal court duties; while the royal court still exists, the constitution transferred all judicial powers to an independent Privy Court. The court is composed of seven judges, called royal magistrates, who are appointed by the princesses and confirmed by the Crown Council. The magistrates have the power to review all national and regional legislation for constitutionality, audit the Civil Service, and act as the final court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in the country, regardless of jurisdiction.

 

The Civil Service of Equestria acts as the unofficial "fourth branch" of Equestrian government. If the Crown Council is where the legislation gets passed, it is the Civil Service that gets the dirty work done. 95% of all national government business is conducted by the Civil Service's various departments and agencies. Uniquely, there is a representative on the Crown Council who is appointed by the princesses to represent the Civil Service, and the Civil Service undergoes an annual review by the Privy Court, in which any departments that are deemed to be unconstitutional can be dismantled unilaterally.

 

* Princess Cadence, despite her canon role, is the ruler of the Crystal Empire, which is an independent country in the Forwardverse. As such, she plays no role in the government of Equestria.

 

Regional and local government

With the exception of the Charter of Rights, which applies to everypony, the national constitution only deals with the powers and abilities of the national government. All other powers and responsibilities are delegated to regional governments. There are 25 regions in Equestria, who wield sizable authority over their territories. Because of the open-ended nature of the national constitution with respect to the regions, the constituent governments are allowed to establish any kind of government, so long as it is "representative" in nature.

 

Due to the freedom of regional governments in determining their level of control and organization within their regions, it is difficult to give a detailed explanation of regional government. In general, each region is governed by a legislature, whose members are elected by voters. In general, all regional elections are conducted using preferential voting, plurality voting, or a combination of both. In general, each region has separate branches modeled after the national system. What we can ascertain is that each region has full control over local governments and can establish local governments in any manner.

 

(That's it for now; the next post will discuss infrastructure!)

Edited January 31, 2015 by skbl17

[FancyHorse 1,209]

I just want to post up. Just letting you know I'm still on board with this RP.

 

IT'S wunderbar to see you back! You have such amazing detail to your lore!

[skbl17 199]

Hi. I'm interested in playing as Lektra who would fit right in to a high tech world. Her magic is designed to scale from canon-ish to higher tech settings.

 

But the 1 post a day requirement might mess me up. Are you really expecting the RP to move that fast? I guess I can do small posts more often, but if you're going to put this in Advanced then that's definitely way too much IMHO.

 

The one day post requirement isn't so much a requirement as it is a recommendation. If you can't post one time every day, it's fine! Things are moving kind of slow at the moment, and I've been a bit busy lately, so I don't plan on enforcing that rule anytime soon.

 

Also, before I add your character to the list, can I see some kind of profile? I believe that one of the rules of the Roleplay World in general is that your character(s) must have entries in the Character Database.

[skbl17 199]

Alrighty.

 

She's actually in my signature unless you can't see those?

 

Whoops, didn't see that at first!   Nice detail, by the way.

 

Approved. Enjoy!

[skbl17 199]

(On to the next detailed post! This is part one of two in my infrastructure series; this post covers communications and public utilities.)

Infrastructure (Part 1)
One of the major pillars of the Equestria Forward program was the development of the principality's infrastructure. The national government, Princess Twilight in particular, saw the massive investment in infrastructure as not only a means of economic development (that's how it was sold to some of the nobles,) but also a testbed for new technologies. Fifteen years and two trillion bits later, some of the most developed and sophisticated transportation and communications systems in the world, with several other countries in their own stages of implementing similar plans.

Prologue: the Royal Equestrian Post Office
Until the Equestria Forward program, the limited telegraph network, operated by the government through the Royal Equestrian Post Office, connected major cities and seaports, but smaller cities and almost all rural areas had no access to the telegraph system. Even in the areas where telegraph service existed, access was expensive, as the Post Office inflated telegraph rates to ensure continued dependence on the mail system for most communications. Because of the Post Office's high telegraph rates, utilization of the network remained very low.

One year after the start of the program, the Post Office was reorganized into several units:

- A new statutory corporation, Postal Services of Equestria, was established to take over the Post Office's carrier mail system, post offices, and delivery systems.

- The telegraph network was privatized as the fixed-line telecommunications market began to grow in the face of increased investment. The system was split in two, with Equestrian Telecommunications Services, Inc. taking over the networks on the southern half of the mainland and the two island regions, and Stratus Telecom, Inc. taking over those on the northern half of the mainland and in Cloudsdale.

Regulatory organizations

All broadcasting, mail, and telecommunications services are regulated by the Equestrian Media and Telecom Authority, or EMTA, a national government agency whose seven executives are appointed by the princesses and confirmed by the Crown Council. Its authority is specified in the Telecommunications Decree, which grants EMTA sweeping powers to regulate and oversee both sectors.

 

Public utilities are regulated at the regional level, but all regional regulators require local utilities to adhere to international standards on water quality and electricity.

 

Mail, telecommunications, and broadcasting
Mail service and addresses
Door-to-door courier service and post offices are operated by the Postal Services of Equestria, or Posteq for short. The company's 452,000 employees are tasked with efficient mail delivery within, to, and from the country, the regulation of postal addresses, and providing Equestrians with a "world-class postal service". Posteq is overseen by a Postal Supervisor, whose job it is to regulate and manage the company's assets and services, act as the company's chief executive, and provide regular reports to the national government on the state of the country's mail system. The Postal Supervisor is appointed by the princesses and confirmed by the Crown Council.

That being said, while Posteq maintains a monopoly on the operation of regular post offices and the local delivery of mail under 100g in weight, other companies have popped up to compete with Posteq in some delivery functions, mainly involving the sorting of mail and delivery of packages. The largest of these competitors is the Royal Parcel Corporation, or RPC, which offers consumers and businesses delivery of large packages, first-class mail services, and P.O. boxes. RPC was established by two nobles in Canterlot just two years after the Post Office's absolute monopoly was trimmed to allow for the entry of competitors.

Postal addresses are assigned and maintained by Posteq. In Equestria, the following format is followed for all postal addresses:
 

(Name of business or resident)

(Postal number) (Name of street)

(Municipality or equivalent division), (Region name)

(Postal code)

For example, to identify Canterlot Castle:
 

Canterlot Castle

1 Canterlot Peak Avenue

Noble Heights, Canterlot

CA10301

Further breaking down the address format:

- Postal number: A number that is assigned by Posteq to identify the building. Postal numbers are usually 1-5 digits long and can have a letter at the end to identify suites.

- Municipality or equivalent division: The name of the applicable third-order administrative division, the designation of which varies by region. Contrary to popular belief, Posteq centralizes its post offices to the point that anywhere from one to five municipalities share a post office.

- Postal code: The code that is used to identify the post office that is nearest to the recipient. Postal codes in Equestria contain six characters. The first two characters are used to identify the region the recipient is located in, the next three characters identify the applicable post office, and the final two characters identify the "courier district" the destination is located in, which in turn allows Posteq to ensure that the correct courier route is selected to allow the mail to reach its destination.

TL;DR: Posteq is the primary mail carrier, but competition exists in some sectors.

Fixed-line telecommunications
At the same time that the mail service was split from the Post Office, the telegraph network was assigned to two aforementioned companies: Equestria Telecommunications Services (ETEL) and Stratus Telecom (Astra). While the two companies continue to maintain the telegraph network for legacy and compatibility purposes, both companies also began to develop new telecommunications systems, including telephone networks, advanced subscriber line (ASL) services, and digital television and global interconnection network (globalnet) services.

The national government, as it was swept up in Equestria Forward fever, worried that the exclusive rights granted to these two networks would destroy any hope of competition in the growing fixed-line communications sector. As such, the Crown Council passed legislation to mandate that the two companies limited themselves to the maintenance, ownership, and development of fixed-line communications systems, while licensing other companies and businesses to sell service to consumers and businesses using their lines. The resellers then pay a chunk of their revenue to the two infrastructure companies to develop infrastructure.

The two infrastructure owners, ETEL and Astra, own the fixed-line infrastructure (telegraph, telephone, ASL, and fiber optic lines), but by law they cannot sell retail services. Instead, more than forty companies have popped up to sell their own services using the two owners' lines, these resellers are licensed by ETEL and Astra to serve local cities or entire regions, providing telecommunications service to more than 95,000,000 customers on the Equestrian mainland, Haywaii, the Hen Islands, and Cloudsdale.

 

Coaxial cable service exists, and provides much of the same services of the telephone and fiber systems, but competition tends to be much more limited. Seven companies run most of the cable sector, with the largest of the seven, Skystream Cable, serving more than 19 million customers.

 

EMTA maintains a common telephone numbering system in conjunction with surrounding countries. The numbering plan uses eleven-digit phone numbers, which are assigned on a similar basis to postal addresses.

 

Take this sample phone number, used for fictional purposes: (111) 222 33333

 

In this example, (111) identifies the area code; the common numbering plan uses 132 area codes to identify particular telephone exchanges. (111) is not assigned to a specific area and is exclusively used for fictional purposes. The following set of digits - 222 - is used to identify the local exchange. Each area code contains a specific number of exchanges, which can be numbered from 111 to 999. After identifying the exchange number, the final five digits identify the physical destination of the call. In the case of a building with multiple telephones, the final digit identifies the specific device. For instance, in this example, if "33333" are the last five digits, the first four digits - 3333 - identify the building that contains the device. The final digit in 33333 identifies the specific device.

 

TL;DR: Cable service exists but is oligarchic, two companies own the infrastructure, other companies sell service to consumers and businesses; eleven-digit phone numbers.

Mobile communications
While not quite as developed as its fixed-line counterpart, the field of mobile communications has developed due to the lighter regulatory environment. Mobile phones exist yet are expensive and hard to come by, but fixed wireless service is available for those who maintain portable phones, fax machines, and computers. The fixed wireless sector is dominated by the aforementioned ETEL, who can own and operate a wireless service, Solar Wireless, and Celestiana Communications.

Broadcasting
The institution of broadcasting is completely new to Equestria. While the telegraph existed prior to Equestria Forward, and mail service is even older, the television and radio industry is a fledgling, but rapidly growing sector. The percentage of households that own at least one television set has increased from 1% at the time of Princess Twilight's coronation to 91% at the conclusion of Equestria Forward, with similar numbers in the radio sector.

The broadcasting sector is largely dominated by one public and a few private companies, who use a network of over 1,200 transmitters, fiber links, and microwave systems to deliver their programs. On the public side, Manehattan-based Public Broadcasting Equestria (PBE) serves as the public service broadcaster in Equestria. While the broadcaster is an autonomous statutory corporation, PBE is required by law to make its programs and services universally accessible to Equestrians, promote the "culture and values" of all segments of Equestrian society, provide objective and representative current affairs coverage, create interesting programs that appeal, inform, and entertain both niche and general audiences, and promote innovation in the broadcasting field. PBE operates six terrestrial television channels, four radio channels, a website, and a teletext service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, these include:

- Channel One, the general interest channel with regional variations for local programs,
- Channel Two, the niche documentary, drama, movie, and culture channel,
- Equestria 24, a rolling news channel,
- PBE Government TV, a channel that provides live and taped coverage of legislative meetings, government conferences, and debates,
- SportOne, a sporting channel for live and pre-recorded sporting events and programs,
- Foal!, a channel that provides programming geared towards foals and teenagers,
- Radio F1, the general interest radio station,
- Radio F2, a radio station whose content is similar in scope to those on Channel Two,
- Radio F3, a regional radio station whose programming reflects the regions of Equestria, and
- ERI (Equestria Radio International), a general interest and current affairs radio service aimed at international audiences.

PBE is a non-commercial service, as the national government, teachers' groups, writers' guilds, and some residents feared that a public broadcaster funded by commercial revenue would have its current affairs programs "poisoned" if allowed to be "bent" by commercial interests. As such, 90% of PBE's revenue comes from a mandatory utility surcharge set by the Crown Council every five years; the current surcharge of B3.99 per month is assessed on all electric bills and allows PBE to collect billions of bits in annual funding. Additional revenue is received from PBE Ventures, Inc., a commercial company that licenses PBE programs and services abroad. In total, the broadcaster earns B5.2 billion in funds every fiscal year from the surcharge and its international activities.

The commercial broadcasting sector is highly competitive, but a few companies rise above the rest to have large influence on the national broadcasting sector as a whole. The largest of these commercial broadcasters is Manehattan-based Equestria One, which owns and operates ECT, the largest commercial television network in the country, and Radio Equestria, the largest commercial radio network in the country. Other notable commercial broadcasters include Canteradio, a Canterlot-based radio and television conglomerate, Harmony Media, a Manehattan-based television conglomerate, and Four Media, a Fillydelphia-based media conglomerate that operates the second largest commercial television operation in the country. Ironically, it is the commercial conglomerates that do not wish for PBE to ever become a commercial operation, as such a move would jeopardize their stream of advertising and licensing revenue, which totals over B25 billion per fiscal year.

Finally, the local level is dominated by college radio and television stations, local companies, and "broadcasting cooperatives", the latter of which is incredibly popular among rural dwellers, who feel neglected by the commercial media and, to some extent, PBE. All in all, over 1,100 licensed terrestrial and subscription television and radio channels and the large listener and viewer base make Equestria one of the largest broadcasting markets in the world.

TL;DR: PBE is the national public broadcaster; commercial enterprises exist, as do local stations, but PBE and the national conglomerates dominate the national and regional broadcasting scene.

Public utilities: electricity, water, and solid waste
Unlike telecommunications, which is largely handled at the national level, public utilities are largely regulated and overseen at the regional level. Because regional governments and regulatory regimes vary in size and scope, utility systems also vary in many ways. At the national level, the Royal Grid Corporation is a private corporation owned and operated by sixty power companies; the corporation is responsible for maintaining the national power grid and connecting generation facilities with local distribution systems, and is the only electric utility subject to day-to-day regulation by the national government through the Ministry of National Development. Outside of Royal Grid, more than 300 investor-owned utiities, cooperatives, and municipally-owned utilities, all of whom are regulated at the regional level, generate and distribute electricity but are subject to international electric standards on voltage, distribution, and transmission. The same environment applies to water and sewage systems, which tend to be maintained at the local level. Like electricity, water is subject to international standards on quality.

Edited February 10, 2015 by skbl17

[FancyHorse 1,209]

Skbl17, you are quite the go getter!

 

You create so much immense detail and lore! This thread should be bustling with players!

[skbl17 199]

Skbl17, you are quite the go getter!

 

You create so much immense detail and lore! This thread should be bustling with players!

 

I like detail. I actually kind of look forward to the part where I write about history, that should be a really long one.

[FancyHorse 1,209]

I appreciate your appreciation to it There are times creating my own threads thinking I'm gonna be able to type up paragraph upon paragraph and just end making a measly single paragraph or what not x3.

 

Keep being awesome

[skbl17 199]

I have to echo what Illusive says. Quite detailed.

 

I also get the impression we have lots of non show canon cities like the one we're all in, due to some kind of population explosion.

 

There are a lot of non-canon locales. When you have an open-ended universe like this, and canon has only confirmed a few cities (Canterlot, Ponyville, Baltimare, Manehattan, etc.), there is going to be a lot of non-canon stuff involved.

 

Some day, I'll make a map.

[skbl17 199]

I've updated the OP to reflect the fact that it seems that the RP has developed, dare I say it, a PLOT! 

 

I'm actually okay with it, but I've decided that this will now be divided into "arcs". What's going on right now is part of the first arc. There will be a second arc once the events of the first are cleared up. Signups are still open.

Edited January 28, 2015 by skbl17