WHAT IF…
our schools were full of children?
young families were flocking to our towns?
our region was the go to place to start a new business?
What if we had the network of the future now?
The Smart Phone has changed the world.
Everyone has one. Everyone now needs broadband networks to use them. Broadband has become as critical to life as roads and electricity. But networks from our telephone and cable television carriers do not connect everyone; nor are they migrating to next generation technology—fiber optics to the home with gigabit speeds.
We have to treat broadband like we treat roads.
Broadband now is a community responsibility. To have universal connectivity with the latest technology some or all of next generation networks must be owned by municipalities, just like roads. We advocate a business model that parallels roads: the municipality owns the wire on the poles, like roads, private partners install wire to the home and all network electronics, like driveways and garages.
The costs are more than reasonable.
With our business model our region of 25 towns could pass every home with the municipal part of the network for less than $6 per home per month based on securing 40 year loans. By comparison, just maintaining our roads can cost $100 per home per month, and the state now pays $488 per home per month for education, our most important investment.
The pay-off is huge.
If we do this soon, we would be leading our state to the gigabit highway. Much follows. Almost everyone will save money on Internet access and television. We can create high tech jobs that bring young people back to our region. We can attack the digital divide. We can push education to the top. We can insure a real future for health care. We can become a center of innovation in many fields. Homes values will appreciate. We can even boast—first is first.
Say “Yes” to shaping our region for the future.
We need your support. This is a community project, not just the project for Northwest Connect. Vote “yes” here for our region’s future. Sign up for our newsletter. Become connected to one of our innovation committees. Learn about what we are doing (we have a wealth of information here). Contact our state representatives to make the changes needed for universal broadband in our region. It matters to all of us.