Right now I'm writing this from Edwards, CO which is about 20 minutes from Vail, CO. Breathtaking views, great vacation spot - we've had a wonderful first day decompressing after a flight to Denver and a 2.5 hour drive. Here in the middle of the Rockies 3G and cellular service is no problem.
About three weeks ago my wife traveled to Cuba with her colleagues for a week long trip. After I dropper her off at the airport I packed up our two young boys and headed for refuge on the shores of Lake Michigan at my parent's house. They live in a place called Kewaunee, WI. Kewaunee is about 30 miles west of Green Bay. I had random cellular access - meaning forget data, I was only able to answer or take a call at my parent's house maybe 5-10% of the time I was there for a six-day stretch. My parents Internet connection was okay for being non-fiber, bit was pretty pricy - $60 a month.
In Wisconsin terms Kewaunee, isn't the middle of nowhere. Access to information is difficult I think because there aren't many people there or regional centers to drive access there. Not having a ton of money there doesn't help, but even in the vacation haven of Door County, about 30 miles north (WI's "thumb" on map) access is also spotty.
Now here in what I'll call the Greater Vail Area it's condos, resorts and vacation homes galore. And I've had zero issues with access.
I'm not writing this to rail against money, because if I'm sitting here, clearly I'm not doing too bad. Nor is this message original. If you Google "Lawrence Lessig broadband" you'd get a much more concise, well-researched message. After these experiences this summer I see more clearly that there needs to be a wide-scale push to increase access in all parts of the country. It's been a political talking point, but no action from what I can tell.
I grew up in Kewaunee, and millions of kids around the country grow up in places like that which area even further away from regional hubs and interstates. Some of them even live in the middle of cities, but don't have access because of socioeconomic status (thank goodness for Connect 2 Compete, a program we need to do a better job of getting the word out on). They all deserve some level of access. No community should be left behind. I worry about how long this will take to get to a critical mass in this country where it gets addressed.
I don't really have any answers, but I think the answers live in cooperative groups like Wiscnet. Some might think cooperatives wreak of Cuban-style communism, but isn't working together to solve problems a universal good?
Tonight we talked to a couple from Colorado Springs who were evacuated from their home a few weeks ago. They said officials who came to help from outside their region commented they had never seen community come together like that. Can't we work together on more than just surreal natural catastrophes? Can't we come together for an educational catastrophe? At least that's what I see it as.
About three weeks ago my wife traveled to Cuba with her colleagues for a week long trip. After I dropper her off at the airport I packed up our two young boys and headed for refuge on the shores of Lake Michigan at my parent's house. They live in a place called Kewaunee, WI. Kewaunee is about 30 miles west of Green Bay. I had random cellular access - meaning forget data, I was only able to answer or take a call at my parent's house maybe 5-10% of the time I was there for a six-day stretch. My parents Internet connection was okay for being non-fiber, bit was pretty pricy - $60 a month.
In Wisconsin terms Kewaunee, isn't the middle of nowhere. Access to information is difficult I think because there aren't many people there or regional centers to drive access there. Not having a ton of money there doesn't help, but even in the vacation haven of Door County, about 30 miles north (WI's "thumb" on map) access is also spotty.
Now here in what I'll call the Greater Vail Area it's condos, resorts and vacation homes galore. And I've had zero issues with access.
I'm not writing this to rail against money, because if I'm sitting here, clearly I'm not doing too bad. Nor is this message original. If you Google "Lawrence Lessig broadband" you'd get a much more concise, well-researched message. After these experiences this summer I see more clearly that there needs to be a wide-scale push to increase access in all parts of the country. It's been a political talking point, but no action from what I can tell.
I grew up in Kewaunee, and millions of kids around the country grow up in places like that which area even further away from regional hubs and interstates. Some of them even live in the middle of cities, but don't have access because of socioeconomic status (thank goodness for Connect 2 Compete, a program we need to do a better job of getting the word out on). They all deserve some level of access. No community should be left behind. I worry about how long this will take to get to a critical mass in this country where it gets addressed.
I don't really have any answers, but I think the answers live in cooperative groups like Wiscnet. Some might think cooperatives wreak of Cuban-style communism, but isn't working together to solve problems a universal good?
Tonight we talked to a couple from Colorado Springs who were evacuated from their home a few weeks ago. They said officials who came to help from outside their region commented they had never seen community come together like that. Can't we work together on more than just surreal natural catastrophes? Can't we come together for an educational catastrophe? At least that's what I see it as.
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