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Idea for: Telecommunications
Bring wireless Internet to small towns Expanding broadband access in small towns can open up a world of telecommuting and expand business opportunites. However, making homes in a small town broadband-ready by wired solutions seems awfully expensive, and redundant when most users are now converting their broadband access to wireless access. Cheaper overall would be for small towns to distribute Internet access via wireless access points distributed throughout the city about every 100 meters. Larger cities are trying this and there is no reason that a small town couldn't do the same thing with a relatively low cost per user. From Jared Frandson of Minneapolis, MN on 05/12/05
Rating:  I think that with the need to keep up with the global nature of our world now, it is essential for all people to have access to the internet just as readily as a land line or cell phone. We need to make a committment to see that these infrastructural necessities to keep our citizens competitive in the world arena are made available to all regardless of income bracket. Minnesota MUST do this just to bring us up to speed in our current world. Pamela Ellison Saint Paul, Minnesota From Pamela Ellison of Saint Paul, MN on 07/12/05 Rating:  Our community created a public-private partnership with an ISP to create a wireless internet system in 2001. The system uses non-line of sight technology with indoor, user installable antennas. The main transmitter is on the water tower. The system works great and the city paid off its share in less than 3 years. The city has about 270 customers, out of a possible 1000 homes and businesses passed. We pay $30 a month for 512k speed. Go to www.nextnetwireless.com for more info on the system. From Greg Fritz of Pocahontas, IA on 06/09/05 Rating: GREAT idea. I hate to advertise for my Cellular phone company on this public website, but Western Wireless/Cellular One provides me amazing wireless internet service covering between 8-13 mile radii from each of their cellular phone towers (around 60) covering the southern part of Minnesota, with a northern boundary near Ortonville/Benson/Belgrade/Clearwater/St. Michael. I live in Montevideo & work on my family's farm near Willmar, and I have internet nearly all over southern Minnesota. From Randy Olson of Sunburg, MN on 06/05/05 Rating: The rural area surrounding a small town is an integral part of the community. Unfortuantely, the cost for high speed internet has made it impractical for those outside of town. High speed is necessary to keep businesses competitive. I would also like to see a realistic and reasonably priced means of including those who live in the country in the customer base. From Jo Kantrud of Vergas, MN on 06/03/05 Rating: There are rural areas that Cable and DSL providers will not touch. Even given incentives they refuse to privide broadband in certain areas. Like it or not, broadband access levels the playing field for rural businesses and is becoming a requirement for businesses that want to compete in the larger arena. I have worked for 2 wireless ISPs now and can say that bringing wireless broadband into a small town can really change it for the better. From Steve Tripp of Waseca, MN on 05/27/05 Rating: I've personally crunched the numbers for the equipment on this one and I can tell you that the result would easily justify the cost. Towns of less than 1000 people could see huge benefits from such an option. On a side note, many small towns have very limited options for any kind of broadband and in many cases if it is available, its overpriced to the point of being usless. Boradband may not be important to the older generations, but for anyone under the age of 30 it is a necessity. From Adam Wagner of Fisher, MN on 05/27/05 Rating: But broadband access is what brought far-flung places like India and China competitive in the global economy. Small towns can become an integral part of that economy if they have fast, stable access to it. From Victoria Ford of Saint Paul, MN on 05/15/05 Rating:  Most of the industrial sized cities and there close communites, i.e. Thief River Falls and Grygla, already have quite the extensive network of highspeed internet thanks to their cooperatives. Going Wi-Fi is an expense that a small town cannot afford. Schools and sewers are already difficult enough. From Mike Mickelson of Grygla, MN on 05/13/05
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