A concerned citizen wrote and asked me what could be done to help educate the community about why the broadband proposal is important, even if individually they are satisfied with their current TV, internet, and telephone services.
While as a county employee I cannot advocate for the current referendum, I can pass along some facts about the project and why the county got involved.
First, it should be clarified that,while most houses and businesses in Cook County will have access to the proposed system, including everyone in Grand Marais, no one is required to hook up or buy the new services. Over the past couple of years we have been contacted by residents and businesses throughout the county who wanted to express their frustration with not being able to access the services they need, primarily reliable telephone service and internet access. When the opportunity came from the Blandin Foundation to study the problem, the results showed concern throughout the county.
Not only did we hear from those outside of Grand Marais about the need for basic services, but we also took a look at places in Grand Marais, such as the schools, the library, the courthouse, the law enforcement center, city hall, the hospital, and the clinic. We found that they were all falling behind their peers in access to the telecommunication services that are now necessary to keep providing their services to our community.
We looked at our public safety communications systems and heard about weeks of work repairing the old copper lines that make our system work. We talked to real estate agents and resort owners and learned that their customers are making decisions about where to stay and where to live based on access to these services.
All of this information led to the design of a sustainable system that would solve these real problems of today and provide us with infrastructure that will meet our entire community’s needs into the future. The second question on the referendum ballot seeks to gain the community’s approval to continue developing this plan.
Danna MacKenzie
Grand Marais
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