As I have watched the broadband issue unfold in the paper and online I have noticed several things that are a major concern.
First is the statement by the proponents of this initiative that no
tax money is at risk. This is an outright lie. The reason we are voting on this is because proponents want $9 million of our sales tax money to fund this. They also want you to approve $9 million more in bonds. A bond is basically a loan that the county has to pay back to the bondholder. They claim the bonds will be paid back by the money made from the business. However if the business comes up short on cash guess who the county will ask to pay for it?
Wouldn’t the money be better spent at the school? Maybe on the metal and wood shop areas that have been almost completely depleted of space and equipment?
Reading information on the e-democracy forum, it appears that they have no idea where the fiber will run. No idea how much it will cost to repair if your fiber buried six inches underground gets cut. And they have no idea what kind of electronics they are using. This doesn’t sound like much of a plan to me.
When failures were brought up on e-democracy, Chris Mitchell, the expert from Minneapolis, even stated that there is a risk involved. The networks IPROVO, UTOPIA, and Networks in Alameda CA, and Marietta GA all failed and cost taxpayers millions. I don’t think it’s worth the risk.
I have friends who telecommute and use 1 meg. satellite service. They like it and it works just fine. Maybe we should take the money and buy everyone in the outer areas of the county a new satellite dish.
Brad Thompson
Grand Marais
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