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Inspiring Story of Rual Community Laying Down Broadband Infrastructure

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Renegade:
I just saw a really inspiring story of a small community that laid their own fiber optic network infrastructure:

http://www.activistpost.com/2013/02/solutions-happen-when-govt-and.html



 :Thmbsup: Props to them for just getting it done! :D

40hz:
It is very inspiring. And full props to them for doing it.

But they also privately ponied up 500,000 to start - and plan on spending an additional 1.5 million to complete it. I wonder what it costs to get patched into it?

I'm guessing that despite the "rural" moniker, this 'village' is rather affluent? Judging by some of the houses that were shown on the newsclip, it looks like it's a heavily gentrified old farming area.

I only ask because anything is possible if you have a small enough steering committee with a lot of money behind it. Look how fast a members-only golf course or yacht club (with dining room and spa) can get built. Contrast that with how long it takes to repave half a mile of suburban road - or put in a new sidewalk.

My town recently replaced a very small 2-lane trestle traffic bridge (built in 1937) that crosses a very shallow stream about 15 feet wide. It took them over two years to complete it and reopen the road. Which shows the importance of private action when important things need doing. A contractor I talked to (who does that sort of work) said the entire job should have needed no more than four or five months max - with the bulk of that time taken up removing the old bridge and allowing any new concrete pouring to cure and settle.

Even worse, once it was obviously completed (about 18-20 months after the project began), the barriers blocking the road weren't removed for several additional months. Calls to the town to find out what was going on went nowhere. It wasn't until somebody finally called the local news and brought their attention to the situation that anything happened. The papers ran a short story (with photos) about the "perpetually closed bridge" and lo and behold - the road was magically reopened within the week.
 :-\

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