Thanks to John Shepard for sending me a great editorial from the Redwood Gazette (September 6, 2011 – it doesn’t appear to be available online). The Redwood County EDA has been having public meetings and spurring discussion about broadband. In August the community decided they would like to take a step closer with a feasibility study.

Editor Tony Krause recognizes the importance and advantages of fiber in his column…

Dialup Internet service is no longer good enough … experts know the true Cadillac of the Internet world is in fiber.

I think he brings up an important question…

A visioin of having fiber available to every home, farm, school and business in the Redwood area seems a bit lofty, but when you see others are doing it we have to ask the question.

Why not us, too?

That’s where many communities are heading. When thinking of the future, communities no longer have to look at the reasons for fiber, because I think that case has been made. I think they have to look at the why-not – at the reasons not to have fiber. Are those reasons compelling? Are they short-term? Are they insurmountable? What’s the cost of not moving forward?