By Cory Gaines | Logan County, Co.
Hello to all,
My name is Cory Gaines and I’m a resident of Logan County, Colo. I am one of a very few lucky people to live in a town where I can get broadband internet, but I know many in locations similar to mine are not so fortunate.
Broadband internet to me and those who are geographically situated similarly to me presents economic opportunity and growth. It might be something that people (and lawmakers) along the Front Range take for granted, but I want you to think about what your life would look like with either dial up or perhaps no internet:
* Without broadband, your educational/enrichment opportunities are narrowed.
* Without broadband, potential access to jobs that are full time with benefits is narrowed.
* Without broadband, there is less economic growth.
There are those that might want to live in a small town and work remotely for both the culture and the lower property values, but currently can’t because they cannot work remotely without high-speed internet.
When there are bills that I might want to support, I add them to a list and check in every few days. I have watched Senate Bill 24-091 for a few weeks now, wondering when and if it would ever get a hearing because I wanted to support it.
Then I read in an article this morning that it keeps getting tabled. And I think I know why. It’s money.
It’s money that the members of the Joint Technology Committee want to enshrine in yet another government enterprise. It’s money that these same members wish to make exempt from any sort of limit.
I personally have no issue with charging companies to lay fiber optic cable in rights-of-way along public roads. But, you all need to note a couple things. One, some communities are so small that the profit motive alone is not enough to get the cable out, thus anything that makes it too costly is effectively preventing an extension of high-speed internet. Two, Front Range politicians who see dollar signs holding up opportunity like this so the state can enshrine high fees and collect without limit is the very definition of crass.
Put reasonable fees into the law and let’s all move on.
Cory Gaines
Sterling
Logan County
Legislators at odds on broadband right-of-way fees