Iron Range high speed internet at crossroads

Public investment in high speed Internet on the Iron Range should be among our highest priorities. Whether we use this method or another, we need to make tech infrastructure happen. It’s not for the people who are here now, it’s for the people we need to come here and stay here.

Range fibernet project at a crossroads
By Marshall Helmberger, Tower Timberjay, March 15, 2008
The effort to bring an ultra-high speed fiber optic network to 11 Iron Range cities is exploring a new direction after a contentious meeting in January left some once-active members expressing doubts about the proposed project.

The Iron Range Network Joint Powers Board had planned to give presentations to the city councils of the 11 member cities in February, but those presentations have been put on hold while supporters try to determine their next step, a decision they expect to make at a meeting in Hibbing on Thursday.

Comments

  1. Yeah! I agree with you that Public investment in high speed Internet on the Iron Range has become the highest priorities because they Want to work from home and earning a residual income and receive direct daily payments with an online business. Its really good to see that The Iron Range Network Joint Powers Board had planned to give presentations to the city councils of the 11 member cities to bring an ultra-high speed fiber optic network to these 11 Iron Range cities. I really thanks you for giving such an interesting blog.

  2. Ironically…I do exactly what the blog spammer above described, and I live in Duluth. Do you know if this is proposed to cover the Twin Ports region, too? Cool post; I look forward to more news regarding this.

  3. To classer,

    I don’t believe Duluth is included in this particular proposal, though I believe that Duluth lies at the end of the T-1 line from the Twin Cities. The real issue is getting the broadband to everyone’s houses or businesses. In my vision, Internet will be like power and sewers — a utility that everyone pays into. The capitalist in me is willing to allow a public/private partnership on this, but such an arrangement would almost certainly require public investment to overcome the initial costs (much like rural electrification).

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