Nebraska update

Submitted by acohill on Tue, 04/26/2005 - 11:16

Anne Byers, of the Nebraska Information Technology Commission, and one of the most knowledgeable people in the country on rural technology issues, has written an excellent article that not only summarizes some of the anti-muni legislation pending in that state, but also provides some very useful analysis of other projects around the country.

Among Anne's cogent analysis is the point that whether a community broadband project has "failed" or "succeeded" depends on who you talk to, with some projects being ranked by different organizations as both a success and a failure.

I've read, for example, that opponents of the Bristol, Virginia fiber effort have promoted it as a failure because it is in the red after two years. But if you actually talk to the Bristol Utilities, they are on track to go into the black in year three, EXACTLY AS THEY PLANNED!

There is a lot of conflicting information out there, and Anne Byer's article illustrates why education of community officials is so critical--you want your elected leaders to have accurate and reliable information.