The broadband survey has a few weeks to go, but preliminary results indicate a high need for improvements all over the county. It does not seem likely that we will find as one supervisor alleged, that 80 percent of the county has adequate broadband service. It is critical if you want better broadband that you spend five minutes to complete the survey. Take this online if possible and do it right away so the county can get the information necessary to quickly begin work on grant applications.
The Carroll County Administrator says they just received additional grant funding from the Tobacco Commission, and he is starting to work on the next round of grants.
Patrick County must be successful in obtaining some of the millions of dollars being made available for rural broadband to begin the upgrades we want and need. If our citizens want to sell property at reasonable prices, operate businesses, see our school children have the educational opportunities other areas have, and enjoy many other advantages, we have to all work together.
Four of our Supervisors are on board, but one still proclaims that only people living in the deep forest in rabbit holes in the county do not have adequate internet. He seems to not hear when 150 people who own nice vacation and summer residences in the Groundhog Mountain development cannot all get any service, and those who do have very slow service but are paying rates that other areas pay for high speed internet. These homeowners use few county services and like all of us, help pay the taxes that support the many needs of our citizens. They will help all of us pay the taxes which will enable the county to put up in the range of 20 percent of the cost for broadband upgrades which are required by most of the available grants. Broadband in rural areas is costly per customer, and of course some of our taxes will have to be utilized in Patrick just like in every other county, but where can you get a million dollars of badly needed grant money for an investment of $200,000?
What we pay in taxes to support broadband will result in better service and possibly lower rates. Is this not a better investment of our tax dollars than the additional training, equipment and staffing which would, according to the animal control officer, have been required if the county ordinance had been modified to make it legal for people to own dangerous animals including poisonous snakes, wolves and mountain lions, a proposal which was pushed very hard in a recent board of supervisors’ meeting?
Call Amy Walker at 276-693-2006 for information on the survey or take it online at:
Steve Terry
Meadows of Dan
(Terry is the chairman of the Patrick County broadband Committee)