While writing this column from my home town in Hilo, Hawaii is refreshing, the lack of broadband isn’t - it sometimes takes a few minutes just to download a single web page.  DSL isn’t even available.  Which leads me to fiber optics…

If being stuck with a 56K modem has already made me miss publishing a daily story, how many opportunities is a small town with a struggling economy missing each day?  Then again, how much is a big city missing by not having fiber optics?  That’s why we’re working with companies like Corning to make sure everyone can compete on a common playing field, or at least give the most innovative, community-minded ones the early advantage!

For municipalities who believe the tortoise wins the race, that’s a fairy tale.