Commentary & Editorials
The information on this page is editorial in nature, and reflects the opinions of the individual authors.
This Is Our Best Chance To Get High Speed Internet
After almost a year of researching high speed Internet options in Norwich, we have concluded that this is our best chance to get high speed Internet in the next 5-10 years. We spoke with all the key Internet Service Providers in our area, and nobody except Comcast has shown an interest in expanding their services to Norwich. Verizon will make no commitment whatsoever. Local wireless providers such as Wavecomm and FINOWIN are slow and very unreliable. Valley.net is not expanding its DSL services, and neither are local phone companies like V-Tel or Sovernet. There simply is no other affordable option available to us in the foreseeable future.
So what are we getting with Comcast? We are getting a state-of-the-art cable system that will serve us well into the future. We are getting true high speed Internet that is always on. As a bonus we have the option of also getting cable TV or telephone service through Comcast. We are getting a nationwide provider with 24/7 technical support. We are getting an Internet connection that is reliable and dependable. All of this for about the same price that we are paying now for our existing Internet connection, or existing TV service.
What more can we possibly ask for? Now is our chance - let's take it.
What High Speed Internet Means To Your Future
As more and more of our nation's cities and metropolitan areas are being wired with high speed Internet, the Internet is becoming more of our daily lives. A fundamental change is taking place in how we communicate and work as a society. Work, education, recreation, and everything in between now makes heavy use of the Internet. Without a broadband connection, we will certainly be at a disadvantage to those that have high speed access to the Internet.
Home based businesses or even local businesses can't compete if they do not have a high speed connection. Students from grade school to college are at a disadvantage if they cannot connect to their school's computers with a high speed connection. Even home users are greatly affected. Without a high speed connection, it becomes frustrating to do common tasks such as download music or videos, view news, research stocks, etc. Even the resale value of your home can be affected by the lack of broadband Internet access.
Having become such a fabric of our society, obtaining high speed Internet should be one of the top priorities of every resident in town.