The reality is everyday life is full of choices and value judgments. Questions of individual taste and preference can be the cause of good-natured barroom debate or even some memorable family reunion fireworks. However, when the questions go beyond matters of personal taste and are elevated to the arena of public policy they can become critical factors in determining the success and health of a whole community.
One such question that has long been debated in communities around the nation focuses on the opportunities and methods for deploying broadband telecommunications infrastructure. Historically, community telecommunications partisans have divided into two, sometimes militant, camps. There are those who believe public right-of-way is a uniquely valuable public asset and that commercial entities seeking to make use of it to generate corporate profits should pay a significant fee to the community for the privilege. Fees generated under this type of agreement may then be reinvested into the community by government to address a variety of needs that may or may not be directly related to telecommunications infrastructure. Ask someone and they will tell you this sort of thinking is shortsighted and greedy.
Lining up to oppose them are those who firmly believe that public assets like right-of-way should be made available with a minimum of regulation or expense to the broad spectrum of telecommunications providers without significant fee or regulation. Adherents to this philosophy believe the economic and quality of life benefits of easy access to a variety of telecommunications options provides far greater community benefit than additional dollars for the General Fund. Ask someone else and they will gladly tell you that this sort of thinking is fiscally irresponsible and naive.
The reality is that despite their differences, both sides understand that for a modern community to be successful, critical telecommunications infrastructure must be affordable and available to businesses, homes and schools. Both sides look to put their community in the best possible position. But the approach they choose will likely effect on the level of technology deployment, the time it takes to get it in place and the cost associated. American communities are competing not only with each other but with the rest of the global marketplace for economic prosperity. The stakes could not be higher. The totality of choices community leaders make determine if their community will thrive, struggle or die.
This Digital Communities portal is dedicated to providing a place where public policy decision makers can easily find reliable information about emerging technologies - wireless, high-speed broadband and new, innovative applications vital for the continuing success, safety and economic health of their communities. By bringing government and industry together, it is our hope that the portal will be an indispensable resource for those charged with leading their communities through rapidly changing times.
As a former state and local government CIO I have experienced first hand the importance and effectiveness of timely information sharing between the public and private sector. To put it plainly, having better information leads to better decisions. If I was going to have to pick between being shortsighted and greedy or fiscally irresponsible and na
