As of May 3rd, I have posted 50 blogs for the Argus-Courier. This entry will be the 53rd. That will average about one per day, since I started posting on March 11th. I can’t promise how much longer I might be able to do this. There are so many other volunteer projects that have been place aside in order to launch this new venture. There are just so many hours in the day. Fortunately, I usually get the ideas for my blogs when I wake up in the early hours of the morning. It takes longer for my two fingers to key in the words than it does for me to compose them. Today, we’re back to our local Cyberplace, but thinking about our more expansive Cyberspace.
What I want to share with those readers who have been reading these blogs for the past few weeks is that this isn’t my first attempt to enter the world of e-journalism and dash off brief columns (web logs/blogs) that deal with a variety of topics, issues, concerns, or themes. Actually my blogging days started in October 2003 with Petaluma Online. Back then my focus was the world of Information & Communication Technology and the blog was titled, Our Cyberspace. These blogs are available: http://www.petalumaonline.com/blogs/ourcyberspace
Now that I think about it, some of these earlier blogs need to be revisited. Why? Because Petaluma – Our Community – is lagging behind where the rest of the Cyberworld is going rather quickly. As good as our river town is in spirit and its healthy sense of community, we must build and maintain an Information Highway with sufficient bandwidth to serve the growing needs of a computer-literate citizenry. The Information Highway “potholes” are not fixed as easily as our aging streets. In today’s “flat world” (according to Tom Friedman), “there is no bigger flattener than the idea of making all the world’s knowledge, or even just a big chunk of it, available to anyone and everyone, anytime, anywhere.” Staying informed and being able to communicate and share information quickly is essential to becoming more and more important in our daily lives. Modern day computer technology and telecommunications developments have made this possible.
Many people across our nation have been articulating similar thoughts for well over a decade as we have discussed Information & Communication Technology needs for “Digital Villages” – “Smart Communities” – “Communities of the Future,” and “Cyber Cities.” It has been this blogger’s association with other Cybernauts like Don Means, John Eger, Rick Smyre, and Andrew Cohill that have motivated and encouraged him to form PetalumaNet in 1995, and promote greater use of computer technology and telecommunications in all sectors of a community in order to become a CyberCity. We must realize that we no longer live in the Industrial Age; but an Information Age with highways filled with electronic “potholes.” These “potholes” need to be avoided or filled quickly by local community leaders and activists.
FirstMile.US has created a Big Broadband Bill of Rights ,that if supported will create a smooth roadway to connect our local Cyberplaces to the expanding world of Cyberspace.
- You have the right to a big pipe – no matter where you live, work or play.
- You have the right to expect that any group with a reasonable business case will be able to provide a pipe to you including municipalities, telephone companies, cable companies, electric companies, community groups and others that may want to invest in you and your community.
- You have the right to an affordable level of service.
- You have the right to attach consumer devices and computers to the pipe as you see fit.
- You have the right to use any application, within the scope of the law, which you need or want to use, without restriction from the pipe provider.
- You have the right to trust that public libraries and/or other publicly supported venues in your local community are available to serve your needs, if you do not have access to a pipe.
These “rights” are only the first part of this document. (The use of the word, pipe, refers to the size and the capacity of your broadband connection to the Internet. We’ve come a long way since the early ICT days.) Stay tuned for additional sections of this Big Broadband Bill of Rights.
On Our Radar Screen: Shortly after the above blog was written, an eNewsletter containing a statement from Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Member of Congress from California, arrived. Its title: The wrong way to spread broadband. Please consider it as more “food for thought.” It may be found at – http://news.com.com/2102-1028_3-6068364.html?tag=st.util.print