“Why Bill Gates went to Washington – and why it matters,” is the headline in today’s “Press Democrat,” (3-20-06, page B9). Wouldn’t is be nice, I thought to myself, if another headline might appear some day. It would read, “Bill Gates visits Petaluma – a Cyber City!” Then I thought, would it really matter?

That column written by David Broder, a well-known columnist for the “Washington Post,” commented on Bill Gates’ rare visit to Washington, D.C., where he made the case for supporting and expanding a special immigration program known as H1B visas. This blog is written by an unknown Volunteer Cybernaut who, in his wildest dreams, hopes that Bill Gates would make another rare visit. This time, however, to Petaluma. “Why,” you asked, “should he do this? Would it really matter?”

IMHO, yes! It definitely would matter because it would send a signal that all citizens, wherever they live; whether it be a large or small community, need to be part of the Information Age and have full access to the tools and ICT systems necessary to learn, work, and play in a networked world.

It may just be a coincidence, but an advocate group for big broadband everywhere – First Mile.US – is sponsoring a Spring Conference in San Diego, this Wednesday and Thursday. There will be a real-time Webcast of the conference, that will also be archived. For more information about this event, go to the First Mile.US web site.

Tune in and take a look at their Community Planning Toolkit, read the Big Broadband Bill of Rights, read the Nine Questions for Communities that Andrew Cohill thinks should be asked, check out CENIC’s One Gigabit or Bust Community Readiness Guide, plus a report by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation titled, Toward Equity of Access: The Role of Public Libraries in Addressing the Digital Divide.

All of these initiatives and endeavors are further evidence that “the greatest resource of any community is the wisdom, intellect, and creativity of its citizens.”

I know that it is wishful thinking, but as one Bill to another Bill; “Come on down and visit Petaluma, it really would matter!”