Rutland Herald
9/17/16
9/17/16
It’s easy to write off the Castleton Select Board’s objection this week to the proposed installation of a 120-foot utility pole as a classic example of small-town NIMBYism (bit.ly/csb-pole), but the situation is indicative of the larger issue of deficiencies in Vermont’s telecommunications infrastructure and raises the question of just what we’re going to — and willing to — do about it.
Like other rural states, Vermont has struggled to keep pace with communications technology. According to the consumer advocate group Broadband Now, Vermont is ranked 49th in wired broadband connectivity with only 21 percent of the population having access to internet speeds of at least 25 megabits per second, the FCC standard for wired broadband. (Source: broadbandnow.com/Vermont)
If that data doesn’t jive with Gov. Shumlin’s declaration of victory back in early 2013, when he boasted 99 percent broadband connectivity statewide, blame the FCC, which raised the standard for “adequate broadband speed” to 25mbps in January 2015. But this is not simply a matter of federal regulators arbitrarily moving the goal posts. The higher standard is a reflection of the speeds necessary to perform basic internet operations on multiple devices. So while it may be technically true that upwards of 90 percent of Vermonters have access to some manner of broadband, most are seeing speeds far below adequate.
Even here in Rutland, a city of more than 16,000, connectivity is an issue as I discovered recently when I attempted to switch internet providers. Currently, I am a Comcast subscriber paying $80.55 a month for 25mbps internet. My connection is fine, but the price is steep — I am only paying for internet; no TV, no phone — so I decided to explore options.
FairPoint wasn’t much help. The price was right — around $40 a month, including router rental — but the fastest speed available at my location was a meager 3mbps. I called on two separate occasions to verify if this speed was correct. The second customer service representative told me that, while 3mpbs isn’t optimal, it’s fast enough to stream video with only occasional buffering. Sorry, and I know this is very #firstworldproblems, but it’s 2016; I’m not paying for janky internet.
You see, DSL (digital subscriber line), which is the technology FairPoint uses, is a “last-mile” service that connects to the internet using existing phone lines. The benefit of this technology is that it uses telephone infrastructure to cover large geographic areas. The drawback is that speeds get slower as the distance from the provider’s central office increases. In this case, my house, which is only 1.5 miles from FairPoint’s downtown hub, is too far away. (For what it’s worth, my old apartment in downtown Rutland was less than a block from the same office and the speeds were atrocious. #FailPoint.)
My only other option, SoverNet, was too far from the central office to provide any service at all.
So my choices are A) get gouged by Comcast or B) get substandard service from FairPoint. That’t not much of a choice at all.
Back over in western Rutland County, broadband connectivity is similarly spotty and cellular phone coverage is nonexistent in certain areas. Don’t believe me? Try making a call on parts of Lake Bomoseen or almost anywhere along Route 30.
Some people may argue that there is something quaint or charming about being off the grid, about being unplugged and away from all the hustle and bustle of modern life. That’s a nice sentiment, but our desire to keep life simple shouldn’t come at the expense of progress. We’re not hobbits living in the Shire. We can (and should) have both.
Castleton, more than most towns in the county, should see the importance of supporting infrastructure improvements such as the one Mobilitie is proposing. It’s home not only to a university of more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students but also it a bustling summer tourist destination in Lake Bomoseen, which welcomes thousands of visitors and seasonal residents. Both populations are from parts of the country where reliable cellular coverage is the norm.
But while the pole will improve coverage and connectivity to a part of the region that is essentially a dead zone, such projects must balance technological necessities and aesthetic concerns. That’s no easy task. I won’t deny that the pole’s placement near Castleton’s historic district is less than ideal. Mobilitie should listen to the Select Board and work with them to find a solution that both sides find agreeable. Conversely, the Select Board needs to be accommodating. To uncompromisingly stand in the way of better infrastructure is shortsighted.
Castleton leaders should look to Killington for inspiration on how to make lemons out of lemonade. A newly installed cell tower on Killington Road has been painted in the town’s branded colors and logo.
It’s still a cell tower, but at least it looks interesting — and far nicer than those ridiculous looking ones disguised in fake tree branches.
In explaining his opposition to the pole during this week’s Select Board meeting Castleton Selectman Bob Spaulding quipped, “I’ll just have you know, my kids probably won’t talk to me the next six months now that I’ve said this.”
Spaulding may have been joking, but his comment touches on an important point that Vermonters should take to heart — one that is too easily lost between older and younger generations. If Vermont is serious about becoming an attractive, competitive destination for 21st-century businesses and the coveted young professional demographic, it must step up its telecom game or be left behind. Granted, this isn’t the silver bullet, but it’s nonetheless an essential component.
I respect and appreciate the desire to preserve the state’s bucolic brand and keep the landscape pristine, but such efforts should not stifle progress. A middle way must be found — one that both honors the rural landscape and allows for intelligent, conscientious growth.
CLICK BACK
What do you think? Tell me about it on Twitter @JimSabataso using the hashtag #clickdpoles.
Like other rural states, Vermont has struggled to keep pace with communications technology. According to the consumer advocate group Broadband Now, Vermont is ranked 49th in wired broadband connectivity with only 21 percent of the population having access to internet speeds of at least 25 megabits per second, the FCC standard for wired broadband. (Source: broadbandnow.com/Vermont)
If that data doesn’t jive with Gov. Shumlin’s declaration of victory back in early 2013, when he boasted 99 percent broadband connectivity statewide, blame the FCC, which raised the standard for “adequate broadband speed” to 25mbps in January 2015. But this is not simply a matter of federal regulators arbitrarily moving the goal posts. The higher standard is a reflection of the speeds necessary to perform basic internet operations on multiple devices. So while it may be technically true that upwards of 90 percent of Vermonters have access to some manner of broadband, most are seeing speeds far below adequate.
Even here in Rutland, a city of more than 16,000, connectivity is an issue as I discovered recently when I attempted to switch internet providers. Currently, I am a Comcast subscriber paying $80.55 a month for 25mbps internet. My connection is fine, but the price is steep — I am only paying for internet; no TV, no phone — so I decided to explore options.
FairPoint wasn’t much help. The price was right — around $40 a month, including router rental — but the fastest speed available at my location was a meager 3mbps. I called on two separate occasions to verify if this speed was correct. The second customer service representative told me that, while 3mpbs isn’t optimal, it’s fast enough to stream video with only occasional buffering. Sorry, and I know this is very #firstworldproblems, but it’s 2016; I’m not paying for janky internet.
You see, DSL (digital subscriber line), which is the technology FairPoint uses, is a “last-mile” service that connects to the internet using existing phone lines. The benefit of this technology is that it uses telephone infrastructure to cover large geographic areas. The drawback is that speeds get slower as the distance from the provider’s central office increases. In this case, my house, which is only 1.5 miles from FairPoint’s downtown hub, is too far away. (For what it’s worth, my old apartment in downtown Rutland was less than a block from the same office and the speeds were atrocious. #FailPoint.)
My only other option, SoverNet, was too far from the central office to provide any service at all.
So my choices are A) get gouged by Comcast or B) get substandard service from FairPoint. That’t not much of a choice at all.
Back over in western Rutland County, broadband connectivity is similarly spotty and cellular phone coverage is nonexistent in certain areas. Don’t believe me? Try making a call on parts of Lake Bomoseen or almost anywhere along Route 30.
Some people may argue that there is something quaint or charming about being off the grid, about being unplugged and away from all the hustle and bustle of modern life. That’s a nice sentiment, but our desire to keep life simple shouldn’t come at the expense of progress. We’re not hobbits living in the Shire. We can (and should) have both.
Castleton, more than most towns in the county, should see the importance of supporting infrastructure improvements such as the one Mobilitie is proposing. It’s home not only to a university of more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students but also it a bustling summer tourist destination in Lake Bomoseen, which welcomes thousands of visitors and seasonal residents. Both populations are from parts of the country where reliable cellular coverage is the norm.
But while the pole will improve coverage and connectivity to a part of the region that is essentially a dead zone, such projects must balance technological necessities and aesthetic concerns. That’s no easy task. I won’t deny that the pole’s placement near Castleton’s historic district is less than ideal. Mobilitie should listen to the Select Board and work with them to find a solution that both sides find agreeable. Conversely, the Select Board needs to be accommodating. To uncompromisingly stand in the way of better infrastructure is shortsighted.
Castleton leaders should look to Killington for inspiration on how to make lemons out of lemonade. A newly installed cell tower on Killington Road has been painted in the town’s branded colors and logo.
It’s still a cell tower, but at least it looks interesting — and far nicer than those ridiculous looking ones disguised in fake tree branches.
In explaining his opposition to the pole during this week’s Select Board meeting Castleton Selectman Bob Spaulding quipped, “I’ll just have you know, my kids probably won’t talk to me the next six months now that I’ve said this.”
Spaulding may have been joking, but his comment touches on an important point that Vermonters should take to heart — one that is too easily lost between older and younger generations. If Vermont is serious about becoming an attractive, competitive destination for 21st-century businesses and the coveted young professional demographic, it must step up its telecom game or be left behind. Granted, this isn’t the silver bullet, but it’s nonetheless an essential component.
I respect and appreciate the desire to preserve the state’s bucolic brand and keep the landscape pristine, but such efforts should not stifle progress. A middle way must be found — one that both honors the rural landscape and allows for intelligent, conscientious growth.
CLICK BACK
What do you think? Tell me about it on Twitter @JimSabataso using the hashtag #clickdpoles.
1 comment:
OMG. I'll take one of those fake trees any day over that monstrosity that Killington has erected.
Post a Comment