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Competition Will Increase Internet Speed And Reliability, Says Cheyenne Task Force

Screen shot from http://www.wyomingbusiness.org/broadband

Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr sees accessible, affordable, high-speed broadband as critical to the city's prosperity and future. Back in January, she announced the formation of a broadband task force. The City Council recently adopted a resolution drafted by the task force following several months of research.

Eric Trowbridge chaired the task force and directs the Array School of Technology and Design.

"We looked at all these different cities." In doing so, Trowbridge said the task force asked themselves: "What are some of the things that we could do that we've seen other cities do across the U.S. that made big impacts in their communities?'"

He said when startups and entrepreneurs are shopping around for new homes they want faster, more reliable and more affordable service than what's currently available in Cheyenne. Because two companies control the market, Trowbridge said the lack of competition is part of the problem.

"There isn't competition for faster speeds, better pricing, or better reliability," said Trowbridge. "So in some ways the resolution's whole goal was to create a competitive broadband market to give everyone the best price, speed and reliability."

The resolution is comprised of six recommendations, including reducing right of way fees to make it easier for small internet service providers to enter the market and offering public wifi downtown.

Only the Charter Communications representative on the task force opposed the recommendations.

 

Tennessee -- despite what the name might make you think -- was born and raised in the Northeast. She most recently called Vermont home. For the last 15 years she's been making radio -- as a youth radio educator, documentary producer, and now reporter. Her work has aired on Reveal, The Heart, LatinoUSA, Across Women's Lives from PRI, and American RadioWorks. One of her ongoing creative projects is co-producing Wage/Working (a jukebox-based oral history project about workers and income inequality). When she's not reporting, Tennessee likes to go on exploratory running adventures with her mutt Murray.
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