Letter: Squashed like a bug
By Letters to the editor
To The Editor:
Regarding the mayors recent article putting Nelson in the top 10 of North American cities moving into the high speed digital internet world.
Anyone in the technical field knew the city couldn’t play in the sandbox with Telus or Shaw. When I first heard of this I said when the big boys come to town they will be squashed like a bug. They have just been squashed.
This all began when the mayor went to a New York City digital conference. The message, any city not getting in to the high speed internet world would be left behind.
The movers and shakers of the world could now live here and telecommute. How many came? They would have had to live downtown, the only place the city high speed internet was available.
Shaw is now available everywhere with faster speeds, businesses $139/mo vs the city $500/mo. Shaw instal $100, city $500 min. or actual costs. Shaw residential $49/mo available everywhere. City, businesses only.
And how does the cities high speed internet hook into the world? On Shaw’s equipment.
What would happen if this were a real business? What will happen with this? Every $75,000 is 1% on your taxes, do the math, add it to your taxes.
The city possibly has up to a million in ISP equipment , two employees and fibre optic cable.
So what now? An award from New York city? Or am I missing something? This is what happens with grant money and people who don’t know what they are doing.
Norm Yanke
Nelson BC
