To the editor:

Lawrence Internet provider Wicked Broadband recently asked the City Commission for seed money to help start the deployment of fiber Internet to homes and businesses in Lawrence. As the recent report commissioned by our city shows, upgrading our city’s broadband infrastructure is an essential part of being economically competitive and attracting the kinds of technology-based firms that Lawrence needs.

As a town, we spend money on needed infrastructure, like the library and Rock Chalk Park, that makes Lawrence a more desirable place to live and work. Look to our east and witness the excitement and economic growth surrounding Google’s fiber deployment to the Kansas City area, and imagine some of this in Lawrence. I would urge the City Commission to consider taking a more active role in this process, including possibly assisting private companies that are willing to take the initiative to deploy fiber to Lawrence residents.