To the editor:

Fiber optic Internet, the fastest speed for Internet access available, is yet another issue our city is struggling to catch up with. Because quality jobs appear where fiber appears, it is definitely an issue deserving of our attention.  It also means we should be careful in our next steps in adding it here.  

Public incentives:  I am very concerned about using public monies for private enterprise and private profit. Let me give an example. At the new construction at Ninth and New Hampshire, we are giving away public money in the form of property tax rebates for private parking. How about a more straightforward course: public money for public parking!  To avoid repeating that kind of financial mistake, and since fiber is crucial to retaining and attracting business, we need to explore making fiber a public utility (like Chanute). If it were a public utility, it would also be a new revenue stream for us.

Installation areas:  Hook up our large employment centers first:  city hall, county courthouse, the hospital, Kansas University, BTBC Research Extension, VenturePark, East Hills, our high schools and new technical school. If we target these first, it will automatically create a broad net over much of our city. Let’s make those areas our first priority, and residential can be filled in later.

If fiber is truly the new “railroad lines” of our generation, then let’s move forward with this infrastructure in a careful and thoughtful way, with a long-term strategy that serves us well into the future.