Mike Stagg has a letter published in today’s Independent. It refutes an earlier letter of Larry Amy’s point by point.
My favorite refutation? That wireless could somehow replace a fiber optic system. The difference between the currently practical and even the theoretical speeds of the two are at least an order of magnitude; the comparison is silly. But the real kicker is that the hope for a robust wireless network to match even the meager dreams of its proponents (they are ignoring video and voice when they make their faulty comparisons) depends upon having much more fiber than the incumbents are willing to provide. We are back, even with wireless, to something for which the incumbents won’t provide enough infrastructure. If Lafayette wants wireless she’ll have to do it herself–and a fiber-optic network would be the best basis on on which to build such a network. First things first.
Mike’s closing words say it well:
The LUS fiber project is an investment in the future of this community that will better enable businesses here to compete in a global and knowledge-driven economy. The opposition’s actual message is that Lafayette should lower its expectations to whatever the incumbents will offer us. Where would Lafayette be today if previous generations of leaders had adopted this slacker attitude?
