Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Rural Dane County Residents Make a Case for Broadband

Town of Berry (R07E/T08N)

Link to June 15 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article, "Residents beg for broadband.  Dane County enclave says it deserves service".  (No local coverage?)

Excerpt: Angry about not having high-speed Internet service, a group of rural Dane County residents have complained to the state Public Service Commission in a case that could set a precedent for other communities.

Some of those filing the complaint live on the edge of suburban Madison, one of the most Internet-wired cities in the Midwest, and they include attorneys, doctors, university professors and scientists.

In their complaint, filed this week with state regulators, they say a lack of broadband service has hindered their professional lives and lowered property values because some people won't buy homes in areas that lack high-speed Internet access.

It's an issue that irks residents in the Town of Berry and some parts of Black Earth and other rural areas less than 20 miles from the state Capitol.

"This is a rural community, but it doesn't mean we are Dogpatch or Hayseed," said Chris Arenas, who lives in Black Earth and teaches online marketing classes at Madison Area Technical College.

The complaint includes the Town of Berry, a community of about 1,124 residents that has sought broadband service for years
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