Paul Scott comment: Why you should come hear Curtis Dean at 5:15 p.m. Thursday

(Note: Paul Scott is a member of Decorah Fast Fiber, the citizens group that is pushing to expand Metronet use to include businesses and individuals in Decorah)

There are two reasons for you to come hear Curtis Dean speak at 5:15 p.m. Thursday at City Hall about the possible formation of a utility to handle Internet service in Decorah.

The first reason is to come with any questions you might have about the topic.  Let me tackle a few questions and answers here first:

"Will this raise property taxes?"  No, the project wouldn't use property taxes.  It would create a public utility just like those that provide water or electricity.  The costs of the service would be paid by those using the service.  If you don't use it, you don't pay for it.

"Why should we do this?"  Because a surprising number of people in Decorah work for employers who are located out of town--and use the Internet to do so.  Faster Internet means more people can move to Decorah and "telecommute" to jobs out of town.  This improves the local economy.

But these are just the most common questions--you might have others.  And you can come at 5:15 p.m. Thursday to directly ask your questions to the person who is considered the leading expert in Iowa on this topic.

Secondly, in order for the Metronet Board to agree to work to expand the existing fiber optic cable network, it must be convinced there is a demand for such a service.  So if you don't come, there's a chance the Metronet board members could conclude there isn't a demand for better Internet service in Decorah.

As someone who has spent time gathering signatures on a petition supporting this concept, I think it really comes down to a very simple question: "Are you happy with your present Internet service?"

I didn't think so.