Guest Opinion: Let OPALCO Know We Want Their Help in Providing Faster Internet

from Martin Taylor

OPALCO (Orcas Power And Light Cooperative) is asking the question:

What role should OPALCO play to support the ongoing community effort to make higher-speed, more reliable broadband available in San Juan County?

This month they will be sending out postcards with a survey for their member owners to answer that question. A link on the cooperative’s website provides more information: OPALCO’s broadband (fast internet) information.

I would urge all OPALCO members to respond to the survey and encourage OPALCO to urgently take steps to invest in and make available their optic fiber data network to the community.

We need access to excellent communications and information infrastructure in our community if we are to thrive. A for-profit company like CenturyLink isn’t going to provide that in a comprehensive and timely manner  on its own because it simply isn’t profitable enough to justify the investment. As a community we need high speed Internet access to reach most homes and businesses sooner rather than later so we need to make the investment. A community cooperative is the place to make that investment. Especially one that already has a significant investment in an underutilized optic fiber network.

The OPALCO optic fiber network has been in place for over a decade now and from the beginning there has been sometimes optimistic discussion of making it a resource for the community. However to this date it is only minimally utilized primarily by entities with government subsidies because of the high cost and limited access.  Let’s not wait another decade before this system is used to its potential.

So let OPALCO know you want them to take an active role in enabling the use of this resource for the San Juan Island community.  Ask them to expand their network and to make it available to the community at affordable rates.