Letter to the Editor: Vote ‘No’ on Gardner Broadband Funding Referendum

Recently, the Town of Gardner proposed an approximate $1.5-million loan for fiber optic infrastructure for high speed internet, to be managed by a company like Brightspeed (a subsidiary of CenturyTel) for a proposed, base customer charge of roughly $60 per month [“Town Asking Voters to Weigh In on Broadband Funding,” Jan. 12 Peninsula Pulse].

That’s a lot of money for a small town. Communications companies should be footing the bill for the infrastructure, not the taxpayers of Gardner.

I already pay $67 per month for (slow) broadband. Yes, higher speed for that same amount would be nice. I’m sure it’s also nice for a company like Brightspeed to pick up more customers after the town has installed the infrastructure it didn’t have to pay for.

I propose this money would be put to better use with the community providing the internet service, rather than an existing, for-profit corporation that should be footing the bill for that infrastructure, since it would be the one to profit from it.

Let’s provide a community-based, high speed internet service that doesn’t line the pockets of the very same telecoms that have been negligent in making its infrastructure accessible. Vote ‘no’ on the $1.5-million loan.

Laura Menefee

Gardner, Wisconsin

(Editor’s Note: the vote Laura Menefee is urging would be for the broadband funding referendum that Gardner residents will see on their April 2 ballot.)