Fiber to bulk up Lafayette’s economy–and the possibilities for multimedia e-books

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By David Rothman

The good people of Lafayette, LA, none other than David Faucheux‘s town, have defied the telecom interests and have voted for muny fiber-optics. Hooray! I’m all for private solutions, but this public one makes sense, given the slowness of the telecom interests in spreading the tech to small towns. Localities should be able to install their own fiber-optic networks if voters are aware of the costs and risks. Telecom companies like to brag how broadband can enhance people’s lives. Lafayette took ‘em at their word. Meanwhile, as you can see via this photo from the fiber advocates’ blog, the fiber debate literally became part of the local landscape.

As e-books gain multimedia capabiltiies, ultra-fast broadband will help. What’s more, promo videos for e-books will be easier to transmit. Schools and libraries will come out ahead as well. Perhaps the city network can even help out blind people such as David, who, right now, must use dial-up to do his audio blog. Let’s hope this decision isn’t reversed through a court ruling or greedster-inspired laws at the state or federal level.

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