I chose Scriv & Tom's Stories. When I first started Scriv, Rick Harnish, & Marlon shaffer spent a lot of time and energy assisting me whenever I asked for help. They never said 'no', they never ignored my requests no matter how simple or ignorant of the facts I was. My system is still small, but growing. We are getting there.
If I were to make a recommendation, I would listen closely to what John Scrivner, Tom DeReggi, Rick Harnish and others who given so much to "you and I" say and recommend. There are reasons why they are where they are. Ron Wallace Hahnron, Inc. 220 S. Jackson Dt. Addison, MI 49220 Phone: (517)547-8410 Mobile: (517)270-2410 e-mail: rwall...@newgenet.net rwall...@tigernet.bz -----Original Message----- From: John Scrivner [mailto:j...@scrivner.com] Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 01:33 AM To: 'WISPA General List' Subject: [WISPA] It can mean everything I used to say our government had no place in broadband. One thing happenedthat changed my thinking to some degree. A small rural town called Bluford,Illinois used to have no broadband until a few years ago. At that time Inever used 900 MHz gear because it was out of my budget. Bluford was full oftrees. It is a very poor community which led me to believe they could notafford the high price of 900 MHz CPEs. Basically Bluford defined the"Digital Divide". My attitude toward USDA grants was "They should stay outof this but if someone will get the money it might as well be me". I shotfor the moon. I budgeted for Waverider 900 MHz (The only 900 MHz gearavailable at that time) and a new tower. I asked for free installs for allresidents. I ran surveys of every person in town. In short I did everythingthe USDA required of the grant and then some. I even went to broadbandconventions and told others how to apply for grants.Then a miracle happened.My grant was funded. I received $310K to build service into Bluford. It wasthe nicest setup I had ever done. The people of Bluford were ecstatic. Over60% of all residents bought service. We built a free community technologycenter at the local grade school. We gave free broadband to the schools, thevillage hall, the fire department, etc. as a condition of the grant. Blufordwas doing great. Still, this had not really changed my thinking that UncleSam should keep out of the broadband business.One child did change my mind.An 8 year old boy in Bluford got leukemia shortly after we setup the newbroadband there. Dad and son, alone, faced the dark days ahead. These peoplewere poor folks facing the horrors of cancer. Despite all this adversity andgloom the boy had only one major mental obstacle which really cut to thecore for him. He could not face the prospects of having to be held back ayear of school. You see, he was forced into isolation from killing off hisimmune system as a consequence of the bone marrow being destroy ed andreplaced. He desparately wanted to finish school with his class. The schooolcalled me and asked if we could help with the broadband grant program we hadwon. We did. We bought a pan-tilt-zoom camera and set it up on a roll aroundcart along with a speakerphone in his classroom. We installed broadband inhis home for free using 900 MHz radios to bust through the trees. The boyattended classes virtually through this system. He beat his cancer. He alsofinished his year with his fellow students.How much is this worth?It seems to me that this particular broadband application is much like the"Priceless" description we see in those VISA commercials. But let's try toput a dollar amount on it. Is it worth $310K to be able to do this? Is itpossible that this one boy's hope alone is worth $310K and the fact that thewhole town now has broadband is a bonus?Maybe it is ok to let our leaders lead for a change.I have seen many bad things come from bad government in my 43 years on thisear th. I have been fortunate enough to see some good things too. Untilrecently I thought cynicism was going to rule the day forever in regard togovernment. I thought patrotism was dead. I thought the American Dream hadfaded and spoiled into a nightmare. Sadly the government has done much toamplify those feelings. Regardless of your politics you have to be worried.Maybe it is ok to have hope too. Maybe we should try for once to say that wewill take our leader's lead and try to stimulate our economy throughbroadband deployment. I am willing to give it a shot. Maybe this will notwork but maybe it will. What if success or failure of this program is moredependent on how we make use of this program than whether or not the programis right or wrong? This is possibly the most unique opportunity of ourlives. The government is basically telling us they want us to save thecountry. They are opening up the bank and saying to us, "What would you doto make broadband a stimulating force to aid this country's economy if moneywas not a barrier to your success?" I am going to have to step up and bepart of the solution. I hope all of you do the same.John ScrivnerPresident - Mt. Vernon. Net, Inc.Trweasurer - WISPAOn Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 11:16 PM, wrote:> Not me. If it's wrong, it's wrong. I'm not going to say "it should not> be> done" and then go after the money for myself. I'd have to hide my face> forever. Money comes and goes. Conscience is forever.>>> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++> >> ----- Original Message -----> From: "Marlon K. Schafer" > To: "WISPA General List" > Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 10:11 PM> Subject: Re: [WISPA] What does this mean to wisps?>>> > Me? I'm gonna go for as much grant money as I can get. What else can we> > do?> >> > marlon> >> >>> >> Well, whatcha gonna do?> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------> > WISPA Wants You! 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