New
computer links vital to progress here
The
electronic revolution in communications has the potential to
improve services in rural areas such as the North Country where at
times it is not as cost-effective to establish expensive centers
of expertise as it is in more populated, urbanized areas.
But first, a community must
figure out how to harness the technology and apply it locally.
Fortunately, that just happened
here in a big way.
Area schools, governments,
medical facilities and others now can achieve immediate two-way
video and computer information links to gain quick internet access,
and other computer services and information that hadn't been as
widely available in northern New York. The Alice Hospital in Malone,
however, already had been linked to such medical services.
The access comes through the
Adirondack Network, which was unveiled here last week.
The advanced high-speed
technology is intended to improve rural areas' business climates,
enhance health care services and enrich educational opportunities by
linking the North Country and New York's Capital District through an
interactive, or two-way community network.
It is an example of the
cutting-edge technology New York State needs to be economically
competitive with other states and countries to lead our nation into
the next century.
The network culminates project
begun several years ago, when BOCES received a $1.3 million grant to
set the system up. The money for the communications network comes
from a $50 million statewide cash pool created with cash from NYNEX
(now Bell Atlantic) due to a rate settlement between the company and
the New York State Public Service Commission.
In the end, some 17,000
students in the region will have access to the services as well as
the medical and other professionals. We all are the better for the
network's availability. Such an advantage is vital to a quality
education, and enhanced quality of life, for the 21st-Century
person. |