Anxiety over last-minute decisions at the office weighed on me during a family trek to
Mt. Rushmore. When we pulled into a
highway rest stop in Iowa, a sign declaring
free Internet access was a godsend.
Disappointing my wife who declared the trip a mostly-electronic-free vacation, I popped open my laptop and logged into e-mail. After a short exchange with the office, my mind was clear.
"Can we turn it off now?" she said. We returned to the license plate alphabet game and
High School Musical sing-a-longs.
In the middle of the country,
business was enabled, encouraged. Traveling around, you begin to see some advantages for
Shreveport to set up public-supported free Internet access.
(This is being considered by the City Council).Just like food and water, Internet connectivity is seen by the next generations as a basic need. As the global economy evolves and breathes online,
we can help put our city on the fast track now. The time is nigh for us to wrap our arms around the future by investing in it.
If you want young professionals to remain and thrive,
provide the kind of services they seek -- and
make it easy.
It isn't necessary to blanket the
city with WiFi. We could implement a phased plan. The
Texas Avenue corridor, the area around courthouses and government buildings and
Red River District are good places to start.
Spotlight our new services with signs announcing, "Entering a public access WiFi zone."
Imagine a passerby on I-20 looking at a billboard that says, "Free Internet access in 5 miles; Connect in Shreveport's downtown."
When conventioneers and tourists visit, they can explore and make business deals at downtown eateries or meet partners to review presentations. They'll feel unencumbered.
Make Internet access free at
the local airport as a business calling card. That service will be like a mint on the pillow to high-powered executives traveling to and from Shreveport.
Phoenix offers this. Why shouldn't we? (
Check others.)
An introductory step into a
city-supported wireless venture would do much:
g Locals may be drawn downtown for lunch or stay downtown to work outside their cubicle.
g Internet access would serve as an incentive for small businesses to locate downtown.
g Build-it-and-they-will-come infrastructure philosophy might attract wired young professionals and some technology companies that will serve
Cyber Command.
Imagine overhearing college students: "Hey, let's go over to the
District and meet. We can hook up for free while we eat." If you want young professionals going downtown,
give them what they seek.
Once we expand WiFi access, imagine real estate agents, city workers and sales people becoming faster and more efficient in a city supporting new ways of working. Ah, this is a quality-of-life feature we can celebrate.
As we build more roads and highways,
we should build an on-ramp to the new economic and information superhighway.
While sitting on the bank of the
Red River, a young woman opens her laptop to make a business decision that adds another Shreveport business to the global economy.