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Maybe my fellow Nogalians just don't care? or did a couple of local folks and compadres (A county Supervisor, a telecommunications provider, and some compadres) make a lot of whole lot of money by telling us we needed to fund the installation huge ugly antenna towers?
Here is a portion from an on-line article (published on 03/02/2009) on Foxnews.com concerning "High Speed Internet" funding within the stimulus package. I just had to ask myself if my home town is being bought off or being kept in the dark by those wonderous Politicians who have no concerns except for themselves and their pockets? Or is there not a single person within the City or County Government that know that there are monies available to help communities like ours.
FOX NEWS
"President Obama has taken a major step in closing America's "digital divide" by allotting $7.2 billion in stimulus funds to bring broadband lines to rural areas -- and to put thousands of people to work making it possible.
But some critics say the effort will prove fruitless, because many Americans don't want high-speed Internet -- including people who already have access to it.
Just 57 percent of Americans use broadband services, although 91 percent of American homes have access to them, according to a report released last month by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. And one-third of Americans who don't use broadband said cost would prohibit them from buying it.
Maybe Nogales is not considered "rural" ? But I just find this disturbing while people stand around shaking there head in an affirmative motion claiming that there is no infrastructure in Nogales to support technological upgrades. Nogales must fall within the 9 percent of American homes that DO NOT have access to broadband services!!! Wow! (Do you really believe them now?)
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Weedly wrote on Mar 28, 2009 6:10 PM:
It is one thing to require something ugly be included in ones community, and another altogether when it is only one of a group of options.
Yes, their are antenna's on the top of hills areound our communities; and yes they are not a pretty site. But, they are required in order for many of the "hi-tech"
gadgets to operate. That does not mean that It's ok to put a tower in my neighborhood if their is an alternative.
There is no excuse for decisions that make us look more like a "Border Town" that is absolutely necessary. We all should think more of ourselves, and how we see community. Not for the sake of others, but because our community represents who we are. Neat, clean, organized, and trimed doesn't take much more than caring.
Weedly "
Spelling Bee wrote on Mar 12, 2009 12:50 PM:
Had Enough... wrote on Mar 11, 2009 9:20 PM:
These postings are to share ideas and point of views, NOT to be judged on grammar! "
Jon D wrote on Mar 11, 2009 8:19 PM:
I saw several other mistakes....
Oh well, too late...
Thanks again.. "
Spelling Bee wrote on Mar 9, 2009 2:46 PM:
Jon D wrote on Mar 6, 2009 8:34 AM:
I know what the towers are for and how they were engineered to work. I am educated and experienced in this field, however, my comment is based on the fact that Nogales ( as a community) is well behind in the technological infrastructure and the fault of this IS directly related to the decades of political families and friends having control of what the community needs. Having been born and raised in this community, having been privy and witness to the inner workings of this city, I Sir/Ms am more than aware of how things work in Nogales and with the familia and "Compadres".
I am not completely confused by your attempt to mask the description of having to maintain a fiber network vs a fiber network. I understand that this project was solely for the School District benefit - but again, I point to the fact that the local politicians failed to inform the public of what was really involved. Why?
And yes, there are several cases (both publicly known (court cases included and other not) that local politicians and there friends benefit from such political moves and tactics. So instead of trying to have me respond as to why " I " am making this a big issue or attempting to discredit my opinion or comment by thinking that I know nothing of what I speak of - why don't you ask your yourselef and politicos why they have failed to promote the technological infrastructure and advancement of the county or city?
Everything costs money, but the fact of the matter is that people like yourself who like to fog the issue with lengthy rebutals, techi type responses and insults to someones opinion and fact is bothersome and typical effort to keep others from seeing the truth.
Those two words you end your response with are very chosen. They should voiced by all the citizens of Nogales to people like yourself and the rest of the politicos and compadres. Ya Basta! "
facts_please wrote on Mar 5, 2009 3:34 PM:
The steel (huge ugly towers) you speak of are not to provide Nogales with internet. They are to provide the NUSD campuses with INTRAnet (a private computer network which uses internet technology and may include a gateway into the World Wide Web). They are funded by a Federal grant called E-rate which is specifically for funding for telephone, internet and hardware expenses to K-12 school districts. Clauses in the grant allow that school district data may be transported through these systems as well, so, power school, school resources on digital media, voip, personnel files and the sort can be transmitted to and from school district storage servers at offsite locations. The vendor, Trillion, has the contract the install the e-rate systems directly from the grantor.
Maybe the problem of misinformation stems from the school district leadership's inability to properly convey what the towers are for, and the vast majority of people being too complacent to inform themselves properly.
You make some heavy accusations of the monetary gains your elected officials may have received by the installation of these systems, can you substantiate those claims?
All that this community needs is another unfounded allegation compounded to the already sickening list of unfounded claims of devaluating property, health risks (yes, the good doctor said there were proven cases of health risks in the vicinity of high tension transmission lines....which these are NOT), and on and on. Maybe the world’s faulting economy is to be blamed on these steel towers as well.
I do not dispute that these towers are abnormal, but considering the hilly terrain of Nogales, and the need for line of site for these low power microwave transceivers (which you would have to be in close proximity to and within the path to be harmed...thus the height) require to communicate with each other, there may not have been any other option than to place them high and the structure of the towers then needed to be as wide as they are. Yes, the school district could have made a bid to "hang" fiber optic cabling on the public right-of-way pole structure (owned by Unisource Electric for the most part) but the long term maintenance of that infrastructure is way more costly than replacing a transceiver or antenna every now and again. The school district's communications system could essentially be disrupted if someone were to crash into a power pole that had its fiber optic cable on it. And what about those repairs and costs? Do we now have to equip school district network technicians with aerial lifts? Another option would have been to lease lines from the regional bell operating company (telephone company) but the cost may not have been absorbed by E-rate and the throughput would have been definitely decreased from the existing design.
As for the stimulus packages, the lot of them, have YOU seen any of that money yet? For the most part, in the reading I have done, that money is earmarked for telecommunications providers and not individuals or governments and is certainly not available as of yet. And please tell me why you think it is up to the Nogales Unified School District or your local government to provide the good people of the city of Nogales with Internet service.
Nogales is no different than many communities in the United States (yes, including those 60 miles away). The services like High Speed Internet are offered by private companies that roll out service platforms in the areas with the highest density. It costs money to roll out these systems and so they do so at a very slow pace (particularly now that there is financial turmoil about). So, if you live (or work) in a high density area, you can probably have your pick of what service and what provider you want, in the more remote areas, the choices whittle down rapidly.
Please stop spreading rumors and creating public uneasiness. Look around you, there are antenna towers everywhere, you probably enjoy the spoils of some of them (pcs phone usage, emergency services response, etc.). There are also a few internet service providers that provide their services through different mediums and are more than willing to sign you up for service depending on where you live. As for these towers, they are for the school district (not wi-fi or public use) and they should be installed and maintained for the benefit of this Country’s future leaders; the kids in school. That said; leave it alone let's discuss something you have knowledge in. Ya Basta. "