BRATTLEBORO — Your story “Region renews hope for broadband” [The Commons, April] demonstrates that progress has been made, but there is still a long road ahead before all Vermont citizens and businesses have easy, affordable access to high-speed Internet.
While many people now have computers and some type of Internet access, there are still pockets of the technologically disadvantaged among us. We see it here at Brooks Memorial Library, where our 17 public-access computers are continuously occupied and our users logged more than 24,000 sessions in 2008, 50 percent more than the previous year.
If our funding is sustained, Vermont public libraries can provide the state's citizens computers and high-speed access. In just Windham County alone, there are 86 public access computers, 17 of the 18 libraries have high-speed access, and according to Vermont Public Library statistics (libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/stats/plstats), more than 1,400 library users sit down at a computer each week to either send an e-mail, look for a job, consult a health database, or research some other piece of information. At least eight of the 17 libraries also have wi-fi access, meaning that users can plug into an electric outlet, sit in a comfortable chair anywhere in range, and surf the 'net at broadband speeds.
I attended a workshop on broadband stimulus funding sponsored by Senator Leahy's office at the Latchis Theatre last month. In response to a query from an audience member about where one can find public high-speed Internet access, a session presenter offered, “Well, you can always go to a coffee shop."
No; you can always go to one of the 62 (of 184) tax-supported public libraries that offer wi-fi, or visit one of Vermont's 161 public libraries with free access to 928 computers and the Internet. Coffee purchase not needed.
There still may be a long wait until Vermont is a universal e-state, but citizens can avail themselves of our computing resources held in the public good by the public libraries.
For a list of library Web sites and hours, visit libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/websites/public, or for a printable brochure of Windham County's public libraries, tinyurl.com/dkstst.