Re: [North Georgia Democrats] My Letter in Today's Dahlonega Nugget:

Sara Chaya Smith Cohen commented on your post in North Georgia Democrats. Sara Chaya Smith Cohen 9:57am Jul 16 ANd it makes total sense not to have the BIgwire go to an industrial park. the lake is so much more sensible. Comment History Sara Chaya Smith Cohen 9:56am Jul 16 I am glad I can go out on LAke Zwerrrrner and get wifi. SO useful. Frank Gilkeson 9:21am Jul 16 the Big Wire did not go the industrial park. the federally funded big wire came up the 400 AND THEN WENT DOWN AURARIA to the Koyo Plant and then on to the High School. From there it follows Grove Street into town and over to UNG stopping off at all schools, government offices and medical facilities. The big wire then follows the Morrison Moore out to Lake Zwerner and SR52E into White County. The Big Wire DID NOT COME UP THE SR400 in Lumpkin and then up SR60 into town. Sara Chaya Smith Cohen 8:42am Jul 16 There is an industial park - empty- off og Red Oak Flats. Sara Chaya Smith Cohen 8:37am Jul 16 Registered- only to be told that at this time I am REMOTE> 5 miles from town. Frank Gilkeson 8:28am Jul 16 virtually all the land in lumpkin county along sr400 is locked away in the conservation use value assessment program (CUVA). Folks with land in CUVA there are paying about 1% fmv property taxes while they wait to develop in 10 year intervals. The CUVA expires every 10 years and can be renewed. Some land has been in CUVA for 23 years. For example one 10 acre property for prime development is paying $8 an acre property taxes. CUVA for this parcel will not expire for another 8 years. View All Comments Original Post Frank Gilkeson 7:26am Jul 16 My Letter in Today's Dahlonega Nugget: I read with interest the Dahlonega Nugget account on July 9, 2014 regarding GetUWired's need for high speed internet back in the woods at Cavender Creek and Copper Mines Road. Here are some facts that were omitted. Whenever you see the words "block grant", think "Federal taxpayer money". So Lumpkin County is asking the Feds to provide $250,000 of taxpayer money to run a 4 mile wire from SR52 and Longbranch where the 100 Gigabit Internet Superhighway ("Big WIre") exists that the Federal Government spend $32 million to build in 2009. Mr. Goff could easily move his business right up next to the Big Wire but he prefers to stay out in the woods and have the taxpayers pay to bring the Big WIre to him. Just another example of corporate welfare. He says that he may build a 10,000 square foot office building there. This is just what Lumpkin County does not need, another big piece of infrastructure stranded out in the woods when Mr Goff ultimately "sells out" to Google or whomever and leaves. Think the abandoned carburetor plant on MacDonald Road. Perhaps+ Mr. Goff should change the name of his business to GetMeWiredAtTaxpayerExpense. This is not the way things were supposed to go. What has happened since the Big Wire came to Lumpkin in 2012? The schools, government offices, and medical offices were put on the Wire paid for by the Feds. But no private residences and small businesses. Meanwhile over in White and Habersham Counties, 1600 private residents were put on the Wire and have 50 mbps internet for $50 a month courtesy of Habersham EMC. (Windstream DSL runs at about 6-8 mbps and costs $69 a month.) Habersham EMC is a non-profit customer owned cooperative with a legal monopoly to provide electricity in White and Habersham. Why has there been a failure to deploy the Big Wire to residences and small businesses like GetUWired in Lumpkin? The reason is because no business would step up to do the job. Windstream was asked but declined. They were making too much money milking their current customer base. Both Georgia Power and Amicalola EMC declined. Why will no one make the investment and take the risk to bring the Big Wire to Lumpkin residents and businesses after the Federal Government made the key investment to enable it? But help has arrived. Habersham EMC has created a new cooperative business called Georgia Communications Cooperative which has a product called Trailwave designed to bring the Big Wire to residents and businesses in Lumpkin. Yes, it is a co-op and not a for profit business. I talked to the President of GCC and asked him why they were not actively marketing Trailwave in Lumpkin. He told me that they were afraid to. They feared that they would be overwhelmed by demand. You can't make this stuff up. Go here to express your interest in 50 mbps for $50 internet and overwhelm them with demand: http://www.trailwave.com/. Trailwave Fiber Optic Internet www.trailwave.com Trailwave fiber optic Internet packages are available for North Georgia residents and businesses. Ge... View Post on Facebook · Edit Email Settings · Reply to this email to add a comment.