[sllug-members]: Grassroots for Utopia

[Clint Savage]

On 9/21/07, Thomas S Hatch <thatch45 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Wow, that was a very positive response, I go to a play and come home to the
> pleasant scent of people who care!  I have never started such a group but
> would like very much to do so, continuing to ignore the need for an updated
> communications infrastructure is like telling Eisenhower that the interstate
> is crazy, what fools will do business in Salt Lake if we can't offer high
> speed communications, they could do more work in Cedar City with Utopia than
> they could in Salt Lake!  This is definitely an unfolding trend (despite my
> fopa of not offering evidence), that people move away from cities and
> cluster in areas with the power to offer communications.
>
> With that said I will begin starting a grassroots political movement to
> bring Fiber Optics to Salt Lake City, keep in ming that I have never done
> this and will need some allies, I assume this is the place to start.
>
> -Thomas S Hatch

I just thought I'd mention a couple things.  I'm all for this and will
join up too.  Please add me to any mailing lists you create.

Note, there is a mailing list on xmissions listserv

http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/pro-utopia

If you're interested in helping the cause, I'd suggest starting there.

Secondly, I find that there has been *a lot* of discussion on this
recently in many of the Linux User Groups around the state lately.  It
seems its time for a change.  Pete in 2010!

Lastly, I was just reading an article in USA Today (IIRC) that was
talking about how major cities were deciding that providing free/low
cost wifi was too expensive.  This may only be semi-related.  It seems
to me that if we can get UTOPIA rolled out according to plan (which
its currently on-track) and can get more free wi-fi in the downtown
and on Traxx, Salt Lake City could be on the map even more in
technology.  Even more than Silicon Valley, Seattle or San Francisco
are considered to be.

I also want to mention that I am the founder of a group called Utah
Open Source and we recently held the Utah Open Source Conference which
had over 200 attendees.  I mention this only because I feel it proves
that Utah has a vibrant strong, smart technology community that cares
about its freedoms in technology and elsewhere.

Let's not let anyone take those freedoms away.  We're a strong,
vibrant community and we can stand up for what we believe.  Wow, this
really became a soap box, sorry for that.

<Steps down from the soapbox>

I'll see you all online.

Cheers,

Clint