You’ve got to spend money to make money.” So the old adage goes.
Another word for this is “investment,” and the City of Sanford made a smart one recently by deciding to invest in a 32- mile fiber network, which promises to deliver world-class, highspeed broadband Internet access to the community. Mayor Tom Cote said the move puts the city in a “leadership position” which will spur economic growth.
It’s easy to see why. In a hyperconnected age, speedy Internet is prized by businesses looking to leverage cutting-edge technology. A lightning-fast pipeline to a global network means a Sanfordbased company can, with ease, transact business with an entity in Boston, New York, or Tokyo for that matter. A first-rate fiber network makes the region more attractive to both start-up firms and established outfits looking to relocate from a more metropolitan environment, and strenghthens those businesses that already exist, incentivizing them to stay.
And the project’s cost – about $1.5 million – is reasonable, especially given that part of the price tag will be covered by savings in other areas. The city, as well as its school department, currently spend a substantial amount of money on Internet-associated leases and connections, the need for which will be eliminated by the new network.
This – combined with “very promising” discussions on funding between City Manager Steve Buck and state and federal authorities – has prompted city officials to declare that any funding gap would be filled by cost savings. All this makes the network a much better investment than one suggested project which had been discussed in years past: A dedicated highway spur. Direct access to Sanford from the Maine Turnpike had been up for consideration just a few years after the turn of the century, with proponents arguing that it would spur the region’s economy.
It may well have. But it also would have been far more costly, and would have done nothing in the way of helping businesses operate and compete globally.
The fiber network – which will be owned by Sanford, built by NextGen Telecom Services and operated by GWI – will do all that with the added benefit of accomodating municipal partners such as Wells and Alfred, and possibly others.
It will also extend the 3-Ring Binder, an open access fiber network geared toward rural, disadvantaged, unserved and underserved communities.
Sanford’s project, which could begin as early as next spring, dwarfs similar efforts being launched in other Maine communities, such as Rockport and South Portland. So when Cote says Sanford is poised to become a leader, he’s not kidding.
A municipality, like a business, thrives when it keeps up with the latest in technological innovation. Sanford’s economic growth has been trending in the right direction, and this network should only buttress the city’s efforts to remain relevant and forward-thinking. It’s a progessive measure that should allow the city to compete for jobs, and we applaud the effort.
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