Eureka Times Standard

New Year's technology hopes for the North Coast economy

Sunday, January 8, 2006

By Gregg Foster

Last year at this time, Chris Crawford and I wrote separate columns about the five technology gifts that would benefit the Humboldt County economy in 2005. Okay, Chris wrote the first article and I shameless stole the good ideas it contained.

To recap, the five technology gifts on the wish list were:

1. A second fiber optic connection to ensure telecommunications reliability and price competitiveness with other areas.

2. A community web portal that serves as a Internet gateway into our community for a wide variety of purposes.

3. A G.I.S.-based inventory of properties and land use to capture, store, retrieve, analyze and report geographic and demographic information.

4. GSM cell phone technology, which allows you to surf the web, use e-mail, and calendars through your cell phone.

5. A long distance Point-Of-Presence (POP), which could expand the long-distance options available to local businesses

I added a sixth, non-technology gift, which was the continuing modernization of our local airport to strengthen our connection to the rest of the world.

So, how have we done in delivering these gifts and what new gifts might we want for 2006?

A second fiber optic connection

In May, Redwood Coast Rural Action, Redwood Technology Consortium, and Redwood Region Economic Development Commission hosted a forum on broadband development for the region. From that, a project was developed to develop a business model for a redundant fiber connection. After securing funds from the County of Humboldt, a contractor was selected to develop this model. We expect a final report to be completed in spring 2006 at which point we can begin to pursue implementation of this important piece of our telecommunications infrastructure. Fortunately, a new California Emerging Technologies Fund is being created that could help fund this project.

A community web portal

The Redwood Technology Consortium is actively pursuing strategies for developing and/or enhancing our current community web resources. In addition, efforts are underway to consolidate the myriad of local business and economic development websites into a single web-based point of entry for individuals and businesses needing information and assistance. Look for significant progress in 2006.

A GIs-based inventory of land and buildings

The County of Humboldt and the Cities of Eureka and Arcata are working together toward a regional GIS tool to provide valuable real estate information to businesses and the general public. We are also blessed to have top-notch resources in both Humboldt State University and a private company, HostGIS that can help move these projects forward. A good, simple example of a GIS-based tool is the new Humboldt Hotspots website, www.humboldthotspots.com.

GSM cell phone technology

According to the GSM World website, www.gmsworld.com, Humboldt County now enjoys GSM coverage through one of our local cell phone providers.

A long distance Point Of Presence

A second fiber optic connection will set the stage for telecommunication companies to establish a long distance POP here. If this doesn't happen, the speed of developments Internet telephony and even wireless network phones may make this wish obsolete. For example, will the new requirement that telecommunications companies offer “stand-alone” DSL (meaning you can order DSL without other telephone service) mean that Internet phone calling will be widely used in our region?

Airport modernization

The new Horizon Air flight service to Los Angeles, started in late April, has been a resounding success. The Horizon LAX flight balanced with United Express service boosted enplanement (people boarding planes) figures to a new record for Humboldt County. In 2004, enplanements were 98,500 compared to an approximately 111,100 for 2005. The Arcata-Eureka airport modernization plan is moving forward with broad community support. Next year will be an important one as the County moves forward with their improvement plan for both the runway and the passenger terminal.

Wish list for 2006

In addition to continued progress on our list above, we would like to see a couple more for 2006, such as:

New broadband service being offered in an unserved community.

Those of us who live in Ferndale, for example, were thrilled when Frontier began DSL Internet service late this year. How about adding one or more small communities in 2006, maybe through wireless coverage?

Wireless broadband coverage for one of our larger downtowns. Cities all over the world are beginning to offer high speed wireless connectivity covering large geographical areas. This tool would enhance our economy and quality of life for visitors and residents alike.

As Chris noted last year, “The effective use of technology helps to diversify our local economy, and makes our existing industries more profitable, which leads to job growth and prosperity. If we choose our gifts wisely, we can lead our community to a better tomorrow.” What was true then is even truer now.

Happy New Year.