Capital Area Greenway
I was thinking again (I know, I know. I should stop that bad habit) about Raleigh and the potential for a municipal Internet network (or a Google one). It occurred to me that the miles and miles of greenways Raleigh enjoys would make the perfect place to run a fiber backbone across our city. We’ve got greenways stretching into every corner of our city and more are being built and stitched-together every year. Why not make burying conduit part of every greenway construction project going forward?
This would not only make use of a unique, existing Raleigh resource but it might also speed the adoption and construction of greenways. Some neighbors take a dim view of greenways in their neighborhood, associating them with crime in spite of evidence that shows greenways improve property values. Now, if neighbors knew that a greenway passing through their neighborhood meant ultra-fast fiber Internet service was coming to their homes they might be more welcoming of them.
It seems to me to be a dirt-simple idea that would position Raleigh for the pathways of the future: fiber-optic Internet!
I read somewhere that a greenway in Virginia makes a profit by leasing the right-of-way for just such purposes. Not one taxpayer dollar goes into the greenway, and a considerable amount comes out.
Let me know if I should try to find that link.