Hi-speed Internet planned for Cody

CODY, Wyo. – If you’ve been itching for speedier Internet access in Cody and Powell, help may be on the
way.

By MIKE STARK
Gazette Wyoming Bureau

Officials with AT&T Broadband confirmed Monday that high-speed Internet service through cable television
lines should be up and running in the area this summer.
Meanwhile, a Cody man is hoping to form a public/private partnership to bring improved technologies to the
area.
Robert Hanson, who serves on local and statewide technology committees, said Cody and Powell
shouldn’t wait for Qwest to jump into action. Hanson is suggesting that locals get together and aggressively
develop a more sophisticated technology network.

Specifically, Hanson is proposing a partnership between Cody and Powell to provide better connections for
businesses and governments.
"I think that’s the only way we’re going to get this done," Hanson told a Cody Country Chamber of
Commerce luncheon on Monday. "We can’t wait for Qwest."
Hanson doesn’t expect Denver-based Qwest to make much effort to provide more bandwidth and other
services to Park County anytime soon because the corporation is going through tough times financially.
Companies often are reluctant to upgrade their rural technological infrastructure because of the cost of
reaching out-of-the-way places with small populations, he said.
But if Powell and Cody want to help retain and recruit businesses, Hanson said, something’s got to be
done.
Hanson pointed to the Joint Powers Telecommunications Board of Rock Springs and Green River. The
board is trying to partner with a private company to develop a comprehensive network that will provide
high-speed Internet access, more bandwidth, streaming video, better telephone access and other services.
Though the Rock Springs and Green River project would largely use infrastructure already in place, a
similar project for Cody and Powell is a viable option, according to Michael Stull, who heads up technology
issues for the Wyoming Business Council.
Stull said he gets calls regularly from small communities frustrated that they can’t get more sophisticated
Internet access. "That’s the biggest complaint," he said.
The Business Council relays those concerns to companies and tries to facilitate a solution. In the Basin
area, the network was recently revamped with TCT West. Customers now get broadband service to their homes
– including voice, video and data – and more features on their phone service.
Hanson said those kinds of improvements in Park County could help Northwest College, local hospitals,
schools, businesses and governments become more efficient and better connected.
"I could stand here all afternoon telling you all the things we could do with more bandwidth," Hanson said,
adding that e-commerce is expected to jump from $200 billion in 2000 to $2.7 trillion in 2004.
Rural communities often struggle to get that infrastructure in place because they feel isolated, Hanson
said.
"We tend to perceive ourselves as little islands," he said. "But communities need to work together."
While local businesses and government agencies might benefit from Hanson’s proposal, local residents
are expected to have the choice of higher-speed Internet service this summer through their cable line.
Clint Rodeman, a manager at AT&T Broadband offices in Riverton, said Monday that he expects
high-speed cable Internet service to be in place by June or July for Cody and Powell.
The new technology uses a cable modem instead of telephone lines to connect computers to the Internet.
Most existing coaxial cables can be split to provide simultaneous television and Internet service. The service
will allow constant access to the Internet without tying up phone lines or television service.
Rodeman couldn’t say just how fast the new service will be or how much it will cost. "We should know more
in a month or so," he said.
Generally, the service costs between $35 and $60 a month and provides nearly instantaneous signal
speed, according to an AT&T Web site.
Rodeman said customers have been eager to get the new service, which is already available in Cheyenne,
Casper and Sheridan.
"We get calls on it every day," Rodeman said.

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