Minds meet to get park wired

POTSDAM — Clarkson University's second Forever Wired conference focused on getting people to use broadband Internet, now that several grants have been awarded to bring the service to the north country.

Slightly fewer than 200 people attended the event, which included a series of panel discussions about telecommuting and adapting broadband to a rural community.

"I think the conference last year helped bring attention to the region and bring success to a number of proposals (in) the region," said Clarkson President Anthony G. Collins. "The quality of this conference is even higher than last year because the attendees knew what to expect. In the next year, we have to help foster the utilization of broadband for businesses and purposes that will help create jobs."

Clarkson's Forever Wired Initiative aims to expand and promote broadband access across the north country and the Adirondack Park. Since last year's conference, three broadband grants have helped to expand coverage in the region.

Persuading people in the Adirondacks to use the high-speed Internet could be difficult, however. Nationally, about 65 percent of people choose to use broadband, if they have access to it. In the park, that number drops to about 30 percent, Mr. Collins said.

Still, the conference drew people from across business sectors, from individual entrepreneurs to local government officials to information technology workers.

They shared ideas and information on subjects including setting up a home-based business and finding funds to expand broadband access to small towns in the mountains.

"If it's nice out, we can go for a walk in the middle of the day, and we do," said entrepreneur Michael Nerney, who participated in a panel about working from home. "But we put in a lot of work. Business calls have to be done during business hours, but the research can happen whenever we want, and it does."

Other panels included telecommunications companies, like Slic Network Solutions and RidgeviewTel, to discuss the work they are doing to bring the Internet to small communities like Keene and Schroon Lake. Most big companies cannot afford to bring their services to small, isolated towns because the population density is too low to make it cost-effective, which leaves small towns looking for alternate sources of funding.

"In Keene's case, the money came from the state, 20 or 25 percent of it, and the rest came from private investment," said Keene resident David Mason.