Benefits of a Community Broadband Network | John & Sandy Rowe to Head WinterFest |  Provo Named Least Stressful City in America |

PRESS RELEASE
Benefits of a Community Broadband Network

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004

Contact Mary DeLaMare Schaefer: maryds@provo.utah.gov , (801)852-6867
Or LaVarr Webb, , (801) 537-0900

Provo Mayor Lewis K. Billings offered an exciting vision of the coming ultra-broadband world, in a speech this week in San Francisco at a conference focused on community broadband.

Billings delivered the keynote speech at the invitation of the American Public Power Association, sponsor of the Community Broadband Conference that was attended by representatives of public power communities from throughout the United States.

Many public power cities are considering following Provo’s lead in constructing public fiber optic networks, and Billings was asked to describe Provo’s experience and talk about the benefits of a community broadband network.

Billings recounted the challenges, particularly the tough political battles, that were fought to move ahead Provo’s project, called iProvo. Opponents tried to kill iProvo in two legislative sessions and in an expensive direct mail and telemarketing campaign targeted at Provo residents.

Despite the opposition and after a long process, iProvo supporters were able to eventually prevail, winning support from the City Council and obtaining financing to proceed with the project. Construction is now underway.

The mayor described many of the exciting applications that will be possible with fiber connecting Provo homes and businesses.

“When it comes to telecommunications services, said Billings, “our businesses and residents . . . are tired of the World Wide Wait. They want full interactive full-motion video. They want advanced telemedicine services. They want fully interactive distance learning. They want state of the art video-conferencing.  They want to instantaneously transfer large graphic files and photos.  They want web-based home security, multi-media e-mail, and HDTV. They want to be able to see and chat with an elderly parent or grandparent over a video phone.  They want Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony that really works. They want to watch their children’s school productions and sport activities on a community network. Our city wants remote meter reading.  We want traffic light synchronization.  We want our dispatchers to be able to use street cameras for more effective accident oversight and response.  We want our Police and Fire stations to have state of the art telecommunication services.”

Billings said those applications could be readily implemented on the iProvo network, “but I believe the REAL promise of what we are doing is the applications that we DON’T understand today, things I can’t even comprehend, that will be enabled by the immense capacity of our network. The real promise of this technology is the applications still in the brains of young, smart, innovative entrepreneurs who will figure out ways to use it that I can ’t begin to fathom. I absolutely believe the network will spawn innovation and creativity among many kinds of businesses, educators, hospitals and doctors, and even, believe it or not, in government.

“This kind of bandwidth changes everything,” said Billings. “There’s an old saying that we always overestimate the impact of technology in the short run, but underestimate it in the long run. That’s very true. The spectacular build-up and then bursting of the dot-com balloon a few years ago did nothing to invalidate the underlying technologies that have continued to be developed unabated. Today, many Internet businesses are making profits and doing extremely well, and any business or government entity without a robust Internet strategy is in serious trouble. Ultra-broadband capabilities in every home and business will accelerate the transformation of whole industries. Every web site becomes a potential full-motion, interactive video broadcast channel and every computer becomes a potential interactive receiver of millions of these broadcast web sites. What this will enable in business, education, medicine and the public sector is mind-boggling.

“With ultra-broadband, everything becomes instant. The vision of the network becoming the computer is realized. The need for desktop software updates will be eliminated. The vision of a very inexpensive network computer appliance becomes a reality. Everything is hosted out on the network. We will subscribe to storage, applications, and software out on the network that we interact with as instantly as if it were on our desktop hard drive. Security, privacy and redundancy will be vastly improved over what we can do individually.”

The ramifications are enormous for distance learning, telemedicine, political campaigns, and the possibilities for business are limited only by the imagination of entrepreneurs, Billings said.

“Local governments have always been facilitators and partners with private businesses and free enterprise,” the mayor said. “We have always had the role of providing infrastructure that would be too difficult or too expensive for a private firm to provide alone. Municipalities enable robust competition in the private sector by providing basic services like police and fire protection, by installing and maintaining essential infrastructure like roads, bridges, water systems and airports.  Today, a new basic infrastructure is crucial to our success. FCC Chairman Michael Copps put it this way, ‘Broadband networks will be as critical to this new century as roads, canals, and railroads were to the 19th Century and the Interstate Highway System and basic telephone networks were to the 20th Century.’”

Billings concluded by saying, “It is our goal, short and simple, to position our city for the future. I believe we have three choices: We can follow and die. We can stay even and survive. Or, we can lead and prosper.  We’ve decided we want our city to prosper.”

(Lewis K. Billings was elected Mayor of Provo, Utah in November 1997 and 2001.  For more information regarding Provo City and/or the iProvo Telecommunications Project, contact Mary DeLaMare Schaefer at email: maryds@provo.utah.gov , or telephone: (801) 852-6867.)

PRESS RELEASE
DATE OF RELEASE: Tuesday, October 12, 2004

JOHN AND SANDY ROWE TO HEAD WINTERFEST

PROVO, Utah: John and Sandy Rowe have been selected as Chairs of Provo City’s Annual Winterfest Celebrations, Provo Mayor Lewis K. Billings announced today. They will begin their work immediately in preparation for the popular holiday activities that culminate with Provo’s First Night Celebration on December 31, 2004.

Winterfest is a series of events held in downtown Provo to help area residents celebrate the holiday season.  It has been celebrated successfully for eleven years.  Along with First Night, the events  many of which are free to the public include a Christmas Parade, the LightsOn Ceremony at the Provo City Center complex, a living nativity, and a series of concerts in the Provo Tabernacle.

John and Sandy are current owners of the Hines Mansion, Bed and Breakfast. They purchased the property in 2002, when they retired from busy corporate life.  They love Provo and the multitude of opportunities the area offers.  "We are pleased to have the Rowes leading our City’s Winterfest Activities," said Mayor Billings.

"It is exciting to be involved with the preparation for Winterfest and we’re pleased to help get the party started." noted John Rowe. Sandy Rowe added: "I’m looking forward to working with our Winterfest Committee with the tradition of hosting great holiday activities."

   (For more information contact Michael Mower, Director Community and Government Relations at 852-6103.)

MEDIA ADVISORY
DATE OF ADVISORY:  January 13, 2004

Provo Named Least Stressful City in America

Provo, Utah  Sperling’s Best Places recently released their annual survey of America’s Most and Least Stressful cities. Provo, Utah received the top spot for Least Stressful midsized city in the nation.  Noted Provo Mayor Lewis K. Billings, "We’re not surprised with this ranking as Provo is a great place to live."  Mayor Billings added that Provo residents benefit from "outstanding recreational and cultural activities, great educational opportunities as well living in a city that is a great place to raise a family." He concluded, "All of these attributes blend together to make our community a wonderful, low stress place to live."

(For more information contact Michael Mower at 8526103 or 3194708)

Provo City Mayor’s Office
351 West Center St., Provo, UT 84603
(801) 852- 6100
Office Hours:  Monday - Thursday 7 A.M. -  6 P.M.