THE GOAL?......BETTER CELL / INTERNET SERVICE IN CEDAR KEY

October 15, 2019

Last evening, Monday, October 14, nearly twenty residents attended the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District October monthly meeting and requested to speak in the Public Comment portion of the agenda.

The group’s concern was the need for better cell and Internet service in Cedar Key. Speaking for the residents was Steve Priessman.

• Priessman reminded the audience and the board of the changing nature of the topic: landlines are nearly a thing of the past; two-thirds of all youngsters in the United States live in households with cell phones only, relying exclusively on wireless.
• He reminded them, too, about the critical nature of the issue. Our safety relies on good coverage …Levy Emergency Management, doctors, 911 services, weather, government and public services.
• Our comfort relies on good coverage: television, Internet, movies, music, financial transactions, and more.
• He relayed his research demonstrating the need to have the antennae mounted in very close proximity to the users and the non-linear nature of the transmission of the signal.
• Then, of course, he reminded all that cell phone coverage is consummately unreliable in Cedar Key.
• Priessman urged the CKWSD to begin a dialog, function as a partner, and work with a small citizen group to move the erection of a tower or a feasibility study on the current water tower.

CKWSD board members heartily agreed with the group’s concerns. CKWSD General Manager John McPherson advised all that a small group had already met with Verizon representatives and were currently awaiting a proposal from the company.

The citizens averred that they would form a small core group, draft a possible plan, solicit more partners, and possibly apply for federal or state grants to finance feasibility studies and or a tower.

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