Fellow Drysiders,

The internet is a vital resource to our community. Our schools, cities, businesses, hospitals and the public are underserved by the current infrastructure.

Microsoft has a program in which they are using old TV channels to provide internet to rural communities. They will have 12 starter programs to upgrade internet in 12 states. Washington is one of them, if our community wins this petition it would be a great opportunity for business development, improvement of city and government resources, hospitals access to critical care and specialists. Telemedicine could bring world-class surgeons to our small community. Not to mention the value that internet provides K-12 students, this will be the defining factor of success for the 21st century workforce.chances are your life will improve with this upgrade.

America invented the internet. Within 20 years, we don't even register in the Top 10 nations of high-speed internet. This is unacceptable for America let alone rural Washington state. List of countries by internet speeds

We the people, petition the city and county administrators to apply for the Microsoft internet grant. Furthermore, we kindly request that a committee be developed to oversee the ongoing effort to complete this improvement. In combination with county and state resources, private enterprise and public focus, we believe this could be addressed with the right cadence and focus. This is an important component to a successful community and we hope that this issue can be a priority for our public officials.

Original article from Microsoft: https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2017/07/...

Signed,
-The citizens of Goldendale
-The citizens of Klickitat County