Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my concern regarding little or no Internet service in the areas surrounding Winlock. My husband is a telecommuter and our service has slowed to a crawl. I have friends who are in the same boat. I read on the Winlock Facebook page that some new residents can't even get Internet service because the infrastructure is maxed out.
I think it's safe to say that Internet access has moved out of the realm of being a luxury and is becoming more of a utility. We have the use of Winlock Timberland Library computers and Wi-Fi but, as more and more of our daily activities move online (telecommuting, college courses, tutoring, bill paying, software downloads to name a few), it doesn't seem unreasonable to want stable Internet access in my home.
I know we aren't the only rural area to have unreliable Internet service. There must be some way to solve the problem. I'd like to know if this problem is widespread enough for us to band together and make a change. I have begun keeping track of the information I find on a blog, winlockneedsinternet.com. If anyone out there has the same troubles getting online at home as I do maybe we can work together and fix it.
Sincerely,
Michelle Conrow