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Calif. firm wants to offer mobile net to NC coast

Submitted by WWAY on Mon, 10/19/2009 - 11:46am.READ MORE:
GREENVILLE -- A California wireless phone company has applied for a federal grant to bring broadband service to remote areas along North Carolina's coast. The Daily Reflector of Greenville reported Monday that Cleartalk expects to hear next month if it will get $50 million in federal stimulus money to build a wireless network in 38 counties stretching from the Outer Banks to Wilmington. The company plans to build 392 towers that will bring broadband service to about 2 million people. Cleartalk has built similar networks in other states, including South Carolina, Alabama and Texas. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Mobile Net Service with Federal Subsidy

Submitted by Gerald (not verified) on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 1:05pm.
If it is WiMax technology, the Feds should LOAN the money, if it is not WiMax, forget it, let them lose their own money. This is just more welfare for the Rich.
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Why

Submitted by SurfCityTom on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 7:23am.
is this necessary. Business travel takes me from Corrolla to Georgetown, South Carolina. My Verizon cell never fails to provide service. Why spend the money for something not needed? Let's remember, in reality this Grant is really borrowed funds which our future generations will be paying for.
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Exactly right!

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 10:40am.
This company is making a pitch under that Clinton-era initiative to bring Internet access to rural America. In reality, they are doing nothing more than looking for low to no-cost financing to compete with companies such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, who have to finance their own network buildout. That's the problem with government trying to be all things to all people - private enterprise has to decide whether it makes sense to put high speed data in a specific location, because they simply can't operate in the red forever....they have to make a profit.... ....but as long as government money is involved profit is inconsequential. They can hemorrhage red ink until the cows come home. Who cares? It's not investors' money, it's TAXPAYERS' money! We can just print more or raise taxes. So what if it costs $4 million over the next five years to provide Internet access to East Arcadia? A sobering thought to keep in mind as we discuss the Democrat's plan to take over the healthcare industry...
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They're talking about

Submitted by Guest1636 (not verified) on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 9:35am.
They're talking about wireless internet service, not cellular phone service.
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Well then

Submitted by SurfCityTom on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 5:38pm.
anyone who travels eastern North Carolina knows you can pull into any Holiday Inn, or most other chain hotels, and lock onto their wireless internet. Or go into Satrbucks, a growing number of fast food chains, and even some sports bars. You're still talking a large sum of dollars for something everyone has been getting along without for quite a while. For that matter, I can sit on my boat in Surf City's harbor and click onto 3 different wireless internet service providers. All courtesy of local businesses seeking to stimulate their sales activities. So again, that $50 million escalates when you click on the interest for borrowing the money which the Feds will have to do. Why not economize? Oh, I forgot, that would eliminate a photo op for former Vice President Gore who invented the internet -- I still see his face in Whiteville at the train station when he introduced his latest invention and talked about how it would revolutionize rural economies.
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