WI FI MEETING

     I believe that yesterday's meeting in Classroom C at the Clubhouse, sponsored by the Messenger's Club, and concerning mainly the issues presented by the Wi Fi proposal and the choices, was one of the best, if not THE best meeting I have attended in the Village in a long time. People came to listen, to ask questions, and to get information. They sat quietly through various presentations and question and answer sessions, heard the Comcast representative and received handouts of information relevant to the matter. There was no booing, no hissing, no nasty comments from the audience, no shouting out, a patient waiting for the mike to reach them, and everyone seemed to be on best behavior mode. The couple that left early missed a lot, to their detriment and they should try to find out what it is that they did miss.
     It boils down to a simple choice. Looking at the problem dispassionately is the way to go. There are three options on the table. Option one is to simply leave the situation status quo. Whoever has Wi Fi in the building, has it and who does not want or need it - doesn't and that is the end of the story. They simply OPT OUT from the Village proposal and they remain as they are.
     The second option is to go with the active OPT OUT program, which is to contact Comcast and the number was given, have them come and tell you what is needed, sign a two or three year contract, and then call any number of people within the Village who have done this already, have installed it and are very pleased and very quickly the association is wired up. The cost varies, but is moderate and the monthly carrying charge reasonable, less than certain payments now. Those who have done this are very pleased and spoke up at the meeting and offered aid and advise.
     The benefit here is economic and time. The cost is quite acceptable, the results are quite pleasing to those who have gone this route and the timing is spectacular. One association, from board meeting to complete installation took ONE WEEK!!!! You simply cannot beat that timing.
     The third option is the Village wide proposal. It is costly, over a million dollars and the cost can actually be much more than that. It is time consuming and can well take several years to install and complete even once a contractor is settled on. The issue of a proper contractor, a competent one, is rife with uncertainty. Some are incapable of such a large job. Others are simply incompetent or tainted by other issues. The infrastructure required is quite complex and open to storm damage should G-d forbid, we get one of those strong ones. Where to put some other infrastructure is another issue. Who will maintain, own, modernize all this - who knows? What happens when the whole setup is outdated and that happens very quickly in this tech world, - again, who knows.
     The active OPT OUT option with Comcast is open and detailed for all to see. The OPT OUT option to stay status quo is self explanatory. Both are economically feasible and acceptable. The Village wide is frightfully costly with no ceiling in sight and no details forthcoming, no transparency. As I stated at the meeting - it is not important who proposes what, only that we look at it dispassionately and with financial common sense. Yellow journalism and scare tactics which border on the prejudiced and have obscene moral implications have no business in the matter and neither do misinformative statements. Neither does imagining an evil cabal and conspiracy change the issues.
     The decision is up to the associations and to make sure that their delegates know what they want, whatever it is, and make sure they vote as the association wants and not as the delegate wants. It is as simple as that and the Village can then get on with other business such as finding the money to cover the shortfall in as gentle a manner as possible, planning and prioritizing for the future needs of the Village, taking care of the infrastructure we now have in place in the Village and the list goes on. This Wi Fi issue has consumed too much time and energy and for no good reason. Truth, transparency, dispassionate evaluation and time to MOVE ON!